Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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Michael Lilya on the wing of the Piper Archer he has learned to fly while attending UND....
Just like a good neighbor, Minnesota pilots are there. This modified insurance company jingle came to mind recently when Minnesota pilots were asked to “show some love” for a small airstrip in northern Wisconsin. The Cornucopia airstrip (WI23), located on the south shore of Lake Superior just southwest of Madeline Island, has been in existence for many years, but was somewhat forgotten until recently. Members from the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF), led by Jeff Russell, adopted the air...
Good weather is what everyone hopes for when planning an outside event and that is just what Grand Rapids EAA Chapter 412 had for their Fly-In breakfast held on June 1st. After a cool morning, it ended up being a beautiful 70° day. Along with breakfast was a silent auction offering many nice items to bid on. The money raised will go toward a scholarship fund. Each year, they award two or three $750.00 scholarships to students entering the aviation field. Chapter President Robert Bischoff...
Once again, aside from a little wind, the weather was perfect for a fly-in event! The Lakes Flying Club Annual Fly-In/Drive-In Pancake Breakfast on Sat., June 15th, had a lot to offer. Planes, as well as vehicles, full of hungry people came and went all day long. Emergency Responders were there with an ambulance and a fire truck to look over and ask questions about. A Life Flight Helicopter and an Air Care Medical Helicopter were also there. Both of these drew a lot of interest from the crowd....
Michael Lilya, 19, of Moose Lake always wanted to fly. One of his first words were "plane," said his mother Sheryl. "As long as I can remember, I have wanted to fly," Michael said. In March 2018, he took his girlfriend, Kaitlyn, to the fly-in at the Cloquet airport and found a pilot to fly the two of them to Moose Lake. He had a special question to ask Kaitlyn. As they flew low over the Lilya home, Michael asked Kaitlyn to look in the yard, and she saw the question that he and his mother had...
W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., June 26, 2019 – ASTM International, a global standards leader, today published its first-ever technical report, a new type of offering. The organization’s first technical report serves as a guide, providing a framework for terminology and requirements for increasingly autonomous and complex aviation systems. “The aviation community is adopting more and more technologies that support automation and autonomy,” said ASTM International member Stephen Cook, Ph.D., of Northrop Grumman, who chaired the group that created the rep...
New Muffler Replacement Available for Cessna Skyhawks/Cardinals Minneapolis, MN – Aerospace Welding Minneapolis, Inc. (AWI), has been granted a PMA by the FAA allowing them to sell new replacement mufflers and shrouds for popular models of the Cessna 172 Skyhawk and Cardinal. The PMA covers the 172 (s/n 17256513 and up), the 172R, 172S and the 177 Cardinal. New muffler shrouds and exhaust stacks are also available. For a complete list of parts numbers and models affected, visit h...
Neal McCafferty found the perfect place to live and raise his family when they moved to Baxter, near Brainerd, to pilot helicopters for Life Link III, an air ambulance. "I'm loving my job and family life in Minnesota is spectacular," he said in a recent interview. McCafferty flew the Life Link III helicopter to the fly-in, drive-in breakfast at the Moose Lake-Carlton County Airport on Saturday, June 15. Another air ambulance came from North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale. "We came to do...
Through a donor who wishes to be anonymous, Women in Aviation International has awarded an additional $73,000 in 17 individual scholarships to be put toward flight and aviation maintenance training. These scholarships winners are: WAI Private Pilot Scholarship ($5,000 each): Madison Coutu, Toronto, Ontario; Kourtnie A Robin, Slidell, Louisiana; Rachel A Obajtek, Tehachapi, California; Aurora E Enriquez, Bozeman, Montana; Morgan D Sandstrom, Centerville, Ohio. WAI Instrument Certificate Scholarship ($5,000 each): Melissa Diaz Cooper, Kailua,...
It is easy to say that, although small electric aircraft are at last selling, they are a negligible part of the overall aircraft market. Mistake. They will work up from the bottom to be mainstream. Airbus, Boeing and Rolls Royce know this, but many others are sleeping through the future. Some of the successes are from small companies. Amazing new technologies are in the pipeline. The new IDTechEx report, “Manned Electric Aircraft 2020-2030” explains the significance of such things as distributed thrust with up to 30 thrusters, ionic thr...
F. Lee Bailey, famed criminal lawyer, former Marine pilot, chats with FLYER editor Sherm Booen at the Helicopter Association Convention at Disneyland, California. Bailey recently purchased controlling interest in the ENSTROM helicopter, manufactured in Menominee, Michigan. The 3 place, 100 mph Lycoming powered rotocraft is roomy, quiet and was a popular machine at the big show. Imperial Airways, Fleming Field, South St. Paul has been named an Enstrom dealer....
The FAA defines Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM) as, “…a systematic approach to the mental process used by pilots to consistently determine the best course of action in response to a given set of circumstances….” When the FAA talks about ADM, it really likes pilots to work through the DECIDE mnemonic but today let’s skip the post-mortem flagellation of that particular equine, OK? I did a brief study many years ago of accidents involving aircraft with ballistic parachutes, which have saved many lives in the years since then. When parachute...
With so much to see and so many to talk to, we just couldn't fit all the photos in the original article....
Last month we talked about Special Issuances, the route to medical certification when you have a significant medical condition that might affect your flying. This involves getting reports from your treating physician along with tests, sending them to the FAA, getting a flight physical from your AME, waiting four to six weeks and, if all is well, getting your medical. A few years back the FAA took a look at sorting out those airmen that had a medical condition that might be an issue but were...
"Wells to go Dry" is a headline that could have happened. In 1913, seven years before the United States government enacted national prohibition, a local election prohibited consumption of alcoholic beverages in the City of Wells. People went thirsty until the 19th Amendment was repealed in 1933. That year, seven new licenses to sell beer were issued. By 1948 the City had decided to "join them" and opened a municipal liquor store. A 1988 headline could have read "Air Force bases Sabre Jet at Well...
Check this column each month to see that dates have not been canceled or changed. Send notices six weeks in advance of publication to the Minnesota Flyer, P.O. Box 750, Sandstone, MN 55072-0750 or mnflyer@pinternet.com or verlena@mnflyer.com. Attention Pilots Be sure to get a Flight Service briefing from (800) WX-Brief before every flight and check your destination airport status. Aug 11: Lino Lakes, MN. Surf Side Sea Plane Base. Minnesota Sea Plane Association Annual Pig Roast Picnic. Private Sea Plane Base and grass strip.Contact: Steve...
Old 758B climbed out of FCM into a cloudless sky one Friday in July, and set course for Longville. In the right seat was son-in-law Bill Roberts, his lap full of maps and charts. He was getting his first real lesson in pilotage. The baggage compartment was full of fishing gear, which we hoped to use to some advantage the next two days. Skirting the big lake, we flew over John Reidl's beautiful Crow Wing County airport, then past Breezy and Cross Lake, before reving down for the approach to...
Thomas Octave Murdock Sopwith (1888-1989), later Sir Thomas, formed Sopwith Aviation at Kingston-on-Thames in 1912. Famous as a pilot, balloonist, car racer, and yacht racer, Sopwith, with Fred Sigrist and Harry Hawker, were the backbone of a company that supplied the RFC, RNAS, and RAF with combat aircraft during WWI. Finances forced the liquidation of Sopwith after the war, but it returned to aircraft manufacturing as H. G. Hawker Engineering in November 1920. Known for the 1 ½...
With new scholarships being posted weekly, WAI is ready to accept applications for dozens of scholarships. Currently, there are 85 scholarships offered for flight training, scholastic study, maintenance training, and a variety of scholarships for individuals in all stages of life. Internships are also being offered. Additional scholarships will be added in the coming weeks and months, and applicants are encouraged to check for new scholarships often. Applicants may apply for up to 3 scholarships per year. “When you think of scholarships, h...
Milaca, MN – Milaca Airport (18Y), north of Minneapolis, will become the site for a new event called the Sodbusters STOL Competition. The event, being organized by Jeff Pohl, will be held on Saturday, August 3 beginning at 10:00 a.m. There will be four categories of competition: Heavy Touring, Light Touring, Bush Class and Light Sport/Light Experimental Aircraft. Trophies will be presented to the winners of the four groups and plaques will be presented to those who finish in 2nd and 3rd place. The awards will be presented during a pig roast S...
