Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 1 - 12 of 12
The three DNR helicopters and six out of eight of their winged aircraft....
One of the things I enjoy most about being an aviation medical examiner is the opportunity given to me to meet pilots from many parts of the state, from many walks of life. I have refrained from writing much about my experiences doing flight physicals out of respect for Dr. James Lakin, who puts a tremendous amount of effort into writing the monthly installments dealing with aeromedicine. My small contributions writing this small monthly column pales in comparison to the articles that he...
"Our mission is to conserve and manage the state's natural resources, to provide outdoor recreation opportunities, and to provide for commercial uses of natural resources in a way that creates a sustainable quality of life." Minnesota Department of Natural Resources That's a big job! Minnesota has 75 state parks, 1300 miles of trails, 3000 public water access facilities, 5 million acres of state forest, (you get the idea). DNR people enforce laws, manage fisheries, monitor wildlife, fight forest...
In 1993 when I was 14 years old and already an airshow fanatic, my father took me on my first pilgrimage to the Oshkosh Fly-In Convention (it would not be named AirVenture until years later). Fast forward 27 years and now a father myself, I was going to continue the cycle. My 14 year old daughter has also been bitten by the aviation bug and we were planning her first trip to AirVenture in 2020. When I broke the news to her that the event was canceled this year due to COVID-19, my heart sank as...
Taking Advantage of Webinars It is likely that your flying has been impacted somehow by the unusual reality that we find ourselves in. Perhaps you haven’t been able to fly much and find your currency slipping. The gatherings at the airport, complete with all the usual hangar flying, haven’t been occurring. The aviation industry has been severely impacted. This is a good time to ensure you take your safety standards into consideration. While in person safety seminars are likely not occurring, there are a myriad of online options available. If...
In three decades of air display announcing, I've been privileged to interview many members of what journalist Tom Brokaw called "The Greatest Generation." This has included members of the Flying Tigers (American Volunteer Group), Doolittle Raiders, Tuskegee Airmen, WASPs, aces, Medal of Honor winners, and veterans of the Berlin Airlift. Added to that, I've called over 200 types of aircraft in shows, from the Pietenpol Air Camper to the Lockheed F-117 Stealth Fighter. Antiques, classics, modern...
Reprinted with permission from Press Publications. Surfside Seaplane Base in Lino Lakes is celebrating its 50th birthday. The seaplane business, known for its maintenance, classes and air rides, has been an attraction in the Lino Lakes community for decades. "We keep anywhere between 35 and 45 airplanes here year 'round. We have a shop here that does the maintenance. We also do flight training," said Bruce Hanson, owner of Surfside Seaplane Base. Surfside first opened in the '40s, but changed...
I was planning a spine-tingling discussion on the use of seatbelts in aviation for this month, but it seems like the questions at the FBO are overwhelmingly about something else, COVID-19. Rightly so. As we try to inch back to a semblance of normalcy in the aviation community, we increasingly risk infection, hospitalization or even death. The rate of infection is skyrocketing nationally. Fortunately, here in Minnesota we have not seen exponential increases but, at this writing infection rates are beginning to creep up again. As pilots, we are...
If you are in the process of building or restoring your own aircraft you can now send in a question to be answered in a future issue of the Minnesota Flyer by Technical Advisor Mark Manning. Please submit your questions along with a photo whenever possible to: verlena@mnflyer.com. As Technical Advisor, Mark Manning brings with him over 38 years of aviation experience. He has performed maintenance on over 35 different types of aircraft and has flown more than 25 different models of aircraft. I...
We all like to take pictures. Maybe you have a photo that others would enjoy seeing. Photos can be anything aviation related, an item of interest, i.e. artifact, piece of clothing, collector items, models, paintings, original photo's of aircraft in flight, and so forth. There are some pretty interesting things out there that many of us have never seen before. Please include a brief explanation with your photo. Send your submission to: verlena@mnflyer.com or Minnesota Flyer, PO Box 449, Moose...
The C-27J is based on the Fiat G. 222 that first flew on 18 July 1970, and was delivered to Argentina, Italy, Libya, Nigeria, and Thailand. This Lockheed Martin/Alenia development with uprated engines, avionics, and other systems from the C-130J, took to the air on 25 September 1999. Technically called the Lockheed Martin Alenia Tactical Transport Systems, or LMATTS, initial orders were for Italy and Greece. Further aircraft were delivered to Australia, Bulgaria, Mexico, Romania, and the United...
"Say It Ain't So..." (Chicago Tribune headline after Shoeless Joe Jackson was indicted for fixing the World Series). Non-Directional Beacons (NDB) are being shut off. What will flight instructors use to torture their instrument students? How can an iconic system for air navigation just go away? It's not right! OK, so I'm a dinosaur. I cut my aviation teeth 50 years ago in the high Arctic and the "Non-Directional Beacon" was the approach aid of choice there. My brain still contains the necessary...
