Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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"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...
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...
Every once in a while, you'll hear or read a story that just makes you feel good inside, or you might say to yourself, "That's a great story!" Chuck Datko's story of how he came to sell his T-6 Texan, and more importantly, who he sold it to, is one of those "feel good" stories. Chuck Datko, age 75, from Coon Rapids, Minnesota, retired owner/president of Burmeister Electric Company, has owned a variety of airplanes over the years. His hanger at Anoka County Airport, in Blaine, Minnesota, has hous...
I like to walk the field ahead of time. Early morning is best – time to drink in the atmosphere and savor, however briefly, the newly mown grass, listen to the birds that swoop low over the runway and get my old Rockports damp with dew. Snuggled next to Battle Lake, just outside the town of 875 or so, about 20 miles east of Fergus Falls, is the only grass field I've called airshows at in three decades of announcing. A bit under 2800 feet by 200 feet with hangars and a corn field on one side a...
The aviation world lost a special lady in June. Dame Vera Margaret Lynn Welch passed away at her home in England on June 18, 2020 at the age of 103.Vera gained popularity during WWII performing for the troops on the front line and became known as “The Forces Sweetheart”. Tom Lymburn mentions her in his “Merlin Magic” article in the May 2020 issue of the Minnesota Flyer....
Although there is still much work to be done and funds to be raised, the Isle City Council voted recently to keep the airport open. At the June meeting of the Isle City Council a vote was taken which would determine the future of the Isle Airport. In December of 2019 the city council and the Isle Airport Association received notice from the Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Aeronautics that unless obstructions were removed the Isle Airport would be closed down. The obstructions...
Back when "overnight delivery" was exotic, an interesting fleet of airplanes flew "time sensitive" stuff like legal papers and canceled checks. One such aircraft was the Beech 18. Originally a business transport or small airliner, it was a tail dragger with two radial engines. The "18" evolved. Some had turboprop motors and other's tricycle gear. A big player in the business with the intriguing name of "Sedalia, Marshall and Booneville Stage Line" once had the world's largest fleet of these now...
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. Hope...
Share your photo - This 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 Lake, MN 55767-0449....
It would be hard to imagine more interesting times than what our planet has recently experienced. The coronavirus worldwide pandemic and the resulting government responses have very much changed the lives of everyone. No baseball, movies, airshows or fly-ins. Bars and restaurants are closed, so the $100 hamburger run is out. The economy took a major hit, resulting in widespread unemployment. Aviation activity has decreased on an alarming scale. The U.S. airport system has felt the jolt as much...
On May 1st, 2020, came the EAA announcement that the 68th annual Oshkosh fly-in event scheduled for July 20-26th was to be canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was not an easy decision but for many reasons the organizers felt it was the only option given the uncertainty of the situation. More than half a million people from all over the world head to Oshkosh each summer for the event, the largest fly-in convention in the world. Last year's event hosted people from over 90 countries around...
In all the history of aviation, only 99 pilots can claim to have been "Flying Tigers." The nickname was later adopted by the 23rd Fighter Group of the U.S. Army Air Force, but the original Flying Tigers were not members of the military. They were a band of mercenaries recruited by Claire Chenault before the U.S. was officially at war with Japan. Flying in Burma and China from December 1941 to July 1942, they destroyed 296 Japanese aircraft, losing 14 pilots in the process. Einar Mickelson from...
(With permission of the Proctor Journal) Tuesday, April 14 pilot/owner Tyler Nelson was forced to make an emergency landing on Midway Rd. (approx. 10 miles west of Duluth) after his Cessna 172K's engine stalled at 3,000 ft. Nelson had taken off from the Superior Airport about 15 minutes before the incident. He was able to safely land the plane and then take off a short time later. Neither Nelson or the Cessna had a scratch on them. It is not yet clear why the engine stalled....
Moose Lake was able to enjoy being a part of a statewide effort made by the National Guard to honor those on the COVID-19 frontlines. On Wednesday, May 13, pilots from the Minnesota National Guard's 148th Fighter Wing out of Duluth, and the 133rd Airlift Wing out of Saint Paul, as well as from the Air Force Reserve's 934th Airlift Wing, performed their second round of flyovers of hospitals statewide. A pair of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft flew over Mercy Hospital in Moose Lake as part of their...
We are all pretty worn down by the precautions that were electively taken by our governor with regard to the COVID-19 virus, and many of us are pretty much over it. It is time to get back to doing the things that make us happy, not to mention productive. I know that it was with heavy heart that we cancelled the 2020 Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering, that Sun-N-Fun was cancelled, and that we learned of the postponing of the Minnesota Seaplane Pilots Safety Seminar to the fall of 2020. While...
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had a way with the English language. He also liked the sound of his own voice. Many of his speeches in Parliament lasted so long that some members were nearly comatose by the end. On August 20, 1940 Churchill made a typically long speech concerning the status of the war with Germany. He paid tribute to all the people defending Britain against the aggressors, but buried in the speech is this single sentence that has an important place in aviation history....
Most aviators recognize the power of lightning, but few understand this unique natural phenomenon. Take time to review a few facts about lightning. 1. A typical thunderstorm lasts about 30 minutes. 2. Though most tend to occur in the afternoon and evening during the spring and summer, thunderstorms can occur at any time of the day and along frontal boundaries. 3. Lightning can strike as far as 15 miles away from a thunderstorm. 4. Lightning can occur when it is not raining. 5. Deaths caused by...
When we think about how far air travel and space travel have come since the first drawings of da Vinci to the most recent flight of the space shuttle, we are truly amazed. Now imagine what can be coming in the next century or even just in the next ten years! It is mind-boggling. While those thoughts are in your head, why not have a little fun with a little aviation/space trivia test? The questions are in random order and are taken from three national sources of aviation and space information. 1. What aviation safety device predates the advent o...
The Aero Shell Team snarled its way into the air. As usual, their formation was superb. Once the four Texans turned northeast, away from Runway 36, we resumed our conversation. "You've announced for years. What was your favorite formation?" I thought for a moment. Eight or nine people were gathered by the high wing Stinson trimotor's starboard Lycoming, some in the shade, others content to absorb the noon time sun. "Well," I thought out loud. "I did announce the Trimotor Gathering here in 2005....
Written by Alexandria Gossen, a student at Concordia College St. Paul, reprinted with permission from the Hinckley News. Social distancing has become a life-saving lifestyle, but it can be difficult to remain six feet apart from the average human – essential or not. Cambridge resident Greg Regnier has his own way of keeping far away from locals by ascending approximately 2,000 feet into the air. Air Force Veteran Greg Regnier did his usual precheck routine: engine check, wing check, oil check a...
As I roll to the start of the runway, I look eagerly to the sky for the tower has cleared me for takeoff and again I am committed to fly. As the nose of the airplane lines up with the solid white line on the black, there is a feeling of joy as the engine roars and there is no turning back. With throttle full forward, it isn’t long before the spinning prop becomes so strong and the roll that started slow at first, is racing to free me from the earth. My heart pounds a little, for I can feel that moment of truth is near when a slight backward for...
"Hey, aren't you the dude who announces up at Anoka?" He wore three Canon cameras, all with long expensive telephoto lenses, a sleeveless T-shirt, baggy cargo shorts, and sandals. His nose and forehead were seriously sunburned, as were the backs of his calves. "I have, yes," I replied and tried not to let the chocolate covered Dove ice cream bar drip on my shoes. "I thought I recognized the beard," he nodded. "You announcing here?" "Oh, no. Not here." "Have you ever announced here?" "Well,...
WAI Three days focused on workforce issues, professional development & education seminars, and Girls in Aviation Day Orlando, Florida March 8, 2020 – Women in Aviation International held another successful annual gathering during the 31st Annual International Women in Aviation Conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, March 5-7, 2020. With its unique blend of top-notch speakers, busy exhibit hall, an array of education sessions, and more than 100 scholarship awards, the WAI 2020 conference delivered num...
