Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 176 - 200 of 672
Harold H. Brown was born in Minneapolis a graduate of Minneapolis North High School, he took his first airplane ride at Wold-Chamberlain Field in 1941 and soloed at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama after enlisting in the Army Air Corps. He trained in the PT-17, BT-13 and AT-6. He earned his wings and was assigned to fly fighter aircraft. He went on to fly combat missions in the P-47N Thunderbolt, P-38 Lightning and the P-51C/D Mustang. His first assignment was with the 332nd FG at Ramitelli... Full story
Four days rafting down the Green River – a tributary of the Colorado River – in the heart of the rugged Rocky Mountain wilderness. Tim Valentine – an international business person, pastor and humanitarian – knew this untouched North American landscape was a world away from the horrors endured during Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo. He hoped it would provide refuge for a group of veterans who've struggled to find anything like it since they returned home. Valentine ran an outreach program flying... Full story
Planes flew in from across the state to deliver toys to the 30th annual Tree of Hope toy drive on Dec. 7. In Hangar 2 of the St. Cloud Regional Airport – the first time the event has ever been held in St. Cloud – hundreds of volunteers scurried frantically to sort, bag and box toys that are to be delivered to hospitals, orphanages and charities across the state for children to open on Christmas morning. "We keep hoping it will be obsolete, but the hospitals keep asking," said Tree of Hope Pre... Full story
Barbara Wiley is a native of Robbinsdale. Her father was the pilot for her first airplane ride at the Crystal Airport. She later soloed a Cessna 150 in 1965 and earned her Private Pilot License a year later. She went on to earn her Instrument, Seaplane and ATP licenses by 1971. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from the University of Minnesota and taught in the Osseo School District. While also working as a chief pilot for charter operations, a flight instruction, private and... Full story
Wilbur Orson has spent his entire lifetime in aviation. Orson has aged right alongside aviation. At age 78 Orson has served in the U.S. Air Force, worked as an aircraft mechanic and taught aviation engineering in college. As a commercial pilot he as acquired the following certifications: ASEL, ASES, AMEL, F.E.-TJ, AGI, CFI-A and A&P. His history of flying dates back to 1927, when Charles Lindbergh first crossed the Atlantic. In 1927 aviation had captured the imagination of the world, spreading... Full story
Minnesota Flyer reader Warren Batzlaff sent in this report on the CrySTOL Fly-In held at Crystal Airport, Crystal Minnesota on Saturday September 14, 2019. This was celebration of sorts for being able to save the turf runway at KMIC. I served on several MAC committees about updating the 2020 comprehensive plan to a 2035 plan. The 2020 plan, completed in 2010, called for removal of the turf runways, removal of one of the parallel asphalt runways, as well as other downsizing. I worked closely and... Full story
Established in 2016 to celebrate Academy College's 80th Anniversary, the scholarship provides $10,000 for one aviation degree seeking student pursuing a professional pilot career in honor of Sherm Booen. This year's recipient of the $10,000 Sherm Booen Scholarship is Jessica Anderson. Meet Jessica Anderson: Minnesota native, Jessica Anderson, still remembers the flight that hooked her into aviation, even though she was just two years old and in a car seat! Fascinated, albeit slightly terrified... Full story
The first question you should ask yourself is, if I am this cold now and I haven’t even left the ramp, how cold would I be if I had to execute an emergency landing when miles from a town or even just a mile from a farm house, for instance. Am I properly dressed to be safe during this flight? The answer is no, you aren’t. You should always dress for the conditions you are likely to encounter anywhere along your route of flight. Then, in the event of an unscheduled landing, you’ll be able to protect yourself and your passengers until help arriv... Full story
It was a very wet Saturday morning and more heavy rain was forecast. It had been a year for it. Discover Aviation Days had been rained out and Red Wing's weather was less than polite. The motel window needed cleaning, the shower curtain had mold around its hem and the air conditioner rattled faintly. The restaurant across the half-filled motel parking lot was dark. Only some lightning and the melancholy rotating RST beacon visible in the east lit up the early morning. I've been rained on as a... Full story
What is Tree of Hope? • Tree of Hope is an all-volunteer organization that started with the private aviation community when they saw a need for hospitals to have toys to for children in the hospital over the Christmas holiday. • Tree of Hope is supported by EAA Chapters, Minnesota 99's, Flying Clubs, Zuhrah Shrine Flyers, Minnesota Pilots Association as well as individuals and families that are interested in aviation. What do we need? • Toys for children ages infant to 18 yrs. Toys or craft... Full story
Ken Bresley was crazy about the bracing cold of winters in Walker, MN. Or maybe he was just crazy. Every February Ken would lead the "plunge." A group would cut a hole in the ice on Leech Lake, then jump in. It's all for a good cause, and part of the Eelpout Festival. It raises money for the Community Center and brightens the local economy during the long winter in Northern Minnesota. The Festival was pretty much Ken's invention. If he was crazy, it was like the proverbial fox. Walker is a... Full story
Sawbones has had a very successful Reno run without any major mechanical problems. Not this year. On a routine flight to burn off the 100LL so the tanks could be filled with racing fuel, the canopy departed the airframe. Commander Curt Brown, drawing on his 20 plus years of air racing experience and training as an Air Force test pilot, navigated the wounded Sea Fury back to the runway. Since Sawbones was forced to stand down for the week, the focus for the crew and my annual Flyer article had... Full story
Glenn Hovland was a native of Austin, MN. Glenn's aviation interest was sparked at a young age after his first airplane ride in a Piper Cub. In 1941 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a flight cadet; soloing in 1942. He went on to earn his wings and a Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was assigned duties as a flight instructor at Yuma, AZ, Pecos, TX and Lincoln, NE accumulating over 2200 flight hours, After he transitioned out of the of Air Corps in 1945, Hovland embarked on an... Full story
FAIRFAX, MN., Sept. 4, 2019 It's not every day you see large aircraft moving through your city streets, but the construction of a new Des Moines, Iowa, School District training facility led to the ground transfer of several helicopters and airplanes. Since 1943, the Des Moines Aviation Academy operated one of the only three high school aviation programs in the nation, but recently lost its lease at the Des Moines Airport. The program was faced with eliminating the district's FAA-approved... Full story
In July, St. Paul's Holman Field was visited by the beautifully restored B-29 "DOC." The public was able to tour the cockpit and rides were also available during the two day stay. The bomber was discovered in the Mojave desert by Tony Mazzolini in 1987 and taken to Wichita, Kansas. After extensive restoration work, on July 7th, 2016, it flew for the first time since 1956. There are currently only two B-29's flying in the world. The other is "Fifi." For 42 years, until Doc came along, Fifi was... Full story
Unfortunately, we couldn't be there but once again, Ray Pittman came through with some great photos for us from the 2019 Duluth Air Show!... Full story
Milaca Airport became the home of "Sodbusters STOL Competition" Aug. 2-3, 2019. Milaca has one of the nicest grass runways in the state which proved to be an ideal setting for this Short Take Off and Landing event. There were over 75 aircraft that flew in for the event including two helicopters, with 27 experienced pilots in the competition to see who could land and takeoff in the shortest combined distance. Competitors from Alaska, Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nevada, South Dakota and other... Full story
These are the charts for the Sodbusters Stol Competition held at Milaca Airport on August 2-3, 2019. Information provided by Robert Heavirland.... Full story
Major General Gene Andreotti was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He took his first airplane ride in 1952 in a J-3 Cub at Holman Field with aviation pioneer Al Brandt. He received his Private License from Ward Holiday at the Lake Elmo Airport. Other ratings followed, including Commercial, Multi Engine and Instrument. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota. He worked briefly for North Central Airlines and later for Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Joining the... Full story
Ray Pittman provided these outstanding photos from the "Wings of the North Air Show" at Flying Cloud Airport, Eden, Mn! Thank you Ray!... Full story
While looking through the archives for a piece to share, I came across this letter regarding Waldo Anderson. Waldo has been a long time subscriber and supporter of the Minnesota Flyer magazine and this was definitely one worth repeating! Well done Mr. Anderson, well done. If there is a story you feel is worth repeating, please send your suggestion to me at verlena@mnflyer.com and I will be happy to consider it for a future issue. V. Jones... Full story
Mitch Oskowski snapped this photo of Scott Granger, a retired Delta pilot who was at Oshkosh 2019, proudly wearing a Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering baseball cap with the Minnesota Flyer logo on the side. Scott is sitting in a DC-3 that he flew over Normandy in June for the anniversary of the D-day landings.... Full story
"Mud, mud, glorious mud – Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood..." From "The Hippopotamus Song" by Michael Flanders and Donald Swan More like curdling or boiling the blood. 2019 seemed a reprise of Sloshkosh and the Splash-In from earlier days. Due to heavy rains before the convention, parking autos, RVs, and airplanes proved a challenge and walk times to the gates for the notorious bag check seemed like infinity. In 35 years, I've never parked so far away. Packs of seagulls circled a... Full story
"What I'm most proud of this year is how our volunteers, staff, and the community joined to overcome the challenges resulting from the massive storms that hit the airport and campground just prior to opening day. It took a true team effort to meet the additional demands on time and resources to provide services to our members and visitors." Attendance: Approximately 642,000 – 6.8 percent above of 2018's record total. Comment from Pelton: "EAA members and aviation enthusiasts attended in large n... Full story
