Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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Life occasionally offers an opportunity to return to some significant place in time of the past, offering its mixed feelings somewhere between nostalgia and euphoria. It may be a class reunion and the meeting of old friends, or visiting the house and neighborhood you grew up in, or finding a resurrected model of that first car owned. For me recently, it was returning to the place where a 54 year aviation career essentially started. At 78, I still have the capability and enjoy the privilege of...
With so many wonderful things to be said about the annual Flying Cloud Air Tour it may be a challenge to know where to begin. However, at the top of the list are the organizational skills of coordinator Ben McQuillan. From news briefs prior to the event, to the safety meeting in advance of the day, to parking instructions at the airport, to last minute instructions before takeoff, everyone knows McQuillan is the go-to guy. That knowledge lends itself well to the order of the day. Thirty...
September 15 and the tops of the Poplar trees are starting to turn yellow as aircraft converged on Mora for the Lions Cub annual Fly in breakfast. Aircraft were coming and going all morning a jet trainer flew in as I was leaving. Hawk Aviation from Rush City had two aircraft furnishing rides....
Boxing Day is a uniquely British holiday. The day after Christmas, aristocrats present servants with gifts (in boxes) and working folks get the day off. During World War II, U.S. Army's Eighth Air Force was in Britain for over three years. Americans adapted to many local customs like darts and warm beer, but apparently not Boxing Day. In 1944 it was a working day for the "Mighty Eighth" when 151 bombers went to targets in Germany. The B-17s of the 486th Bomb Group were flying that day. Near Kobl...
The Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame announces four aviation scholarships, available for students in the Minnesota area. Each scholarship is for $1,500. Information about applying for a scholarship can be found on the website: www.mnaviationhalloffame.org Questions or comments may be emailed to Scholarship Committee Chairman, Patrick Halligan, at flyinghooligan@gmail.com...
Women in Aviation International received a $12,000 grant from the International Society of Transport Aircraft Training (ISTAT) Foundation, which funds educational programs that advance commercial aviation. This is the fourth year that WAI has received an ISTAT Foundation grant. The grant will be used to further expand the distribution of Aviation for Girls magazine and will identify the ISTAT Foundation as the sponsor of this year’s issue. With this grant, the number of copies printed will be increased and its distribution expanded in hard copy...
Tom Lymburn The railroad VFR traffic follows from Ripon, runs through little Pickett (unincorporated) to Oshkosh via Fisk. Pickett hasn't changed much in the 34 years I've been going to EAA. The gas station, grocery store, and Post Office are still in one building. The farm service business is next door. It's true, the corn canning plant has closed and the graveyard has grown, but that's about it. One hundred year anniversaries are relatively new to aviation. This year was the Centenary of the...
Thanks to Minnesota Flyer reader, Rick Mercil, owner of Ricks Aviation Adventures for sharing his adventure of beating the crowds to share time exclusively with his family. In the middle of a hot summer, what's better than sneaking away to the Mountains of Montana with the family in the Cessna 185? If your answer is "nothing" you'd be right. That's just what my wife, Rosa and son, Hayden did the weekend of July 26-29. When everyone else was fighting the heat and lines at Oshkosh, we decided to...
Thanks to Minnesota Flyer reader, Bob Heavirland for taking the time and effort to share photos and a few words about his experience attending the Milaca Municipal Airport's 50th Annual Fly-In/Camp-In August 5. Attendees were welcomed to bring a dish to share in Saturday evening's pot luck dinner. Rounding out the evening was the Milaca American Legion performing the Flag Retirement Ceremony. Under wing camping, picnic tables, and a grill were available to visitors. The American Legion also...
A welcoming body of water, a grass strip, airplanes, a pig roast, corn on the cob dipped in butter, and the camaraderie of fellow aviators...what more does a warm summer afternoon need to be great? The Minnesota Seaplane Pilots Association experienced all this and more at their annual pig roast at Lino Lakes Seaplane Base, commonly known among pilots as Surfside. This year's event, held August 12, brought in a record breaking 292 visitors. Attendees also had the opportunity to acquire...
Prairie Air FBO at the Elbow Lake Municipal Airport joyfully joins in uniting their community during Flekkefest, billed by the city as the annual celebration of everything Scandinavian. "Every year our activities have been building with more and more organizations from town becoming a part of it," said FBO operator Joe LaRue. Flekkefest is held the first weekend of August. This year Prairie Air hosted the Civil Air Patrol, the Elbow Lake Fire Department, held a bean bag tournament fund raiser...
Wipaire, Inc. and Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) celebrated the delivery of the 100th set of Wipline 8750 floats on MAF's latest Cessna Caravan. First certified in July 2012, the Wipline 8750 float replaced Wipaire's long-running Wipline 8000 model. Upgrades from the Wipline 8000 to the Wipline 8750 include higher buoyancy, supporting a gross weight increase to 8,750 lbs./3,969 kg (a useful load increase of 390-750 lbs./177-340 kg), improved main gear design, and a new hull design for better...
In the Women in Aviation International's network of more than 115 chapters, corporate members, and partners, are making their plans for individual events for Girls in Aviation Day 2018. Celebrated worldwide, Girls in Aviation Day is now in its fourth year as a global event and is designed to introduce and educate girls 8 to 17 years of age on the many career choices and lifestyle possibilities offered by the aviation/aerospace industry. Recently, WAI's Girls in Aviation Day was recognized as an...
FAIRFAX, Minnesota. Winning an award for a job well done is surely gratifying, but a satisfied customer is the top priority among craftsmen in any field. Bill Buckner of B&B Welding in Sallisaw, Okla., installed a 46- by 15-foot hydraulic door from Schweiss Doors on the Ely Helicopter Services hangar project, complete with two remote openers. The hangar was constructed with products from Star Building Systems. The building measures 70 feet long with a 16-foot eave height and a 2:12 slope on the...
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. Academy College, Bloomington Meet Brigham Nelson: Brigham Nelson was born and raised in River Falls, Wisconsin. He was inspired by aviation at a young age because of his interest in remote control airplanes. In the beginning, he struggled with take-offs and landings, but with time, he acquired...
This year, the Lions Club of New Ulm is preparing for 1,800 to attend their annual Fly-In Pancake Breakfast, a number based on last year’s 1,700 breakfasts served. Proceeds of the event are donated to organizations that help people with challenges with vision, hearing, and diabetes....
The Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame has completed their selection process for 2019. The following persons will be inducted at a Spring, 2019 banquet: Brian Addis, FBO of Wings, Inc., seaplane pilot, and flight examiner; Lee Bradshaw, airline pilot, air show performer, who, after accident injuries, came back to re-earn virtually every pilot rating in the book before returning to the airlines; Leon Frank, WWII Navy carrier pilot, entrepreneur, and soldier of fortune, flying for the Nation of...
Booen was born in Glenville, Minnesota, and learned to fly at Albert Lea in the Civil Pilot Training Program (CPT) before World War II. In 1942, he was assigned to the Air Material Command at Dayton, Ohio, where he inspected and trained flight crews on the Honeywell autopilot system. In 1945, Booen began a radio and TV career. He created "World of Aviation," a program that aired on WCCO-CBS TV for 28 years. After receiving his Marine Corps commission, he went to Korea as an air traffic...
New to Wings of the North AirExpo for 2018 was Northland Community Technical College Aerospace's DRONE TECH program. UAS Instructor/Program Manager Jon Beck and Boy Scouts of Northern Star Council Activities/STEM Director, Ryan McDonald teamed up to offer attendees a hands-on experience flying drones. "When the opportunity to partner with Northland Aerospace, Wings of the North, and Pathfinder (a section of the Boy Scouts planning adventures, trips, service, and projects) to do a DRONE TECH...
Why would a pilot want to fly to all 135 of Minnesota's airports? Lots of reasons. Consider adding the "Fly Minnesota!" program to your list. After you land at 130 out of 135 airports and participate in museum and seminar activities, you will: • Receive a cap, flight bag, and leather jacket, all with a patch with the program logo. You will enjoy explaining what the logo means when you are asked. • When someone asks, "Have you been to the airport in..." you may interrupt and say, "YES!" • Patro...
Thanks to Bob Heavirland for the following report and photos from the Isle Fly-In of July 7-8 Fly-In. Heavirland joined the Isle Flying Club three years ago. Isle Airport is a private grass strip maintained by its members. Current president, David Retka may be contacted at daveretka@gmail.com The Isle Fly-In was a great event with really nice weather. We had over 50 planes. A J3 Cub flew in from as far as Crystal. We also had a Cessna from Grand Rapids. There were five airplanes from Forest...
Thanks to Don Lilienthal for the following report and photos from the Starbuck Fly-In breakfast. The Starbuck Fly-In was held on Saturday, July 7. It was a windy day but no rain. We have a soft grass runway. The plane campers began to show up on Friday morning and stayed until Sunday. The Fly-In was very successful. We served 1,144 breakfasts. There were 65 planes that flew in for the breakfast. The Life-Link helicopter reported eight miles out inbound when they received an emergency call....
Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport was the only stop in Minnesota for the 2018 American Barnstormer's Tour. Area residents took full advantage of all the July 15-17 event had to offer including rides in the vintage aircraft, a lineup of Model T automobiles, music from the 1920's and 30's sung by Mankato Barbershop Quartet, Oh Brother, and 5-cent popcorn, a price from1929, made fresh on the spot. NorthPoint Aviation, the airport's FBO and Wing's Airport Cafe accommodated tour participants and...
A short time ago, historian, writer, 2010 Hall of Fame inductee, and Menahga, Minnesota resident, Noel Allard sent us the above image with the following comment: Interesting picture from a few days ago...DNR practicing water pickups for fighting grass and house fires, right out in front of our dock! Thank you Noel! We love when readers share photos!...
The Minnesota Flyer joins a host of other aviation centered organizations in congratulating the Civil Air Patrol on their 75th Anniversary. According to the CAP website, more than one million cadets have benefited from the Cadet Programs' leadership, character development, fitness and aerospace/STEM education curriculum. We have seen CAP cadet's in action at a multitude of aviation events through the years (like the one pictured above at Anoka County Blaine Airport) and state, without...
