Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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The airline industry is in a period of rapid change. The major airlines had faced fierce competition from low fare carriers in many large markets and then the COVID pandemic hit and basically shut down the entire airline industry. The large airlines had been relying on smaller regional airlines to serve the smaller markets. The regional carriers are still converting their fleets from turboprops and small 50 seat regional jets to larger 90 to 150 seats and less frequency. This trend could result...
An Airport Layout Plan (ALP) is a formal public document required by MnDOT and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and consists of a set of large format (24" x 36") detailed overhead drawings of the entire airport. ALPs are important because they give airport managers and others a comprehensive and accessible picture of airport infrastructure that helps provide a long-term, comprehensive planning strategy. ALPs may be prepared in conjunction with, and in support of master plans, long...
It wasn’t long ago that the only reliable way for anyone outside of the Air Traffic Control community to confirm an aircraft had landed was for the pilot to call via telephone to report their arrival. This often led to varying degrees of anxiety for friends, family members, or coworkers of the pilot or passengers on the flight. Recent technological advancements with flight tracking applications have significantly improved our ability to keep tabs on a flight of interest. Modern flight tracking applications have various uses. For example, i...
Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights at an airport are a very important navigational aid. They are the type of navaid that a pilot might not utilize on a bright sunny day, but on a foggy or snowy day, PAPI lights can be essential. From the maintenance perspective, can maintenance personnel just “set it and forget it” when it comes to PAPI lights? The short answer is, “no.” The FAA Advisory Circular 150/5340-26C establishes maintenance intervals for PAPI lights and provides direction to maintenance crews on how often PAPI lights and t...
The purpose of an instrument approach procedure is to allow pilots to transition from the instrument environment to the visual environment. Instrument approaches come with clearly defined procedures that allow pilots to navigate to a point near a destination airport, ideally allowing the pilot to visually acquire the runway for landing. The part that is not clearly defined is how to brief an approach prior to commencing the approach. In most cases, it is left to the pilot to decide exactly how...
In 2021, over 608,000 attendees visited Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture. In 2022, MnDOT Aeronautics will again be at AirVenture, hosting a booth to promote the many aviation opportunities available in Minnesota through tourism, opportunities for businesses, and the great airports throughout Minnesota. AirVenture visitors come from across the United States and the around the world. Visit http://www.airventure.org/airventure to learn more about EAA AirVenture 2022. This great...
If you are a regular customer or partner of MnDOT’s Office of Aeronautics, then you are likely already aware of the long-term staffing transition that began several years ago and is very much still in process today. My goal in writing this is to bring you up to speed regarding these changes, but also to share a bit of what is yet to come. One of the biggest changes to share, and most impactful to me personally, is that effective April 25, 2022, I became Interim Director of Aeronautics, following the retirement of our long-time director, C...
MnDOT Aeronautics added a new feature to the Minnesota Airport Directory and Travel Guide three years ago. We developed a ForeFlight Content Pack and made it available for anyone to download and add to their ForeFlight app. The Minnesota Airport Directory Content Pack takes everything great about the directory and travel guide and makes it accessible on your iPad via ForeFlight. This year, we separated the seaplane bases from the main content pack, to create a new Minnesota Seaplane Base Directory. We added a third content pack named Minnesota...
Most folks who are not involved with aviation wouldn't know that a radio pulse sequence is used to "key-up" the runway lighting system, as the pilot is on approach. The average citizen may think that the pilot "calls" down with their radio to somebody at the tower or A/D building and instructs them to "turn on the lights." Of course, in the aero world we know this is not the case because most airports don't have staff present around the clock. The Pilot Controlled Lighting system puts the power...
The Minnesota Department of Transportation's Office of Aeronautics is responsible for collecting aircraft registration, sales and use taxes as required by law. Of the 7,877 total aircraft registered in Minnesota in Fiscal Year 2021, 1,099 are small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). New legislation for sUAS registration went into effect Aug. 1, 2021. Registration of sUAS used for anything other than recreational purposes is now $25. New sUAS registrations applied for on or after Aug. 1, 2021 or...
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is updating the Minnesota State Aviation System Plan. The MnSASP documents the performance of the current aviation system, and provides guidance for the future development of aviation in Minnesota. The MnSASP is the aviation part of MnDOT's Family of Plans. It will help achieve the Minnesota GO 50-year Vision that outlines what Minnesotans desire from the state's transportation system and identifies key guiding principles MnDOT strives to achieve. The...
We tend to use the term Uncontrolled Airport to describe airports without control towers or airports with non-operating control towers. The current FAA circular with the regulatory, recommended operations and communication procedures for uncontrolled airports is AC 90-66B, "Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations" dated March 13, 2018. It incorporates the latest best practices with flight safety as the primary objective. The circular covers a lot of great information including flight patterns and...
As everyone knows, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a whirlwind of new experiences for most people, at work and at home. MnDOT Aeronautics is also no stranger to new tasks. Over the past year, the Airport Development section of Aeronautics has been busy distributing new airport funding that resulted largely from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. To give a little background, MnDOT’s Airport Development section administers state and federal funds for many different types of projects at Minnesota’s public air...
It’s 5 a.m., and you’re beginning to hear the birds calling in the beautiful day as you sit outdoors sipping your morning cup of Joe. You’re looking ahead to the 7:15 a.m. tee time with your other flying friends at the city of Buffalo – Wild Marsh Golf Club. The evening before, after cleaning your clubs and making sure you have enough balls and tees for the day’s outing, you watch the weather news and it’s going to be a perfect 75-degree day, and no wind predicted. Sweet. When you arrive at the golf course, your friends are already on the putti...
In March of 2020 my family and I took a vacation to Mexico. Upon arriving at the airport, I wondered if I was making a big mistake. At the time I wasn’t worried about shortages of meat or paper products. What was troubling me was how this mystery virus might impact our return flight. It turns out that we arrived back in the United States about a week before the airline ceased operations to our destination. The definition of the word “trips” was about to change. As we entered the pandemic, the definition of trips had become more about climbing a...
As aviators, we know flying can be a highly rewarding activity. The sense of accomplishment which results from a well-executed flight is hard to beat. However, flying can also be a high-risk activity. Weather, terrain, aircraft unfamiliarity, pilot experience and many other factors all contribute to the overall risk picture. Do you have a tool which you use to help determine risk level prior to flying? A Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) is an essential item with which all pilots should be familiar, and is a required part of Safety Management...
In June, the Minnesota Department of Transportation's Aeronautics office announced that it had signed a Collaborative Partnership agreement with NASA's Advanced Air Mobility team to plan for the future of aviation. The partnership will support Minnesota's goals as the state plans for a future where advanced technology cargo aircraft and passenger air taxi services are integrated into Minnesota's multimodal transportation network. Minnesota is one of five government entities chosen to...
Funding for airport projects in Minnesota comes from a variety of different sources. One of the more unique programs is Minnesota's Hangar Loan Program. Rather than force hangar projects to compete for grant dollars with other infrastructure needs, this program provides loans to publicly owned airports to construct revenue-generating hangar facilities and provides protection for the fleet of general aviation aircraft registered in Minnesota. The program was established by the Minnesota...
In my time as a pilot the air medical flying was never in my purview. It wasn't in alignment with any of my disciplines. Or, so I thought. As a pilot, each flight is mission-centric. Whether it be for training, traveling, or to do a bit of sunrise appreciation flying, there is a mission. My flights have not been medical related. I've been fortunate to enjoy the North Shore tourist sort of flying mostly. It wasn't until 2010 when a close family member hit a deer coming home from Mille Lacs Lake...
Over the past 30 years, we have seen a lot of changes in our ability to gather and display weather information at Minnesota's local airports. MnDOT has a goal to make it as easy as possible for general aviation pilots to access last-minute weather and NOTAM information before departing, so they can make sound flying decisions with the best available information. To help with that goal, MnDOT's Aeronautics office has established weather computers at each public airport in the state. We refer to t...
Explore Minnesota is encouraging people to get out and explore the rainbow of colorful fall foliage in Minnesota. To find your True North visit: Minnesota Vacations & Travel Guide: Explore Minnesota at https://www.exploreminnesota.com/. Fly MN Airports! Passport program is sharing this opportunity to Explore MN by Air – Fall 2021 by encouraging you to get back into flying and visit unique places that are located near a Minnesota's public-use airport before Oct. 31, 2021. Just visit https://www.d...
The Minnesota Department of Transportation's Office of Aeronautics is developing an air mobility strategic plan to prepare for Minnesota's future as aviation technology evolves. The new Air Mobility Strategic Plan will lay out a framework for open decision making that provides and supports coordination, collaboration and innovation, as well as ensures efficient and effective use of state resources. As part of creating this new strategic plan, MnDOT is forming an Air Transportation Workgroup. The...
As pilots, we have a lot to think about when preparing for a flight. In fact, we're legally obligated. The Federal Regulation regarding Preflight Action (91.103), says, "Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight." Further, 14 CFR Part 91.3, Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command says, "The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to the operation of...
For pilots – whether seasoned or novice – receiving an Instrument Flight Rules clearance is not a new concept. The delivery never varies from the standard C.R.A.F.T. format we've all been taught to love since flight school. Yet, the method of receiving those clearances from Air Traffic Control can wildly vary depending on your current location on deck within the airspace system. At a towered field, it's relatively easy – contact the clearance delivery controller as listed in the publi...
MnDOT's Office of Aeronautics has been working on several programs to improve communication services at Minnesota's local general aviation airports. The first of these improvements – improved internet services – will be rolled out in the coming months. Currently, most internet connections at Minnesota's general aviation airports are served by conventional DSL lines with max speeds of 1.5 megabytes down/768k up. When you are used to home speeds of 150 meg down and 30 meg up and faster, it is har...
