License to Learn: March 2015

It's hard to think that spring is almost here because, as of this morning’s writing we had a 30 below wind chill, but spring is in our minds.

What better way to think about the melting of snow and warming of our hangars than the Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering, which is detailed on Page 2, and at right by Dr. Randle Corfman, president of the Minnesota Pilots Association.

One of the companies attending the event is Cirrus Aircraft. A story on that is on Page 5. Gary Black, regional sales manager, said this will be a great time for pilots to learn what Cirrus has to offer, and the event is a perfect kickoff for the 2015 summer flying season.

On Page 6, follow the story of Jason Erickson, FBO at Maple Lake Airport and owner of Ascend Aviation, who grew up at Buffalo Airport. His goal was to have be a flight school owner by the time he was 30 and he did just that!

Kristin Kaplan Holsworth details how she put together all the information about her grandfather, Buzz Kaplan, on his adventures around aviation and around the world (Page 7).

Every three months, the Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Aeronautics has their Technical Bulletin. With excellent writing and photos, this is always a special treat for our readers. Cassandra Isackson, Director, talks about the importance of aviation to every community in the state. She invites people to invite her out to their aviation events so she can share with local participants how important Minnesota aviation is to the state and local economy. Should we brag? You betcha! Aviation contributes an additional $49 million to the state's economy each year (Pages 11-15).

The Technical Bulletin also carries "spring" type articles on lightning strikes. Yes, they can even happen in winter in our state, but this is a good reminder for all those returning to area airports when it is warmer.

Tom Foster brings us another great story on his Airport of the Month (Page 17) while Dr. James Lakin brings us important information on vertigo (page 18). Lest we forget, and we will not, one part of the Flyer that is always in the back but for many is the first thing they turn to, Tom Lymburn's Mystery Airplane Contest, can be found on Page 22.

Of course, this time of the year, the number of fly-ins are fewer but more and more people are giving us their listings of summer fly-ins. When that list gets longer, we know for sure spring is almost here!

This month we welcome new advertisers, Cirrus Aircraft, the Ray Fagen Memorial Museum, and Discover Aviation Days. We invite you to continue to support all the businesses on these pages each month. Please let them know you saw their ad in the Minnesota Flyer. Together, we are here to make aviation even better in our great state.

Happy Landings!