The Grape Escape!

This year we put together an off site gather called The Grape Escape. A Wine Tasting/Fundraiser, it focused on Wine and Warbirds. A rock band was featured (the Red Pens) and the CAF had a presence in numerous ways. The event was successful, and will be something we continue to expand on in the future. Thank you to all who helped make it happen!
(Photos Thanks to Matt Holland)

(The logo of the event, fun twist on a great movie!)


(Linda Franke was on hand with PX items)


(A glass engraver etched in designs on bottles and glasses for a $5 donation to the CAF)


(The work she does is incredible!)


(The patrons mingle...)


(...taste wine...)


(...peruse pieces of history...)


(...and enjoy deserts!)


(Thanks to everyone who helped!)


(And be sure to join us next Grape Escape!)

Around the Hangar

So much work takes place at the hangar every week, it's hard to keep up! If you've been around, you know that there are constantly new faces. There is a large level of participation by younger folks (early 30s and younger) and an increase in the 40 over crowd as well. I believe it'd be safe to say that the Minnesota Wing is one of the most diverse CAF units age wise. It's been great to see everyone work together so well, and work so hard to accomplish the goals of the CAF. I can't wait to see what the next year will bring!
(Photos Thanks to Brian Strom)

(Attendees to the B-25 ground school learn from Alan Miller and Larry Utter)


(Meanwhile the Wing takes delivery of its newest vehicle, a 1942 Dodge WC-21!)


(Alex Otto cleans Miss Mitchell's nacelle in preparation for the first flight)


(Bob Wright and Bob Koelbl install panels on the BT-13)


(Tyler Befort, Matt Stone, Andrew Salih and Roger Ruhland dismantle the WC-21)


(A rather large crowd stands by while Miss Mitchell is rolled out for the first time this year)


(Randy Hendrickson and George Colaizy remove the engine and transmission from the WC-21 frame)


(Parts are washed and prepped for sand blasting)


(Nate Timm adding a circuit breaker to run the bomb release mechanism)


(Alex and Dave Schouveller install some final panels)


(George troubleshoots the M-37. It is now ready to hit the road!)


(Dave stands tall to assist Larry Utter)


(Mikael Menendez removes WC-21 engine accessories)


(Iron Chef Ron Legg is released on the CAF once again! He's testing out the Wing's new grill for the first time... seems to have worked great!)


(Bill Atchison primes WC-21 parts as they are cleaned and stripped)


(A group, donning Purple gloves, sorts through microfilm with every one of the B-25's parts on it in search of specific information... the amazing thing is that they found what they were looking for in a very short period of time!)


(Craig Steinick attaches the touched up L-5 Panel... look for the new L-5 noseart on the next Blog post!)


(Tom Peltier shows his mastery of paint, as usual, by touching up the B-25's tail stripes, and repainting the Olive Drab glare shields... great work Tom!)

The Outside Air

This video caught my attention recently. This flight usually is more exhausting than exciting, but this time-lapse paints a picture that is hardly mundane. The aurora borealis is amazing.

SF to Paris in Two Minutes from Beep Show on Vimeo.

Blog Update - 19March to 25 April

Good Afternoon Everyone!
I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend!

In the last month, quite a bit has happened... some positive, and some that may not seem as positive. First, the weather... it was positive and now, not so much! Having the hangar door open for such a short time was a horrible tease, and has many of us wishing for summer that much more. None-the-less, having the hangar door open, and comfortably occupying the hangar is such a great thing after the long winter.

When that time rolls around, the pilots get anxious and want to go fly... so that means the end of maintenance season and on to the airshow season. First show of the year was the Doolittle Raider's Reunion at Lincoln, NE. The crew had some problems with the right engine, but worked them out and it was a very successful appearance.

The biggest topic at the hangar has been related to all of the media attention hitting us lately. Yes, we have had our events, private and public (this includes Dances) shut down. It seems that a lack of a sprinkler system is against code, and the building has been deemed unsafe for large crowds. This is something we have been dealing with for over a year now. Our funding (the bonding bill) was rejected by the City of South St. Paul because of the stipulations attached to it. Since that is the case, attention has come our way and the goal is to gain support and funding so that we can improve the hangar with a new sprinkler system. We want to assure everyone that the loss of events will NOT be the end of the Minnesota Wing. There is a plan, and we have a huge amount of support. The media is creating a massive amount of interest, and generating new members as well. This will end up being a huge benefit to us, in the long run!

On to the dances... We plan to have them. We have gotten permission to use a new hangar across the ramp (it has a sprinkler system). It won't be the same feel, but we believe people will be receptive to the goal of getting us back into our hangar, and help contribute. We are in process of finalizing with the City of Inver Grove Heights (this hangar is just across city lines, and is IGH's jurisdiction). So, we'll need help! The Spring Dance will be on May 21st.

Despite the lack of private events, the hangar will have a lot of work going on. This will give us an opportunity to organize and clean. Parts, tools, museum items, everything could use going through. This will be a great opportunity, but will need a lot of support! Even if you aren't sure of the difference between a magneto and can of paint, you can still help!

If anyone has any questions, or suggestions on how to fund the sprinkler project, please feel free to email me (exec@cafmn.org) or Amy (wingleader@cafmn.org) or catch us down at the hanga

Look here ------------------------------------------>

Click the new Donate button to help the Wing achieve its fund raising goals for various happenings. Please help make the Grape Escape fundraiser a success!

The Outside Air

This post was put together by Matt Myklebust. Thanks Matt!

The MAPS Air Museum in North Canton, OH is currently working on restoring a rare Martin B-26 Marauder (40-1459) back to air worthy condition. She was the 99th B-26 built by Martin and crashed landed in British Columbia, Canada, on January 16, 1942. The project was started back in the mid 90’s and doesn’t look like it’ll be done any time soon. However; when it’s finished, it’ll will be one of only two flying B-26’s in the world today.
(Photos Thanks to Various Sources)

Around the Hangar

Work around the hangar has been punctuated by a couple of parties the last few weeks. The Wing received the Llyod P. Nolen Unit Achievement award for 2010. This is the highest award given by HQ to a Wing or Squadron. We have accomplished a lot in the last year, and it was wonderful to be recognized for it! The Wing hosted pizza, cake and coffee for members for their achievement! Roxie Legg celebrated a birthday last Saturday at the hangar, and that brought sloppy joes and cake for the members, hosted by Ron Legg. Two weeks in a row of food and cake! Work didn't slow down much however, as you can see!
(Photos Thanks to Brian Strom and Keith Struck)

(Matt Myklebust attaches the P-51 gear door to the gear)


(Carol Lovaas imagines the next display for the museum)


(Mark Strausser and Brandan Penaz repair the PT-22's cowling)


(Andrew Salih, Randy Hendrickson and Matt Stone disassemble the 1943 Willys Jeep)


(... While George Colaizy tears down the engine)


(Tim Gunter preps panels for paint, say that 5 times fast)


(John Schmidt helps reassemble the L-5)


(Earl Teporten finds the issue with the nav lamp on the P-51)


(About as torn down as a jeep gets! The 1943 Willys tub is ready to be repaired)


(Al Morphew adds dope and fabric to the B-25's rudders)


(Bill Atchison paints the 1941 Willys gas tanks)


(The Wing celebrates the Llyod P Nolen Unit Award with pizza and cake)


(Congratulations and great work!)


(The award from HQ)


(One party leads to another... this time to celebrate Roxie Legg's birthday)


(Again, cake was served... though Amy Lauria got to it first)


(A view of the Hangar, just as spring is about to break)

Winter Staff Conference

The Wing Staff visited Midland Texas late February for the Winter Staff Conference, hosted by CAF HQ. All of the Staff felt that the experience was very positive, and learned quite a bit. Ideas were generated, and are already taking shape at the hangar. The conference also hosts the awards dinner, and newly formed CAF's Got Talent contest.
(Photos Thanks to Kim Pardon)

(HQ Staff introduced themselves through dance this year)


(A Sunny and Cher impression at CAF's Got Talent)


(Steve Brown made an attempt to wow the crowd)


(Bob Stenevick performed a wonderful Andy Kaufman for the crowd)


(To which the judges responded very favorably [Yes, That's Amy Lauria as a judge])


(Bob was incredibly excited to win)


(The MN Wing Staff enjoys a drink at the end of the night)

Blog Update - 19 February to 18 March

All,
Good Evening and congratulations on making it through another Minnesota winter! As usual, the coming of spring means that the maintenance season is ending, and flying season is about to begin! This weekend was the B-25 ground school, and soon all the pilots will be getting recurrent. The work that people have put in over the last month is astounding. People have come out of the woodwork to help, and are excited at the prospect of their FIRST airshow season. For those of us who have done this for so many years, it is exciting to see all of the anxious anticipation for what will likely be a lifelong memory for people.

Although maintenance season is ending, that does not mean work will not be taking place. We are not able to do weddings or events at the hangar this year, so this gives us an opportunity. We can make a mess..... but only for the sake of cleaning up! I fully expect to see items spread around the hangar... cataloging of parts, tools and museum items. Straightening up our filing systems and creating a slick running, organized and visually appealing maintenance/museum space. We will needs lots of help with this, so let me know if you are available!

The Motor Pool just got a brand new vehicle tomorrow! Well, not new, but new to us! A 1942 Dodge WC-21 1/2 ton vehicle was approved for trade with our 1953 Willys Jeep. The vehicle needs some work, but is in excellent shape! Its engine and transmission have been rebuilt and are very strong, and its body is free of rust rot. This will be a great new project for the motor pool, and they are looking to get it completed before 2012.

We have the Grape escape coming up in one week. Get tickets or sign up to help now! It should be an excellent event, with great wine and great music! Thank you to everyone who has helped sponsor this event or is helping put it on! Hope to see you there!

I am personally very excited about a new educational program that we have been working on. We are partnering with Girls With Wings to host Aviation Inspiration Day, a girl-centric event with an interactive educational seminar by GWW founder Lynda Meeks, tours of Wipaire and the CAF, lunch sponsored by Wip and hosted by us, and EAA Young Eagle flights. We are getting as many ideas together as we can to inspire young women to follow their dreams of flight, and are hoping to have a large turnout. It will take place on May 28th at Fleming Field. If you'd like more info, or would like to help plan or work the event please contact Amy Lauria at wingleader@cafmn.org