Finding Perspective

Our membership is the most important part of the CAF. Without our members we would never get anywhere. Earl Teporten has done a wonderful job of capturing the members who volunteered Saturday. The different perspective is great to see. Volunteering at MNCAF is more like an afternoon with friends than a job... stop in and see how you can help!!! (Pictures thanks to Earl Teporten)

(Bob Wright, Art Minkle, Lorie Minkle, Ron Legg and Tim Gunter open up the hangar and enjoy the sun.)


(Tim Gunter preps to move the BT-13.)


(Bob cleans up after the BT.)


(Emil Quasabart is instrumental in keeping the hangar clean.)


(Tim and Art hanging the Flag weight.)


("I love work; it fascinates me; I can sit and watch it for hours.")


(Larry Utter arrives just in time for the food!)


(Earl Teporten, Kurt Koukkari and Larry enjoy BBQ by "Iron Chef" Ron Legg.)


(New member Curt Miller talks with Bob Wright about being a MNCAF aircraft mechanic.)


(Kurt and Larry discuss the finer points in life.)


(Dick Leighninger has arrived!)

Weekly Update - 20June to 25June

Good Day Everyone! This weeks Blog is going to be a little different. As I was not present over the weekend or the majority of the day Wednesday all of my information is second hand. A big Thank You to all who kept me in the loop! The B-25 should be on her way to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. That will be a one-day flyover scenario, and the hope is for Miss Mitchell to return Friday. The PT-22 Engine is installed, all it's peripherals are mounted and we are looking forward to an engine run soon. The P-51 still maintains its forward progress, with a goal of attending Oshkosh in a month (we need volunteers for that!). At the hangar, the forklifts were finished off... both should be in good working order... that will be confirmed Saturday. The cleaning of the hangar is really starting to make a difference... It's looking good everyone! The Dehmel is coming along, with help from numerous sources. The hanging flag has been stabilized also so it doesn't flip over on itself in the wind. Let me know if I've missed anything of importance everyone!!! Pictures to follow.

World War 2 Days

We took off for Fort Snelling with a couple of re-enactors in tow! Even a few of our members dressed the part (Cadet Matt Stone, Col. Amy Lauria, Col. Dick Leighninger). We told the CAF's story and the story of the vehicles we had on hand. We even took some time to try to find a screw... with a WWII metal detector! Thanks to all who attended, and helped throughout the weekend! I encourage everyone to visit this event... it was very interesting, fun and educational! (Select photos Thanks to Serena Johnson)

Hangar Happenings

This week at the hangar we quite a few members working on various projects. It was great to see everyone get involved in something to help make the Hangar safer, cleaner, and more efficient! We even managed to hang a Flag by the big hangar door (Yes, from the perspective I have taken the photos at, the flag is backwards, but when people walk into the Museum, and enter the normal way, the flag is correct). We were also lucky enough to be served lunch by "Iron Chef" Ron Legg! Thanks Everyone!

Weekly Update - 12June to 19June

Greetings Everyone! This week was quite eventful. I'll be breaking it up into different posts. The B-25 remains in Green Bay, awaiting transport to Wright-Patterson AFB on June 25th. We attended World War 2 days at Fort Snelling with two of our vehicles. It was a great drive, the Jeep and the Burma ran great, and we had a great team to support it! We were there for Saturday and Sunday handing out flyers, talking about the vehicles, WW2 and the CAF. Apparently there were over 1600 people in attendance through the weekend! Work around the hangar was no slouch either. Cleanup, sign creation, Forklifts being fixed, Museum items catalogued and the floor stripes being repainted occupied a lot of time! Work on the PT-22 is constant, moving towards a goal of running later this month or early July! Thanks to all who make MNCAF such a great place to visit and volunteer!

Sign Hanging

Thanks again to Brian Strom for the photos! Glenn Franke, Art Minkle, and Nathan Timm hang our new signage.

PT-22 Engine Mounting

We are very lucky to have gotten these photos from volunteer Brian Strom. Thank you Brian for taking these photos!

Photos Galore!

For those of you who are not familiar, Max Haynes has made a name for himself in Aviation photography. He spends time all around the country photographing anything aviation related. We're very lucky that the MN Wing has a special place in Max's heart, as it was a kickoff for his AvPhoto journey! Please visit http://maxair2air.com/AIR/JOINtheCAF.html to see Max's work involving the Wing!

Twitter

Okay, some of you know what Twitter is, others don't. That's okay, we'll do our best to make it easy on you! Follow our tweet @ http://twitter.com/MNCAF. If it's not your thing, that's fine, we'll keep you up to date with the Blog!

Weekly Update - 05June to 11June

Greetings all! This week has seen parties, progress and fun! We had our Awards Banquet on Sat the 6th of June (D-Day + 65 years). Joining us was Ray Nagell, a veteran of the 101st Airborne Division who landed on Omaha beach D-Day + 1. He had some very interesting stories, and we were grateful to have him be a part of it! We will be posting award winners in an up-coming Straight and Level newsletter, so keep an eye out for that in the near future! The hangar was filled with workers Saturday, while the bomber was off to Manitowac, Wisconsin. Work was performed on the Link and Dehmel trainers, the PT-22 continued with engine install work, the drone is getting closer to complete, and the Harvard got its brakes bled. Sunday we had a group go to Grand Old Days in St. Paul to sell pop and raise money for the Wing. Although it was a little cold, we had a great time! On Wednesday, in a leap forward, our members worked together to install the hangar signs! Thanks Guys, it looks terrific!!!!
As always, a great big THANK YOU to all the members and volunteers who make this possible!

PT-22 Progress Update

The PT-22 underwent a huge change this Wednesday. In a step that brings us closer and closer to a flying aircraft, the maintenance team, led by crew chief Doug Olson, mounted the Kinner R-56 Engine Wednesday. This is great forward progress... Thanks Guys!

Hangar Dance!

What a great dance! We had between 800 and 900 people in attendance, and it seemed that everyone, volunteer or attendee, had a great time. We saw a lot of new faces, along with some very familiar ones... a good mix in my book. Thanks to all for the help!

Hangar Dance Setup

There was a lot of hard work involved getting the dance ready... a big THANK YOU to all of the volunteers throughout the day, and well into the night, who made this dance such a success!

Ellsworth AFB

Our crew returned Sunday from Ellsworth. B1 Bombers and an excited crowd... very cool! Janaka Boldoc (SIC) took the photos. Thanks Janaka!

Weekly Update - 30May - 04June

Greetings to all, hope everything is well. This week was full of exciting news, events and advances. As a Wing we have made progress in all areas. I will be breaking up the news a little bit, allowing for some extra pictures to be posted, but here is the run down for what has gone on this week: On Friday the B-25 left for Ellsworth Air Force Base. The trip was a success, generating revenue via appearance, PX and tours. Saturday cleanup started early for the Hangar Dance. We had a number of volunteers, who were fed by Ron Legg for lunch. The dance was well staffed, and had 800-900 visitors. All in all we have a gain of over $6000 for the dance. It was great to see everyone there! Wednesday the PT-22 made HUGE forward progress... see the upcoming Blog for more info! Today, Earl and Dr. Steve (an electrical expert) are meeting to discuss the plan of action to get the Dehmel Trainer operating.

Thank you to all who have made this a successful week, and an exciting one at that!

B-25 Maid in the Shade

For those of you keeping track, you know that the "Maid" is the Airzona Wing's B-25. They've been restoring it, and last friday, for the first time since 1981, Maid in the Shade took off! Tim Jackson was sitting left seat for the first flight. Congratulations to the Arizona Wing!!!