John Vick's Mustang

Okay, so it's not a P-51, but this aerobatic RV-8 is a hot little number! John and a friend built this airplane from a kit in just 6 months! A full glass cockpit, autopilot and 180hp 0-360 engine make this a fun and capable cross country cruiser. Cruise speed is in excess of 200 mph! John stopped in to visit the wing, and do a little show-and-tell on his new aircraft.

(Photos Thanks to Earl Teporten)

Wahpeton Run/Red Tail Update

While getting a propeller for the B-25 from Tri-State Aviation, Bob Wright, Big Dave, and Steve Wagoner popped their heads in on the Red Tail to see the progress. It seems they expect to run the aircraft within the next week!!! As per Bryan Darnell "If all goes according to plan, we'll be converting 100LL to Merlin Music very soon!" Hopefully we will be seeing the P-51 at our Open House on August 8th... Enjoy!
(Thanks to Big Dave and Bryan Darnell for the photos)
(Transport of the B-25 Prop)




(Gear Swing)


(Almost finished!)


(The new-style back seat)


(Radiator Scoop. The Attention to detail is obvious when you see the aircraft. These guys are true craftsman!)

Weekly Update - 12July to 17July

Good Morning Everyone!
This has been a very busy week, with a lot of pitfalls, teamwork and roadtrips. Our B-25 Miss Mitchell has been in the hangar with problems since last Friday. We've worked a ton of overtime, every night, to get her back in the air. We had some frustrations along the way. The nose case turned out to be damage because of a propeller problem. This problem can only be fixed by replacing a prop blade and bearing. We contacted Tri-State Aviation, they had a prop. We ran a team (Bob Wright, Dave Schouveller, Steve Wagoner) up to get it, and got it home, unfortunately there was no paperwork with it. This meant we still needed to bring it to a prop shop to get inspected, and that would take about a week and a half (we are bringing it up there today for the inspection). In the mean-time we needed a prop. We all put our heads together and a solution arose. "Show Me" the Missouri Wing's B-25, is not yet flying due to maintenance issues. We called them, and they were very willing to loan us a prop. Two members (Jim Gilmore and Mark Erickson) volunteered to drive down to St. Louis to pick it up. We got it back, installed, and Miss Mitchell will make Minot AFB shortly! A HUGE Thank You to Tri-State, the Missouri Wing, and all the volunteers who helped fix the aircraft. This was a MASSIVE undertaking, and we would be lost without all of your efforts! Other work around the hangar fell somewhat toward a standstill while the B-25 was being worked on. The PT-22 seats are now installed, though they are still awaiting seals for the gear. We had out General Membership meeting... It went very well, and included several new members, and a couple of people interested in becoming members. Our membership is rising steadily. We ask everyone to find one person to become a member as part of the "One and Done" program developed by HQ. Think of how many people we would have if we all got someone to join!!! Everyone, Thank You for your efforts... the hard work and determination of the membership in this Wing is shining through, and we should all be very proud of our accomplishments!

B-25 Maintenance Never Ends

Restoring an aircraft to flying condition is a long, expensive process. The fruit of the labor is always worth it, but the job definitely does not end there. Maintenance issues pop up all the time, and it takes a lot of hard work to keep the aircraft in the air. The last two weeks a dedicated group of people have done their best to keep the B-25 in the air and on-time to the shows. That didn't happen, as Miss Mitchell missed a show due to part of the engine failing, but we will work to keep the aircraft from missing any other shows. Here's what happened this week:
(Larry Utter installs a new starter)


(Big Dave preps for flight)


(Miss Mitchell departs, only to return shortly with engine problems)


(Propeller removal)


(Propeller removal)


(Working until 2am makes you a little like this! Thanks to Alan Miller for the pizza!)


(Right Prop is removed, though the sledge hammer is a bit disconcerting)


(Removing the nose case on the right engine)


(Front Case removed)


(Look closely at the center brass ring to see the damage)


(New nose case installed... stay tuned for progress reports!)

4th Flyover

Formation flying in the Harvard can be challenging, but the visuals are rewarding from the ground and from the air! For the 4th of July, Tim Barzen and Alan Miller flew with the T-6 Thunder group for a number of parade flyovers. This set of pictures, and the videos are thanks to Alan Miller. Be sure to turn your volume down when viewing the vids!

Weekly Update - 03July to 11July

Good Evening Everyone!

I've held off until late tonight to gather a few more pictures for you. The last two weeks have been very good, but very hectic, so my photo cache is fairly small. The B-25 inspection has been completed, with only a couple of hitches. The left engine starter blew out on us on Wednesday, so it needed replacing. A big Thank You to everyone who helped install it yesterday (Larry Utter, Earl Teporten, Dave Schouveller... I was there too, but I don't do much anyway :) ). Also Thanks so much to the Harker brothers (C&P Aviation) for loaning us a starter!!! During the attempt to fly to Independence, IA problems were noticed with the right engine. A late night Friday revealed problems, and we pulled the nose case on Saturday. We found a damaged bearing. The new nose case has been installed and will be completed during the week. This week saw the birthday of the USA, and a number of fun goings on at the hangar. On the 4th, Amy Lauria, Bob Koelbl and Jon Schultz drove two jeeps and the Burma in a parade in Edina. The vehicles ran smoothly, and it was a great opportunity for exposure of the CAF! Back at the hangar, work continued as usual. The PT-22 has stumbled across some unexpected gear problems, and needs new seals. The Harvard did some flying in the T-6 Thunder formations for the 4th of July parades (see photos and videos). Wednesday brought business as usual during inspection sessions, and our monthly Staff Meeting was held... great to see so many people attend! Make sure you come to next Wednesday's General Membership meeting at the Fleming Field Terminal building!

Hump Day Exploits

Exciting day on Wednesday between B-25 maintenance and PT-22 restoration work. Thanks so much to everyone who helped out!

(Emil Quasabart, Ray Miller and Doug Olson install the propeller on the PT-22)

(Cadet John Schultz [going to college at UND] catches up with Earl Teporten)

(Lunch!!!)

(Dave Schouveller and Larry Utter cleaning the B-25)

(Brian Strom, Dave Schouveller, Doug Olson - HA! I love this picture)

(The Gang admires the progress on the PT-22. Well Done!!!)

Saturday's happenings

Try as I might, it is impossible for me to gather pictures of everything happening at the hangar on a work day. I do my best, but always appreciate help from anyone with a camera! Thanks to Earl Teporten for select pictures. We continue to see what a dedicated group of people can accomplish and it is amazing!

(Miss Mitchell's crew returns to the friendly welcome of everyone at the hangar)


(A great shot of Miss Mitchell from the mezzanine.)


(Craig Rodberg starts up the L-5 for a trip to Duluth.)


(Earl Teporten dedicates his patience to assembling the Dehmel Trainer diagrams.)


(Tim Gunter and Bob Wright enjoy a little relaxation before the bar opens)


(Guests begin to arrive for the Simley High class of 1989 reunion)

Weekly Update - 26June to 02July

Good Afternoon Everyone, I've got our weekly news-brief here. On Saturday Miss Mitchell returned from her trip. Wright-Patterson was very successful for us. The L-5 and Harvard received some flight time. We prepped the hangar for an event in the evening... a high school reunion for Simley class of 1989. The event went very well, and we were told that the class of 1990 was interested in renting next year! Monday the inspection began on the B-25. Work will continue on that throughout this and next week. Thank you to everyone who is helping accomplish this! Wednesday was a big day for maintenance. The B-25 was washed top to bottom, and is now shining and ready for the rest of the season. The PT-22 got its propeller installed, and is quickly looking whole again! Very exciting stuff! Thanks again to everyone for your continuing hard work!!!

Around the Hangar

It's great to walk in and see progress around the wing. Every week we've got forward progress, however small it is. We had shelves removed for parts storage, new parts came in for the Ranger Museum project and the PT-22 exhaust and accessories are very close to ready!

(Ranger Engine mount)

(Mags, carb and wire loom aquired)

(The back hallway is amazingly clean!)

(Closer and closer to powering up the Dehmel trainer!)

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!)