2007_Dec06Jan07_2 11/30/06 12:24 AM Page 1 MAGAZINEMMIIDDWWEESSTT FFLLYYEERR DECEMBERDECEMBER 2006/JANUARY2006/JANUARY 2007 2007 Published For & By The Midwest Aviation Community Since 1978 2007_Dec06Jan07_2 11/30/06 12:24 AM Page 2 2007_Dec06Jan07_2Elliott1Oct05ADS 11/30/069/29/05 4:0512:24 PM AM Page Page 1 3 Fly The Best... Fly A Beechcraft! Unmatched Strength & Reliability Elliott Aviation Will Get You In The Cockpit Of A New or Used Beechcraft or Any Type Of Pre-Owned Aircraft Call Todd Jackson Today! 952.944.1200 FOUR LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU! • Moline, Illinois • Des Moines, Iowa • Minneapolis, Minnesota • Omaha, Nebraska Consider it done. Authorized Factory Sales & Service Q: If brokers say they cover the entire market, why can’t they get a quote from us? A: Hmmm... The fact is brokers can’t get you a quote from Avemco. As the only direct provider of aviation insurance, Avemco has eliminated the middleman— the broker—to work directly with customers. 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Airfi eld engineering Airport planning Aviation architecture Air service analysis Financial analysis Environmental services Call 1-888-273-8555 or visit www.meadhunt.com Construction management for more information. 4 MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2006/JANUARY 2007 2007_Dec06Jan07_2 11/30/06 12:24 AM Page 5 EDITOR/PUBLISHER MIDWEST FLYER Dave Weiman DECEMBER 2006/JANUARY 2007 MAGAZINE PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Peggy Weiman Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1978 PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Jenifer Weiman Stacy Weiman Encourage A Friend To Fly & Help Keep Yourself Airborne! PHOTO JOURNALIST Don Winkler by Dave Weiman CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ur aviation community will be stronger if Randy Arneson Allen Penticoff Dr. John Beasley Judy Peterson there are more pilots, and no one knows this Jim Bildilli Ben Redman better than our national pilot organizations – Bill Blake Greg Reigel O Rose Dorcey Ray Rought AOPA, EAA and NBAA – which are actively lobby- Robb Gessert Pete Schoeninger ing on our behalf. Jim LaMalfa Geoff Sobering George Larson Jeffery Taylor Right now we are in the fight of our lives with the Ed Leineweber Tom Thomas airlines lobbying Congress to pass “user fees” that Dan McDowell would hit general aviation the hardest. While we are hopeful our national organizations will be success- ADVERTISING PHONE: (608) 835-7063 ful in keeping user fees as they are currently in the FAX: (608) 835-7063 ue form of a federal fuel tax, we could be facing a fee E-MAIL: [email protected] g every time we file a flight plan or use ATC servic- WEBSITE: www.midwestflyer.com es. ISSUE CLOSING DATES There is no doubt we all need to work to inform DEADLINE ISSUE dialo our Washington representatives of the adverse November 1 December - January January 1 February - March effects of a user fee-based air traffic control system on flight safety, the March 1 April - May aviation industry, and the economy. Obviously, they listen more when a May 1 June - July July 1 August - September large number of their constituents are affected, and even with 600,000 September 1 October - November pilots, our special interest group is small in comparison to the general pub- lic and concerns which affect a majority of the population. COPYRIGHTS To increase our numbers, the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association has MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE is published bimonthly by Flyer Publications, Inc. with offices in Oregon, Wis. and Aero Insurance_Redocreated “Project 5/21/05 Pilot,” a3:52 pilot PM mentoring Page 1 program which is being led by Appleton, Minn. Copyright 2006 by Flyer Publications, Inc. its spokesman, Erik Lindbergh. All rights reserved. Nothing in whole or in part may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Read more in this issue of Midwest Flyer Magazine beginning on page 6, and visit www.aopa.org for details on how you can get involved. K SUBSCRIPTIONS $15 per year, or $25 for two years. AIRCRAFT FBO AIRPORT DISTRIBUTION Readership consists principally of aircraft owners, fixed base operators, and airport management in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Aero Insurance Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. SERVING MIDWEST AVIATION SINCE 1968 Representing All Major Companies MAIL ALL ORDERS & Lloyd’s of London & CORRESPONDENCE TO: MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE “Give Us A Call Before You Renew P.O. BOX 199 Your Current Policy!” OREGON,WI 53575-0199 USA (262) 251-9460 EXPRESS SHIPMENTS TO: MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE or FAX (262) 251-7769 [email protected] Tom & Renee Watry 6031 LAWRY COURT Aero Insurance, Inc. • N94 W15652 Ridgeview Drive • Menomonee Falls, WI 53051 OREGON,WI 53575-2617 USA DECEMBER 2006/JANUARY 2007 MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE 5 2007_Dec06Jan07_2 11/30/06 12:25 AM Page 6 AOPA Expo Opens With A Parade… Closes With A Record! Story & Photos by Dave Weiman alm Springs, California is one of few convention sites where AOPA can have a “Parade of Planes” taxi from the airport to the conven- Ption center. One hundred and eight (108) aircraft taxied down the streets of Palm Springs from Palm Springs International Airport for thou- sands of onlookers the day before Expo got underway, November 8. As far as this pilot is concerned, that was the first day of Expo! AOPA President Phil Boyer officially kicked off AOPA Expo 2006 with the opening session on November 9 featuring the presidents and CEOs of the other major aviation organizations who discussed the topic “User Fees: the Threat to GA!” 6 MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2006/JANUARY 2007 2007_Dec06Jan07_2 11/30/06 12:25 AM Page 7 DECEMBER 2006/JANUARY 2007 MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE 7 2007_Dec06Jan07_2 11/30/06 12:25 AM Page 8 Academy College of Aviation . 6 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Morey Airplane Company . .46 Adventure Seaplanes . .50 NationAir Insurance Agencies . .36 Aero Insurance, Inc. .5 & 36 National Air Transportation Ass’n . .36 Aeronautical Adventures, LLC . .24 Diamond Aircraft . .11 & 21 NewView Technologies, Inc. .21 & 36 Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association . .17 Duncan Avionics . .4 OMNNI Associates . .19 Aircraft Propeller Service, Inc. .26 E-Z Heat, Inc. .13 & 50 Orr, Minnesota (Hangar Sites) . .50 AircraftInsurance.com . .50 Eagle Air . .34 Pat O’Malley’s “Jet Room” Restaurant . .21 airpac.com . .12 Eagle Fuel Cells . .32 Phillips 66 . .50 Air-Portage . .50 Eagle River Union Airport . .32 Piper Aircraft, Inc. 4 ARMA Research, Inc. .50 Edina Realty . .50 R.C. Avionics . .10 ASI Jet Center . .11 Elliott Aviation, Inc. 3 Racine Commercial Airport . .36 Avemco Insurance Company . 3 Exclusive Aviation . 2 Rapco Fleet Support Services, Inc. .23 & 36 Avfuel Corporation . .51 & 54 Facer Insurance Agency, Inc. .35 Rare Aircraft . .27 B2W/Win Air . .45 Field of Dreams . .34 RE/MAX Mid-Michigan . .50 Basler Turbo Conversions, LLC . .36 Fond du Lac Skyport . .36 Red Wing Aeroplane . .31 Beaver Aviation, Inc. .15 & 36 Future Aviation . 2 Regent Aviation, Inc. .45 Beechcraft . 3 Garmin . .2, 11, 30, 46 & 51 Reigel & Associates, Ltd. (Aviation Law) .8 & 45 Bemidji Aviation . .50 Gran-Aire, Inc. .36 & 50 Schweiss Bi-Fold Doors . .34 Bolduc Aviation Specialized Serv. .36, 45 & 55 Hartland Fuel Products . .56 Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. 9 Brackett Aircraft Co., Inc. .30 & 36 Iowa County Airport . .32 Six Lakes Realty . .50 Brenco IA Training . .50 Johnson Aviation Insurance . 19 & 36 Skycom Avionics, Inc. .56 Bresson Flying Service, Inc. .37 Lake Country Aviation, LLC . .36 & 50 Socata (EADS) . .51 Central Aviation . .26 Lakeshore Aviation . .47 & 54 Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport . .50 Cessna Aircraft Company . .2, 7, 36, 50 & 51 Langer Aviation, Inc. 4 Sylvania Aviation Services, Inc. .37 Chicago Piper . 4 MN Aviation, Inc. .25 Tanis Aircraft Products, Inc. .55 Reigel_Attorney 5/20/05 5:22 PM Page 1 Cirrus Aircraft . .51 Maxwell Aircraft Service . .29 Thunderbird Aviation . 7 Columbia Aircraft . .51 & 54 Mead & Hunt, Inc. 4 Trimcraft Aviation . .36 D.W. Davies & Co., Inc. .22 Mid-Continent Aircraft (Cessna C-Star) . .50 Voilamediagroup . .53 Dawley Aviation Corp. .36 Mid-Continent Insurance . .50 Wentworth Aircraft, Inc. .56 Dekalb Taylor Municipal Airport . .15 Midwest Aircraft Appraisal . .50 West Bend Air, Inc. .36 Des Moines Flying Service, Inc. 4 Midwest Flyer Magazine .8, 20, 36, 45, 50 & 52 Willmar Air Service, Inc. .54 Minnesota Aviation Trades Ass’n . .44-45 Winona State University . .29 SubscriptionWebMinnesota A7/24/06viation Maintenance 9:39 PMConf. Page . 71 Wisconsin Aviation, Inc. 30, 36 & 51 Minn. DOT Office of Aeronautics . .7, 42-43 Wisconsin Aviation Trades Ass’n . .34-37 AN ATTORNEY THAT KNOWS AVIATION! Minnesota Petroleum Services . .12 Wisconsin DOT Bureau of Aeronautics . .40-41 For aviation legal matters, Mooney Aircraft .