Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Dedicates Wall of Fame

Published in Midwest Flyer – June/July 2018 issue

EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN. – After being in storage for nearly a decade, the plaques describing the lives and achievements of the nearly 200 inductees of the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame (MAHOF) finally have a home. The plaques are now displayed in the Wings of the North Air Museum at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Minn. along with the iconic “Sierra Sue” P-51 Mustang, a Boeing Stearman biplane flown by President George H.W. Bush during his World War II training in Minneapolis, and the Spirit of St. Louis replica used in the 1957 Jimmy Stewart movie of the same name. The display was celebrated with a ribbon cutting and toast on April 21, 2018 with remarks by MAHOF co-founder and executive director, Noel Allard, and Wings of the North Air Museum General Manager Cary Pao. MAHOF inductees were also on hand for the event.

“The MAHOF plaques honor Minnesota men and women pilots, explorers, designers, builders, and promoters,” said Allard. “The unique stories embodied in these beautiful plaques have long needed a permanent home and deserve to be shared and passed down to future generations.”

Since 1988, MAHOF has inducted six Minnesota aviation luminaries annually. Inductees include well-known figures such as Charles Lindbergh and early Northwest Airlines pilot, Charles (Speed) Holman, and unsung heroes and innovators, such as World War II Women’s Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) and instructor, Elizabeth Strohfus, and inventor Boris Popov, whose Ballistic Recovery Parachute on aircraft and ultralights has saved hundreds of lives (www.mnaviationhalloffame.org).

The Wings of the North Air Museum is open to the public from 10:00 a.m.  to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and on Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (www.wotn.org).