by Dave Weiman
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine August/September 2023 Digital Issue
Two great Midwest airports are Brodhead in Wisconsin (C37), and Buffalo in Minnesota (KCFE), hosts of great aviation events. Brodhead is home of EAA “Cheeseland” Chapter 431, and the airport hosts a myriad of aviation events, including the chapter’s annual pancake breakfast fly-in, this year held May 21, 2023; the annual Pietenpol/Hatz Fly-In, this year held July 20-23, 2023; the Midwest Antique Airplane Club Fly-In, September 7-10, 2023; and the annual Skiplane Fly-In, held in February, which I attended and reported on earlier this year. Brodhead is also home of the Kelch Aviation Museum (https://www.kelchmuseum.org/).
Mike Weeden is President of EAA Chapter 431, Ben Johnson is Vice President, Larry Clements is Secretary, Sue Faville is Treasurer, and Brian Terry, Bill Weber, and Ron Zweifel are directors.
I was able to fly into Buffalo for the Minnesota Pilots Association’s (MPA) “Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering” (GMAG) on Saturday, May 20 (the event was held May 19 and 20, 2023), and to Brodhead for EAA Chapter 431’s “Great Pancake Breakfast” on Sunday, May 21.
The Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering featured educational sessions and a variety of aviation-related vendors. Its “Hangar Flying” sessions covered a broad range of timely topics, including VFR and IFR flight operations, preflight considerations, seaplane operations, aviation medicine and medical certification, engine maintenance, flightseeing, U.S. Forest Service and DNR flight operations, experimental aircraft building, local and state governments, and much more!
The event attracts excellent speakers, among them AOPA President Mark Baker, who is originally from Minnesota; AOPA Regional Representative Kyle Lewis; and FAA Flight Standards District Office and Minnesota DOT Office of Aeronautics officials.
I learned to fly in the Twin Cities metro where Buffalo Municipal Airport (KCFE) is located, so I am very familiar with the area and air traffic control there, which I rate as one of the best!
Key organizer, Randle Corfman, President and Founder of the Minnesota Pilots Association, provided ample details on flying in, which are good reminders for all of us when we venture away from our home airports:
1. Check NOTAMS that may apply to KCFE.
2. Be sure to BRING YOUR OWN TIEDOWNS!
3. For those who wish to tie down in the grass, be sure to bring your FLYTIES, CLAW or other devices for tying down.
4. For those who wish to camp at the airport Friday night, please do not plan on open fires. A fire pit with firewood will be provided in a designated area. “Porty Potties” will be available for your use.
5. Please note that it is important to secure your own aircraft.
All fly-ins, especially in the Midwest, have EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and the Antique Airplane Association Fly-In in Blakesburg, Iowa, as model fly-ins to emulate.
Membership in the Minnesota Pilots Association is required to attend the Great Minnesota Aviation Gathering, and depending on the event held in Brodhead, membership is required and limited to members of the respective sponsoring organization. For details, checkout their websites: https://mnpilots.org/ and https://www.eaa431.org/
You know aviation is strong when you have organizations like EAA Chapter 431 and affiliate organizations at Brodhead, and the Minnesota Pilots Association in Buffalo.
The mission of the Minnesota Pilots Association is to promote and protect aviation in Minnesota through advocacy, education, outreach, and social activities. The association firmly believes that a healthy aviation community is an invaluable asset to the state of Minnesota. Members and volunteers join to act as the voice of pilots, aviation enthusiasts and supporters of aviation in the state.
In addition to Randle Corfman, who is President of MPA, Grant Wallace is Vice President, Michael Bergeson is Treasurer, Daisy Saenz is Secretary, Patrick Halligan is Scholarship Director, and Paul Jackson is Government Affairs Director. Directors include Steve Thibault, Mike Wiskus and Jason Jensen.
