BLOOMINGTON, MINN. – This spring the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame (MAHF) will honor nine leaders in aviation at the Ramada Thunderbird Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. The Thunderbird is located across I-494 from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, with full view of the airport from the reception area.
This will be the first year in the history of MAHF in which inductees will actually be inducted in the same year in which they were named. So rather induct 2010 inductees in ceremonies held in 2011, 2011 inductees will be inducted in 2011. Noel Allard of Menahga, Minn., pilot, author and aviation historian, will be the only 2010 inductee.
Among the 2011 inductees will be Arthur Donahue of St. Charles, Minn., WWII Battle of Britain pilot and author; Dale “Red” Jackson, of Faribault, Minn., long-distance flyer and record-setter; John R. Mohr of Virginia, Minn., renowned air show performer, aircraft technician, airline captain, and fixed base operator; Donald and John Stuber, brothers who operated American Aviation at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Minn.; Col. Leo K. Thorsness, Viet-Nam pilot and POW, for which he earned the Congressional Medal of Honor; Brian G. Utley, soaring champion and NAA contest board member; and Peter G. Tanis of Glenwood, Minn., inventor and manufacturer of the Tanis aircraft preheater.
Peter G. Tanis
Peter G. Tanis
Peter G. Tanis founded Tanis Aircraft Products and invented and patented the Tanis aircraft preheater to solve the serious problem of starting piston aircraft engines in cold weather. Tanis sold his first preheater in 1973, and expanded the business until his death in 2000. In addition to inventing and manufacturing Tanis aircraft preheaters, which includes seven patents for engine, battery, helicopter and induction systems, Tanis manufactured insulated engine blankets. Tanis also owned and operated Tanis Flight Services, the fixed base operation in Glenwood, Minnesota, providing flight training, aircraft rental, maintenance, fuel, and avionics sales and service.
Tanis was an airframe and powerplant (A&P) technician, a designated manufacturer’s inspection representative (DMIR), and a commercial pilot, flight instructor, and advanced ground instructor. In 1988, Tanis was named Minnesota’s General Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year.
In 1994, Tanis – a longtime member of the Minnesota Aviation Trades Association (MATA) and contributing editor to Midwest Flyer Magazine – was presented a “Distinguished Service Award” for outstanding industry service and contributions by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) at the organization’s 54th annual convention and trade show in Nashville, Tenn.
When Peter Tanis died in 2000, Tanis Aircraft Products was purchased by Gary Schmidt, an entrepreneur who expanded the company’s product line even more! Schmidt served on the MATA Board of Directors until he was killed while making an instrument approach to the Glenwood, Minnesota airport on December 9, 2004.
Schmidt’s widow, Sandy, owned the company until it was purchased in 2006 by Linda Cole, a longtime employee at Tanis, and Bob Krueger, an engineer from the Twin Cities. On November 10, 2010, Krueger became sole owner of the company when Cole announced her retirement and sold her interests.
Today, Tanis Aircraft Products manufactures and distributes engine preheaters for piston-powered and turbine aircraft in both fixed-wing and helicopters, as well as aircraft instrument heaters, battery heaters, cabin heaters, insulated engine blankets, wing covers and other accessories.
Al Zdon
The “Best Aviation Writing” by a Minnesotan for 2011 will be presented to Al Zdon at the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame banquet for his work on the autobiography,“One Step Forward: The Life of Ken Dahlberg” by Minnesota native and 1997 MAHF inductee, Kenneth H. Dahlberg. Dahlberg is a World War II ace and the manufacturer of the “Miracle-Ear” hearing aid. Also involved with writing Dahlberg’s book was Warren Mack, an attorney with Fredrikson and Byron in Minneapolis, who shares Dahlberg’s love for history and aviation.
In addition to assisting Dahlberg with his book, Al Zdon wrote “War Stories, Accounts of Minnesotans Who Defended Their Nation.”
The Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame will present two or more scholarships to young people entering careers in aviation. Several FAA awards will also be presented at the banquet.
The public is invited to attend the 2011 Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame banquet on April 30. To receive a reservation form, write to the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 53, Park Rapids, MN 56470, or email nallard@unitelc.com.
