(L/R) Mark Nelson flying as Captain for SkyWest Airlines with his son, Kevin, as First Officer, in the Bombardier CRJ900.
by Dave Weiman
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine February/March 2024 Digital Issue
RUSH CITY, MINN. – There is something to say about learning to fly in a small, rural community versus a big city. There is very little air traffic at a small-town airport, so getting down the basics, practicing touch and goes without having to worry about talking on the radio, and executing instrument approaches on your own without radar vectors, may be easier and more efficient. Flying in large cities with air traffic control services and dense traffic is undoubtedly the real world and important to learn at some point during one’s training, but to start, a quiet country airport makes a lot of sense.
Obviously with a smaller population in rural America, the local flight school needs to work harder at recruiting students. But the kid down the road is probably more likely to walk into the office and say, “sign me up” because everyone lives within close proximity to the airport, and everyone probably attends the annual fly-in breakfast and are familiar with the airport and the people who run it. The local airport is part of the fabric of a rural community.
Mark and Carrie Nelson are proud of their staff and graduates at Hawk Aviation, located at Rush City Regional Airport (KROS) in Rush City, Minnesota.
Mark Nelson and his wife, Carrie, own Hawk Aviation, a flight school based at Rush City Regional Airport (KROS) in Rush City, Minnesota, which offers Sport, Private, Instrument, Commercial, Multi-Engine, Instructor, and Airline Transport Pilot Certificates and Ratings.
Mark and Carrie grew up in the Rush City area, and like my grandparents who farmed north of town, their grandparents settled in the area in the early 1900s. Until 2015, Mark operated a family dairy farm with his parents, Carrie, and their three children.
Mark’s brother-in-law introduced him to flying. “My first flight was bumpy, and I didn’t like it much,” Mark said. “But after a couple of lessons, I really started to enjoy the training.”
Mark started taking flying lessons in 1993 and bought his first airplane – a Cessna 172 Skyhawk – in 1996. The Nelsons started Hawk Aviation, Inc. in 1999. Construction of the current flight school building began on September 10, 2001. The World Trade Center came down the next day and flying came to a standstill.
“I began to wonder if this was going to work out based on the events of September 11,” Mark said. “But it did.” Also, Hawk Aviation got a pipeline patrol contract shortly before 9-11, and Mark and another pilot were allowed to continue to fly their route between Mason City, Iowa and Duluth, Minnesota, while other traffic was grounded. Shortly afterwards, instrument flight training was allowed to resume, so that portion of Hawk’s flight school was up and running again.
Hawk Aviation offers a 10-week Private Pilot Ground School in January, June, and September. An Instrument Ground School is offered in April. The ground schools are primarily taught by Jay Valez, who is a pilot for Delta Airlines. Jay started training with Hawk Aviation when he was 13 years old. All ground schools are in person or via Zoom, which help students prepare for their knowledge tests.
Hawk Aviation has 12 instructors on staff, most of whom originally received their training there, and like Jay Valez, many now fly for the airlines. Some of the other flight instructors have other full-time jobs and instruct when they can.
One of the instructors is a pastor at a local church. Mark says that Pastor Gene Sherrod is the only instructor on staff who can solo you, marry you, and bury you, all in the same day, but they don’t advertise that service much.
Hawk Aviation owns an AATD flight simulator which students can utilize up to 2 ½ hours toward a Private Pilot Certificate, 20 hours toward an Instrument Rating, and 50 hours toward a Commercial Pilot Certificate.
On average, Hawk Aviation has 20-25 students enrolled in various stages of training, and the flight school attracts students from a 75-mile radius because of its reputation and the current demand for commercial pilots. There are 80 active pilots in Rush City, so there’s a good base for recurrent training, flight reviews, and advanced ratings.
Flight training, ground schools, and airman testing are the primary sources of revenue for the business. Hawk Aviation has a pilot shop that stocks pilot gear, books, and other aviation supplies. Hawk Aviation also operates a certified FAA/PSI Testing Center, which Carrie is a testing center proctor. She also helps in the office when she is not working at North Memorial Hospital.
There are 50 airplanes on the field, and Rush City Regional Airport (KROS) has one paved runway (16/34), which is 4400 X 75 feet. Self-serve fuel (Jet-A and 100LL) is available 24/7. The airport has an LPV GPS approach, Automatic Weather Observation Service (AWOS), and a Ground Communications Outlet (GCO) to Flight Service. And if he isn’t busy enough with running the business, flying for SkyWest Airlines, and serving as President of the Minnesota Aviation Trades Association (MATA), Mark is also the airport manager.
Mark and Carrie’s three children – Kayla, Kevin, and Kyle – are all 27 years of age! Would you believe triplets?
Kayla holds a Private Pilot Certificate, is a testing center proctor at Hawk Aviation, and works for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a hydrologist.
Kevin is a pilot for American Airlines and his fiancée, Cassidy, serves in the military.
Kyle and his wife, Bailey, are new parents to son, Ezra, and are also pilots and work for the engineering firm Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH) in St. Paul – Kyle as a civil engineer specializing in airport design and construction, and Bailey as a drone pilot.
Both Kevin and Kyle are also flight instructors at Hawk Aviation.
So, if you think you would like a relaxed, country approach to learning how to fly or to stay current, give Mark and Carrie Nelson at Hawk Aviation a call at 320-358-3665, or send Mark an email at mark@hawk-aviation.com. Accelerated flight training is also available (www. hawk-aviation.com).
