Earlier this year, I was able to participate in the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) Legislative Conference in Washington D.C., which brought together representatives from twenty-five states. Among the distinguished guests were FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker, Congressman Rick Larsen (WA), FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta Griffin, congressional staffers, and delegates from major aviation associations.

Our discussions centered on critical aviation policy issues, with a focus on enhancing air service to small communities through collaborative efforts between the FAA, states, and local municipalities. Valuable insights were shared regarding the FAA reauthorization bill and updates were provided on key activities within the FAA Office of Airports.

The concerns voiced by the states reflected a shared commitment to advancing common priorities in federal reauthorization legislation. These priorities include (but not limited to):

• Ensuring robust aviation funding and modernizing the non-primary entitlement program.
• Providing federal support for the transition to florine free firefighting foam at airports.
• Enhancing weather observation resiliency and redundancy.
• Preparing for the integration of uncrewed aircraft systems & advanced air mobility into the airspace.
• Safeguarding air service to small communities.
• Improving the timeliness of FAA issuance of Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants.

NASAO's State Members pictured with the Honorable Michael Whitaker (Administrator of the FAA) at NASAO's 2024 Washington Conference (Photo by Daniel Stanley).

For additional details on all national priorities advocated by the states, please visit the NASAO website at https://nasao.org/page/LegislativeAgenda 

The main concern that has been shared across the states is that FAA Reauthorization is currently “stuck” in continuing resolutions, with funding approved for only a few months at a time. This poses a significant challenge for the upcoming 2024 construction cycle as the absence of a fully funded FAA program until at least the end of the current federal fiscal year hinders the FAA’s ability to proceed with its full program. In states like North Dakota with short construction cycles and contractors with busy schedules; the delay in project funding undoubtedly poses additional challenges. Congress has until May 10th before the current extension expires, and we urge Congress to prioritize the passage of a long-term FAA Reauthorization bill and work to provide the FAA with the resources needed to maintain and modernize our aviation system.

Additionally, states have shared concerns with the complexity of the federal programs and variety of funding programs.  Since 2020, airport projects have had to navigate through various funding mechanisms outside of the Airport Improvement Program. The acronyms for these various programs includes: CARES, CARESA, ARPA, BIL AIG, BIL ATP, BIL FCT, and Supplemental AIP.  While the additional funding has been beneficial, the complex funding environment has presented significant challenges due to differing criteria, application deadlines, and eligibility requirements. Moreover, high project costs have necessitated multiple federal grants being required from different programs for the exact same project.  This has required each project to be split into identifiable usable units of work and results in additional grant management requirements.

It is imperative that our nation returns to a framework where the Airport Improvement Program serves as the primary funding source that is adequately funded, timely, and aligned with the evolving needs of the aviation industry. 

Additionally, there is unanimous agreement among states on the need to simplify and streamline the allocation of federal funding for airport projects. Sometimes, simplicity itself proves to be a bold and effective solution.

    

Summer is right around the corner, and the North Dakota Aviation Association (NDAA) is gearing up for another Fly-ND Summerfest! What is Fly-ND Summerfest? Fly-ND Summerfest is an annual NDAA event with a simple goal and a significant purpose: to celebrate summer and celebrate aviation, while raising scholarship funds for North Dakota high school students looking to begin their careers in the aviation industry. This years’ NDAA Fly-ND Summerfest will take place in conjunction with the Airports Association of North Dakota (AAND) Summer Meeting at the Woodland Resort in Devils Lake, ND, on August 7-8, 2024. 

One of the items on the agenda for the NDAA’s Summer Meeting will be a discussion on the proposed updates to our organization’s bylaws, as well as an organizational update and information on our future events. Be sure to save the date and plan to join us for great food, outdoor fun, and networking – all while celebrating summer and celebrating aviation! Stay tuned to our website, www.fly-nd.com, for additional information and event registration coming later this spring! In the meantime, if you have any questions, please email admin@fly-nd.com.

Submitted Photo U.S. Air Force Capt. Matthew Weaver, 54th Helicopter Squadron (HS) aircraft commander, left, and Senior Airman Daniel Barker, 54th HS special missions aviator instructor, pose at Minot Air Force Base on Dec. 20, 2023. Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Kyle Wilson.

By Airman 1st Class Kyle Wilson, 5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE – Minot Air Force Base hosts several tenant units that are critical to the success of its mission. These units all play a role in Minot Air Force Base’s daily operations and provide unique capabilities to the skill set. The 54th Helicopter Squadron (HS) is one of these units.

The 54th HS is a geographically separated unit from the 582nd Helicopter Group, headquartered at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming. Since 1993, the 54th HS has been assigned to Minot AFB where it provides helicopter response capabilities in support of 91st Missile Wing operations.

The support the 54th HS provides to the 91st Missile Wing (MW) includes contributing rapid security response capabilities to Minot’s missile fields, providing overwatch security during convoy operations, as well as executing search and rescue and medical evacuation operations.

“The primary mission of the 54th HS is nuclear deterrence and nuclear surety,” said Capt. Matthew Weaver, 54th Helicopter Squadron aircraft commander. “We’re heavily involved with the 91st MW and supporting their mission.”

“We provide a skill set and dynamic support that only helicopters can provide,”

 – Senior Airman Daniel Barker 54th HSspecial missions aviator instructor.

The 54th also integrates with Security Forces units on the ground to provide comprehensive security throughout Minot missile fields, which cover approximately 8,500 square miles of North Dakota. This includes Tactical Response Force, Convoy Response Force and in-field Security Forces teams.

“The TRF, CRF and in-field Security Forces teams all have Forward Observers out in the missile fields that communicate directly with us,” said Barker.

“The assets that we control here are extremely important to defend,” said Weaver. “If anyone was to try to gain access to those, we’re going to respond as quickly as possible.”

The 54th HS currently employs the UH-1N Iroquois as its primary aircraft in daily operations. The UH-1N Iroquois, however, is slated to be replaced in the coming years by the MH-139 Gray Wolf.

“The UH-1N is a very reliable aircraft and it’s worked well for our mission set,” said Barker. “In the next few years, we’re switching to the MH-139, which is going to enhance our capabilities into the far future.”

Reprinted with permission from The Minot Daily News

By Adam Kurtz | Reprinted with permission from UND Today

After successful pressure-suit test at UND, Helios Horizon pilot preps for record-breaking flight in Nevada

Some tense moments arose on Nov. 8 in the room housing UND’s high-altitude chamber, located on the ground floor of Odegard Hall.

But all was well in the end. UND Aerospace physiologists successfully assisted Helios Horizon — a private electrical aviation entity — test a partial-pressure suit, a piece of equipment needed for pilot safety when flying at high altitudes. That meant pilot Miguel Iturmendi had to sit in the subway car-like chamber while UND technicians decreased the air pressure to create the conditions he will experience flying in an unpressurized cockpit at more than 44,000 feet.

A failure of the suit, or other piece of equipment, could have led to physical consequences such as “the bends,” otherwise known as decompression sickness, which many may associate with undersea divers. It also impacts pilots flying at high altitudes.

Helios Horizon pilot Miguel Iturmendi stands with his project manager, Javier Merino (far left), UND Space Studies Chair Pablo De León and the UND team members who operate the high-altitude chamber. Photo by Arjun Jagada/School of Aerospace Sciences.

“When you go up to altitude, we lose the atmospheric pressure,” explained Tom Zeidlik, UND’s director of Aerospace Physiology. “That atmospheric pressure is what keeps the nitrogen in our blood. As soon as you lose that pressure, the nitrogen comes out of the solution, so we get air bubbles in our tissue — and that’s how we get the bends.”

Zeidlik, speaking to this reporter (who tries to avoid the deep end of the pool, much less high altitudes, and is not a good flyer) broke down the importance of the pressure suit:

“He has inflatable bladders inside his suit. It’d be like when I pull my shirt real tight. So, instead of using atmospheric pressure, he is using the pressure from the suit to keep all the bubbles inside, so he doesn’t end up with decompression sickness.”

Why do this? Why test the suit at UND?

Iturmendi and project manager Javier Merino are with Helios Horizon, the company that is working to advance electric or battery-powered flight. They are doing that by setting and then smashing records for high-altitude flight in a battery-powered airplane.

Iturmendi holds the current record of about 16,000 feet, set in June 2023. Early next year, he intends to blow past that record by flying at about 45,000 feet in Nevada.

For Merino, it’s about proof of concept; that electrical planes have a place in aviation.

“We’ve seen that electric aviation is the future, so we wanted to prove the concept that we can fly high with batteries, when people thought it was not possible,” he said.

Reaching an altitude of 45,000 feet in the electric plane meant testing the suit. It just so happens that pilot Iturmendi knows Pablo de León, chair of the Department of Space Studies, and his work designing spacesuits. The pair spoke at a conference in Argentina in April, and Iturmendi broached the idea of using UND’s altitude chamber.

De León agreed and ran the idea by Aerospace Dean Robert Kraus, who gave the test the green light.

The test got started at 9 a.m. Nov. 8, with Iturmendi breathing pure oxygen for about 100 minutes, prior to the chamber door being sealed. That purges the blood of nitrogen and is done prior to an event that exposes one to great changes in air pressure, De León said.

A Tense Moment

Once the test got underway, Steven Martin, manager of aerospace physiology operations, sat at the control panel of the chamber and communicated with Iturmendi about altitude, and how he was feeling. Every so often, as the pressure decreased in the chamber, he asked Iturmendi “cognitive questions,” to make sure he was not experiencing any difficulty in thinking that would have indicated a medical problem.

Miguel Iturmendi and Javier Merino, with Helios Horizon, go over equipment, while Pablo de Leon, UND Space Studies professor, assists. Photo by Arjun Jagada/School of Aerospace Sciences.

“What’s 6 times 6 times 2?” went one question. “72,” Iturmendi answered, without difficulty.

Had there been a medical emergency, Eric Toutenhoofd, an aerospace physiology technician and instructor, was also inside the chamber — in a sealed and separate compartment — to render assistance. Toutenhoofd experienced only 25,000 feet of atmospheric pressure, which is the altitude UND Aerospace students experience during their training.

The idea was to have a trained person in the chamber who’d be more readily able to have access to Iturmendi. Outside the chamber were two Altru paramedics and an off-duty member of the Grand Forks Fire Department. As luck would have it, they were not needed, though there was a tense moment.

As the air pressure decreased — simulating an increase in altitude — Iturmendi seemed to have some difficulty closing the visor of his helmet. His fingers also seemed to tremble, and the room outside the chamber quickly got very quiet.

“He got our attention,” Zeidlik said, but a quick cognitive question later determined he was not in any danger.

Martin announced they hit 44,000 feet, and Iturmendi quickly gave the signal to level off and descend.

And just like that, the test was over. Altitude Chamber Technicians Alyssa Geatz and Jennifer Watne slowly restored the air pressure in the two compartments to normal (for them, the work was a balancing act of maintaining airflow in and out of the chamber).

“I’m alive!” Iturmendi shouted to applause, as he finally exited the chamber. He breathed deeply, to get used to the normal air pressure. He described the experience as uncomfortable to say the least, but the test was successful.

He said he is looking forward to the record-breaking high-altitude flight, and to flights even beyond that:

“Next year, we will try to do a stratospheric flight,” he said, and mentioned the possibility of coming back to UND for more testing on the pressure suit.

Speaking after the test, Dean Robert Kraus said he was pleased with the results, and with the efforts of the UND and Helios Horizon teams.

“UND Aerospace has long been recognized as one of the top aviation programs in the country,” he said.  “Our faculty and researchers continue to expand the limits, and Tom Zeidlik and his team of experts in aerospace physiology are recognized across the industry. The group from Helios Horizon has been great to work with, and we look forward to their success in setting new altitude records for electric aircraft.”

Steven Martin, manager of aerospace physiology operations (right) and Altitude Chamber Technician Alyssa Geatz look on while Miguel Iturmendi tests his suit. Photo by Arjun Jagada/School of Aerospace Sciences.

By: Jay Blessum, President of Minot Aero Center 

Short daylight and busy lifestyles for most of us result in not getting off the ground  very often during winter months. Get out there! It can be a lot of fun when you  do. Low density altitudes make your airplane perform well and most days the air  will be stable and make for smooth flying. There are some things I have learned from my experiences that I would like to share. 

Plan to preheat your engine; if it is colder than 25 degrees, the overnight low is  likely the temperature of your engine. Multigrade oil is beneficial. Start cranking  immediately after priming, every second that you don’t give the fuel, you just  primed time to drain out. Leaving the primer unlocked during start will give the  engine a little more fuel. After the start, make sure the primer is in and locked as  that extra fuel will make the engine run poorly. Some aircraft have a winter front  that covers a portion of the air inlets or a cover for the oil cooler that will help  keep engine temperatures up.  

Watch for sand and ice when you choose where to do a runup. You might not  be able to hold still and sand can damage the prop. Don’t taxi through snow.  Your brake discs will be warm enough to melt some, get wet, and freeze later, possibly causing a skidding wheel. If that happens during takeoff it could result  in a flat spotted tire, sometimes severe enough to go flat. Taxiing on ice can be  risky, especially moving downwind where you could lose control even at slow  speeds. Try your best to not breathe on the windows and even though it’s cold  in the cockpit try opening a vent or pilot window to keep condensation from  making foggy windows. Only use a soft cloth or heat to clear windows, as plexiglass scratches easily.

Make any power changes gradually and use the carburetor heat plenty. Make  sure you bring a warm jacket, hat, and gloves, maybe a blanket for passengers.  Drafty vents can be covered with tape to help keep the cockpit warm. If you  make a stop, consider using an engine cover to keep it warm, even in a light  breeze your engine will cool off in minutes.

The North Dakota Aviation Association (NDAA), along with other Tri-State Agricultural Aviation members, is hosting a Flying in the Wire and Obstruction Environment Course. This course is acclaimed by professional airplane and helicopter operators world-wide and will be held on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at the Holiday Inn in Fargo, ND.

This course will be a full-day, eight-hour course. The instructors give low-altitude aviators the essential skills needed to safely operate an aircraft in wire and obstruction environments. This course is for both airplane and helicopter pilots that are working in the wire environment. Learn how to identify signs of wires and why ag aviators hit wires they already knew were there. This course may very well save your life – wire strike accidents continue to harm the ag aviation industry. Nationally in 2022, there were eleven wire strike accidents, one of which was fatal. In the 2023 season, there were 16 wire strike accidents, 7 of which were fatal. 

 This training will be free to attend. The course will be taught by Utilities / Aviation Specialists Inc. (UAS), a unique group of aviation safety practitioners who provide safety auditing, specialized training, installation of safety management systems, and technical aviation consulting. They provide mission-specific expertise in specialized applications which require skill sets above those found in most routine transport operations.

By Jenna Grindberg, Dakota Territory Air Museum Director

We are always looking for new, refreshing ideas to keep the community engaged with the museum during the winter off-season. On December 2, 2023, the museum hosted 20 participants aged eight and up, along with their adult chaperones, in the museum’s first ever Learn and Build Model Building Session. For the first session, the participants got an up-close history tour of P-51D “Little Horse” before sitting down and building their very own P-51 Mustang. We are currently planning one session per month through April and will feature additional aircraft in the museum’s collection. You can sign up for the next session at www.dakotaterritoryairmuseum.com! 

If you would like to sponsor spots in upcoming sessions for families in need, please reach out to the museum directly at 701-852-8500 or airmuseum@minot.com.

Photos by: Katy Larcombe

By Ron Lundquist 

Starting with the fall of the 2023 school year, there’s another high school that’s offering aviation as an elective. Kindred High School in Kindred, ND, has launched its aviation class with 30 kids divided into two sections. Not bad for the first year!

The class has been trying to get off the ground (pun intended) for a few years and finally the stars lined up. With funding from the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission (NDAC) and the high school itself, the program is showing very promising signs of success!

Aviation has such a rich history in the Kindred area, with of course Bob Odegaard and his world renown warbird restorations, but the airport is literally across the street from the school.  The city boasts the states’ only residential airpark but even nonresidents of the park witness aircraft landing and departing daily as the airport is in their backyard. It’s hard not to get excited about airplanes! Colonel Lyle Andvik, a Kindred High graduate, commanded the 119th Happy Hooligans in Fargo, ND. Major General Mac Macdonald and Major General Darrol Shroeder, also of the 119th and both North Dakota Aviation Hall of Famers, both grew up just miles away in nearby Davenport, ND. Today Captain Brian Kesselring, past commander of the Blue Angels, has his personal hangar and airplane at Kindred, continuing that military aviation connection.

Scott Bartram, the instructor for the class, is a former Naval Aviator himself. Scott served 24 years at various posts around the globe, flying the Beechjet 400, B737, B707 and the Gulfstream IV. He flew for a short time for Skywest Airlines on the CRJ 200/700/900. He retired for good from the Navy in 2017 and in 2018 began teaching Math and Computer Science at Kindred High; when approached to lead the aviation program, he responded with an enthusiastic “yes!”

As of now, there are a number of kids that want to pursue flying lessons and local Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Mark Burke is able to accommodate at least some of them. Other students expressed interest in the maintenance field, drone technology, and some are just curious. With the course centered around the core curriculum from AOPA, the class will prepare the students for the FAA Private Pilot written exam but also aims to expose them to all the careers that exist in the aerospace field through speakers that visit the class and field trips. The program also started its own drone flying club that meets regularly.

This statewide program owes a huge thank you to the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission and more specifically Mike McHugh, the NDAC Education Coordinator, for his vision and enthusiasm to expose kids to aviation! If you’re curious about starting this worthwhile program in your school, Mike is the first phone call you should make to accomplish this. The people that have spearheaded aviation programs throughout the state can also help you. 

   

Don’t wait! Make that phone call!

By Amy Johnson, CRACTC Registrar/Marketing Coordinator

The Central Regional Area Career and Technical Center (CRACTC) is a “Virtual” Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center, approved by the North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education, that provides CTE opportunities to students within our member districts (and sometimes beyond), where every student has the same educational opportunity regardless of the size or location of the school.  Aviation is one of eight program areas that the CRACTC has to offer.  Currently, 40 students from 22 schools throughout North Dakota are enrolled in aviation classes, ranging from Ray in the west to Central Valley on the eastern side of the state; Towner in the north, to Linton in the southern part of the state. Regardless of your high school location, students can explore the A\aviation industry through CRACTC’s Aviation I, Aviation II, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS - Drones) programming. 

Aviation instructor Jeff Horan, a full-time Executive Pilot who teaches part-time for CRACTC to give back to the aviation industry and its future workforce, states the program is designed to include STEM based learning preparing students for a career either on the flight deck or exploring all the other career pathways within the aviation industry. Students’ aviation online classwork is also supplemented with desktop flight simulators provided to each participating school, Redbird simulators through collaboration with Bismarck Public Schools, flying drones, troubleshooting preflight exercises at an Aero Center, and participating in student flights with certified flight instructors (yes, students actually get to fly!) through collaborations with our industry partners.   

Clayton Vert is a student from Max, ND, currently enrolled in the CRACTC Aviation II course programming, who recently completed his Student Flight at the Minot Aero Center.  “It was amazing! I got to experience some parts of the pilot career that I had never experienced before, namely the checklist procedures and ATC communications.  As for flying itself, I flew the airplane from taxi way to ramp with almost no assistance, which is a huge mile marker for me,” Clayton states.    

The CRACTC also works alongside industry leaders at the Bismarck Aero Center, Minot Aero Center, and Grand Forks Aero Center, along with Basin Electric and other industry partners, to provide unique experiences for our students.  Students have the opportunity to learn from industry experts, which they normally wouldn’t have access to and experience new technologies within the aviation field. 

Please follow CRACTC on our social media platforms, Central Regional Area Career and Technical Center on Facebook and @CRACTC1 on X (formerly Twitter) or check us out on our website at CRACTC.org. 

Happy Flying!

Did you know that aviation education is currently available to every high school student in North Dakota? 

Though what is available may vary from school to school, every student has the opportunity to enroll in a high school education program through either a class offered in person at their high school, virtually through the Central Region Area Career and Technical Center, or through the North Dakota Center for Distance Education. 

We currently have in person instruction offered around the state in the following locations: Bismarck, Jamestown, Kindred, West Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, and Williston. While in person instruction is the preferred method of delivery, it is exciting that schools who may not be able to offer a class because of a low number of students, do have the availability to collaborate with a distance education provider for this instruction. This allows for around 500 students in North Dakota to learn about the aviation opportunities available, including flying and non-flying career paths. 

For schools looking to start an aviation program, even small or rural schools, there are resources available. One such FREE resource is the AOPA High School STEM curriculum: https://youcanfly.aopa.org/high-school/high-school-curriculum. Though many resources exist, AOPA has put ample resources into this curriculum to ensure it remains free and available to schools. Furthermore, the curriculum is designed for any teacher, even those without an aviation background, to effectively teach the curriculum. What this means is any school with a licensed teacher may use the curriculum regardless of the teacher's content background. AOPA provides six different courses for schools to choose from and provides for a potential four year pathway, if the school chooses. 

There are many possibilities to gain access to aviation education in your local school. If you would like to help get more opportunities in your local community, I recommend first reaching out to your school to see what opportunities currently exist, and then contacting the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission to see how we can help. 

Together, we can help more students see the many opportunities that exist for careers in aviation.