Scholarships Awarded: The North Dakota Business Aviation Association would like to congratulate Ayden Olsen and Jilian Quale on each receiving a $200 scholarship. Ironically, both students are currently attending Wachter Middle School in Bismarck, ND where Ayden is in the 8th grade and Jilian is in the 6th grade. Ayden has expressed an interest in becoming an aerospace engineer specializing in landing gear systems at Boeing, while Jilian is still exploring all military aviation career opportunities. Jilian and Adyen are each raising funds to attend the NASA Space Camp held in Huntsville, Alabama.

Merger: NDBAA was founded in 1947 with the purpose to promote the interests of those that benefit from the use of aviation in North Dakota. NDBAA accomplishes this through safety, advocacy, and educational initiatives. As of May 2020, NDBAA has merged with the North Dakota Aviation Association.

By Daren Hall, Chairman

North Dakota Aviation Associaton

chairman@fly-nd.com

I moved to Fargo 30 years ago and have worked at the airport every day since. I grew up three blocks from the airport in Minot and would often drive to the far end just to look at the lights and watch airplanes. I can remember a few times I would spot a North Central Airlines DC-9.

 Times have changed, and so have airplanes and airports. Some aircraft very much so, as they do not even have pilots anymore. As I write, I’m watching an MQ-9 in the pattern in Fargo. However, one thing in aviation has not changed: the wonder of flight. It is the excitement one gets when you are up close; the smell, the sounds, the sights that trigger a small dose of adrenaline to run through your body.

Ironically, not once in the past 30 years of working at the airport, had I gone out just to watch airplanes. I realized this needed to change. A week ago, I saw a couple C-130’s doing some pattern work and thought, “Let’s go check it out.” After a quick bike ride to the airport with my son, Tommy, I soon re-experienced the excitement of aviation. It is a feeling like no other, when you are at the end of a runway and an aircraft flies directly overhead. I have lived and worked in the world of aviation my whole life and somehow along the way I missed something so simple, accessible, and inspiring. 

With minimal travel and a slower-paced life over the past few months, the extra time has helped me find a better perspective in making the most of the time I do have. It has allowed me to rediscover the wonder of flight. 

Here is my challenge for you: create time to be a kid again, rediscover your passion for aviation, and share it with other people. Visit your local airport. Go flying! And don’t forget to bring a friend.