Tyler was an Aviation Electrician in the Navy working on P-3C Orion and C-130 Hercules from 2005 – 2009,which included a 6 month deployment to Bahrain.

Following his discharge from the Navy in 2009, he took a job as a Field Service Representative (UAV Pilot / Operator) with Insitu. He did two 6 month deployments to Iraq as a civilian, flying missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

Ben is a commercial pilot and has been a flight instructor since age 18. He has accumulated over 9,000 hours of flight experience as an Airline Transport Pilot, Gold Seal CFI, CFII, and MEI. He is a business jet pilot for one of the largest corporations in the world and was named the FAA Flight Instructor of the Year for Minnesota in 2009/2010. He gives a seminar on a pertinent aviation topic every Saturday morning from 8:00 – 9:00 am in the Inflight hangar at the Flying Cloud Airport. His seminars attract well over 100 pilots and aviation enthusiasts each week. Many Chapter 25 members attend Ben’s seminars on a regular basis.

Besides the Free Saturday Morning Seminars, Inflight Pilot Training provides free ground schools, pilot supplies and apparel and affordable aircraft rental. Inflight provides the following high quality flight training: Single Engine, Multi-engine, private, instrument, commercial, ATP, high altitude, high performance, complex, tailwheel, seaplane, biennials, IPC’s and insurance training. Go to: www.inflightpilottraining.com for more information.

This month we will meet again at BSAEC Airlake, Wednesday evening February 15th. We will be participating in an EAA Seminar on the Onex, the newest kit airplane by Sonex Aircraft. Gather at 6pm for a BBQ and potluck supper, bring a dish to share. A short business meeting starts at 6:45 pm. The seminar starts at 7 pm sharp. All visitors are welcome!

We will be hosting the next Young Eagle event on Saturday, February 18th. Let Bill Brown know (952-432-4231) if you can help out.

Thanks to Bill Brown, Pat Halligan, Kim Johnson, Craig Nelson, John Schmidt, Dave Olson, John Koser, and Kris Olson for their contributions and assistance this month.

This month we will meet again at BSAEC Airlake, Wednesday evening January 18th for a presentation on iPad in the Cockpit. With the cold January temps, rather than grilling we are asking members to bring a pot of their favorite chili, or things like crackers, cheese, or desserts for members to share. Gather at 6pm, meeting starts at 7pm.

We will be hosting a small Young Eagle event next Saturday, January 21st. Let Bill Brown know (952-432-4231) if you plan to help out.

John Schmidt has been teaching kids the basics for 27 years. He has been a private pilot for almost as long. Each summer he combines the two skills with his Intro to Aviation class. Children 10 to 14 get a broad view of flight with a three week course. John also flies for the Young Eagle program, providing kids their first taste of flight in a small aircraft. He was in charge of the program at the August 20th Forest Lake Airshow where 170 kids got FREE airplane rides. He has also personally conducted 170 of the 1.6 million flights that have been flown since 1992.

Thanks to Craig Nelson, Norm Tesmar, John Koser, Lou Martin, Kris Olson and Pat Hoyt for their contributions and assistance this month.

This month we will meet again at BSAEC Airlake, Wednesday evening November 16th for a presentation by Lou Martin. We will also be handing out 2011 awards for Young Eagles and On Final. Grill on at 6pm, meeting starts at 7pm. Bring something to share!

Note that Bill Brown has a large number of youth lined up for Young Eagles Saturday November 19th, so please let Bill know if you can help out. Just a reminder, we will be holding a board meeting after Young Eagles.

Finally, be sure to mark your calendars for December 11th for our annual Christmas party at the home of Pat and Mary Hoyt from 1pm-5pm.