North Dakota Pilots Complete “Fly North Dakota Airports” Passport Program
Posted 3/10/16 (Thu)
Fifteen pilots were recently presented with awards for participating in the “Fly North Dakota Airports” Passport Program. The passport program awards pilots for flying to multiple airports within the state as well as attending FAA Safety Seminars and visiting the two North Dakota air museums. The awards are sponsored by North Dakota Department of Commerce’s Tourism Division in partnership with the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, the Airport Association of North Dakota, and the North Dakota Pilots Association.
Two pilots were presented with bronze awards for visiting at least thirty airports and attending one safety seminar. These pilots received a polo shirt embroidered with the North Dakota Flying Legacy logo. The bronze award recipients were: Devin Cole of Minot and Russell Kinneberg of Plymouth, MN.
Two Pilots were also presented with the silver award for visiting at least sixty airports, one air museum and attending two safety seminars. These pilots received a flight bag embroidered with the North Dakota Flying Legacy logo. The Silver award recipients were: Ron Lundquist of Kindred and James Werner of Fargo.
The most prestigious gold award level was achieved by eleven pilots during 2015. These pilots received a leather flight jacket embroidered with the North Dakota Flying Legacy logo. This accomplishment is achieved by visiting all 89 public use airports in North Dakota, visiting both air museums and attending at least 3 FAA safety seminars. These eleven pilots joined fourteen others who have completed the passport program in previous years. The following is a list of the eleven individuals:
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Shawn Anderson |
Rogers, ND |
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Hubert Bleese |
Enderlin, ND |
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Jamie Bryn |
Dazey, ND |
|
Francis Cox |
Duvall, WA |
|
Keith Landeis |
Mandan, ND |
|
Larry Loose |
Jamestown, ND |
|
Harold L Mcconnell |
Cavalier, ND |
|
Jerry Miller |
Garrison, ND |
|
John Ronsberg |
Bismarck, ND |
|
Bob Roswick |
Bismarck, ND |
|
Terry Schaaf |
Bowman, ND |
The awards presentation was held on March 6th at the North Dakota Heritage Center, in conjunction with the 2016 Upper Midwest Aviation Symposium. Presenting the awards were Kyle Wanner, Director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, Matthew Remynse representing the Airports Association of North Dakota, and Mike McHugh representing the North Dakota Pilots Association.
“The passport program promotes safety, education, and encourages pilots to practice approaches and landings in many different environments,” stated Kyle Wanner, the director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission. “This program is a great way to support our airports and their community businesses and tourism opportunities. All of the individuals that have participated in this program have created their own flying legacy in North Dakota and their accomplishments are celebrated.”
Many of the pilots participating in the passport program have incredible stories to tell about their adventures. One of the pilots flew to all 89 airports with his home built aircraft. Two other pilots completing the program were 86 year old high school friends, and even though they currently live more than 1,000 miles apart, they were able to complete this passport program together. For more stories and information about the passport program, please visit: https://aero.nd.gov
