Picking up an airplane in Duluth, Minnesota is a bit different from my last experience picking one up in London, Ontario. The Canadian factory didn’t have a “Guns are banned from these premises” sign out front. Another difference is that the Cirrus factory has an F-16 parked right next to it, belonging to George W. Bush’s beloved Air National Guard. This F-16 is apparently in need of some maintenance because it has been sitting out for the entire winter. Only our government can afford to leave a $30 million airplane outside exposed to the harsh northern elements!
One thing that is more or less the same is the miserable weather. For the morning flight today the weather was 100′ overcast and 1/4 mile visibility. I went to the Duluth Aquarium instead and then to the Richard I. Bong museum in Superior, Wisconsin. Bong was a Wisconsin farm boy who went on to become the U.S.’s most successful P-38 fighter pilot in the Pacific War, downing more than 40 Japanese planes. The museum staff, having noticed my coupon from Cirrus, hauled out an old movie on “how to fly your new P-38” from Lockheed circa 1942. The product was described in the video as a “real fighting man’s airplane” and a “man’s airplane”. Close-to-the-ground maneuvers were described as “not likely to be a habit-forming.” The plane worked well for Bong, who survived all of his combat missions. Sadly he was killed while test-flying a jet-powered fighter in 1945. Major Bong was 24 years old.
Re: “Guns are banned…” We’ve got a law (passed, overturned in court and recently re-passed) here in MN that allows for concealed carry of handguns and the expedited issuance of licenses for same. If a business doesn’t want you to bring in your gun, they have to post a sign saying so with statutorially mandated text in a statutorially mandated font. It’s the wild west out here, dontcha know?
Re Bong: Friends of mine who grew up north of Chicago remembered with fondness the “Bong Recreation Area” between I-90 and Lake Michigan. Who wouldn’t love to recreate there?
Phil – You might be able to see Bong Airforce base, now recreation area on your return trip. It is about 8-12 miles NW of “KENW” (Kenosha, WI). You can still see where the runway once was. Been a long time since I’ve set foot in the recreation area, but I fly over it all the time. If you have the time, you can visit Lake Genevea “C02” (Grand Geneva resort, old Playboy club) for lunch/dinner/golf/boating. Or Lake Delavan “C59” (Lake Lawn Lodge) for lunch/dinner/golf/boating. Lake Geneva is a really nice place to stay if you have time. A lot of old money there. All of these airports are within about 15 minutes of each other.
I heard from an old family friend who fought the Japanese in China during WW2 the P38 was a killer to get out of; you had to invert the plane to bail out. Poor survival rate; most ended up shredded. I wasnt clear if that was because it was hard to invert (chances are if you need to bail out, you probably dont have the physical capability to invert) or even if you inverted you still got mutilated by the props. I didnt feel like asking since he always started breaking up in tears after telling the story.
DC
Philip, I think I might have seen you flying today. I saw a small plane about 40 miles south of Duluth flying near Big Hanging Horn lake in the Barnum/Moose Lake area at 4:11 PM central time. Can you confirm or deny this?
I read your blog with amusement this morning, since no one ever mentions Duluth, MN.
Wes, there could be a dozen Cirrus airplanes buzzing around Duluth all the time. Watch the skies Thu Jun 2. There will be at least 100 planes coming to Duluth from all over the country for the annual Cirrus Owners Migration.
Wes: at 3 pm on May 21 we departed Duluth, ahead of some forecast thunderstorms, and were heading east along the southern shore of Lake Ontario. So I don’t think it was us!
Philip, Yeah, it was a long shot, but I *wanted* it to be true!
David, thanks for the education!
Dick Bong was actually America’s highest-scoring ace ever, not just the most successful P-38 pilot, with 40 confirmed kills.