The non-profit Wings of the North (WOTN) hosted its 25th annual AirExpo this past weekend at the Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, drawing crowds with an impressive display of historic aircraft.
AirExpo 2023 featured 30 to 40 vintage aircraft, including the C-130 Hercules cargo plane from Minnesota’s 133rd Airlift Wing. It is touted as the largest aircraft ever to land at Flying Cloud Airport.
Visitors also had the chance to see several World War II-era planes. These included the “Sierra Sue II,” a P-51D Mustang, the F4U-4 Corsair, and the N2S-1 Stearman, a training biplane once piloted by President George H. W. Bush.
More than 20 aviation veterans attended the event, including World War II veterans Robert Holmstrom, a B-24 tail gunner, and Jim Rasmussen, a B-17 navigator.
Former members of the Seawolves Squadron, including Richard Barr, Roger Georges, Tom Olby, Mike Petersen, and Barry Waluda, were also on hand. The Seawolves Squadron, known for its service in the Vietnam War, is the most decorated squadron in U.S. Navy history.
Along with exploring numerous hangar exhibits, attendees had the opportunity to experience plane rides firsthand.
Pilot Jack Larson and Xavier Meal, a French aviation photographer and historian, sit on the wing of the Wings of the North’s P-51D Mustang, “Sierra Sue II,” based at Flying Cloud Airport. 
Two P-51C Mustangs fly in formation above the Wings of the North AirExpo on Saturday, July 22. 
One of the A-10 Thunderbolt IIs on display at the Wings of the North AirExpo on July 22. 
North American T-6 Thunders fly in formation above the Wings of the North AirExpo on July 22. 
Two North American T-6 Thunders take off together during the Wings of the North AirExpo on July 22. 
Children participate in “Paint a Plow” at the AirExpo on July 22. 
An F4U Corsair in flight above the AirExpo on July 22. 
U.S. Air Force Sgt. Nicholas Grefthen and Capt. Kyle Watkins stand in front of a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk from the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade based in St. Paul, at the Wings of the North AirExpo on July 22. 
A line of World War II-era airplanes on display at the AirExpo on July 22. 
Three U.S. Army soldiers walk across the field at Flying Cloud Airport while a helicopter lands behind them at the AirExpo on July 22. 
An AirExpo photographer takes a photo of a woman in the Douglas AC-47 Spooky at Flying Cloud Airport on July 22. 
The Grumman TBM Avenger makes it way towards the runway while an A-10 Thunderbolt approaches for a landing during the AirExpo on July 22. 
Spectators examine the North American P-51C Mustang named for the Tuskegee Airmen. 
Two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the 303rd Fighter Squadron of the U.S. Air Force perform a flyover. 
The crew of the C-146A Wolfhound, pictured left to right: U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Kenneth Gardner, Capt. Michael Dude and Capt. Luke Hubers. 
Pictured from left to right are Tom Olby, Barry Waluda, Roger Georges, Richard Barr and Mike Petersen, former members of the Seawolves Squadron, which served in the Vietnam War and is the most decorated squadron in U.S. Navy history. 
A 1948 Beechcraft Bonanza 35 on display at the Wings of the North AirExpo on July 22. This aircraft is a prize for the lucky winner of a sweepstakes. The drawing will be at the Wings of the North’s fall pancake breakfast on Sept. 9. 
Dornier C-146A Wolfhound from the 919th Special Operations Wing of the U.S. Air Force on display at the AirExpo on July 22. 
A line of people waiting to walk through the Lockheed C-130 Hercules at the AirExpo. The Hercules, a military cargo plane, belongs to the 133rd Airlift Wing of the Minnesota National Guard based at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
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