WWII vet draws winning ticket at Wings of the North sweepstakes

Jim Rasmussen, 100, a World War II B-17 navigator, stood inside the Wings of the North Museum at Flying Cloud Airport on Sept. 28.

With the hangar doors wide open to warm fall air and a clear sky, he reached into a bin filled with raffle tickets, ready to draw the winning number for the museum’s highly anticipated airplane sweepstakes during the annual pancake breakfast.

Families and aviation enthusiasts gathered around tables, enjoying breakfast as museum director Bob Jasperson took to the microphone to explain the stakes of the raffle.

“As you can see, we have a Cessna 140 displayed in front of the hangar,” Jasperson said. “The winner will have the choice of that airplane or a $30,000 cash prize. If you win and choose the cash, we’d appreciate it if you let us keep the airplane for another year, as it’s hard to find an affordable aircraft to give away.”

Rasmussen, who lives in Edina, leaned into the bin and pulled out ticket No. 1229.

“Last year, our winner was from California, and they flew off with our airplane,” Jasperson said. “This year, our winner is from Las Vegas, Nevada.”

The winner, Howard Legan, a firefighter who recently completed his private pilot classes and is about to take his flight test, was “90% certain” he would choose the plane when Jasperson first contacted him

On Thursday, Jasperson confirmed the news: “He’s taking the plane! So, we’ll need a new one for next year’s sweepstakes. Maybe one of your subscribers has one they would like to donate or sell to us at a discount!”

Wings of the North (WOTN), a nonprofit based at Flying Cloud Airport for over 26 years, operates an air museum and usually hosts an annual air show. After a hiatus this year, Jasperson announced the show will return on July 12, 2025.

“It will be a one-day event with a smaller, Minnesota-themed focus, similar to our museum,” Jasperson told the crowd before the drawing. “Please keep an eye out for that, and consider volunteering for the event.”

Rasmussen completed 32 missions over Europe with the 100th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force. He was recently featured in the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks series “Masters of the Air” and traveled to Normandy in June for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

“It was both good and challenging,” Rasmussen said of the D-Day anniversary trip. “I had been there once before with a group of just six people, which was much better than going with a group of 70 this time.”

He said the veterans ranged in age from 97 to 100, and they all needed wheelchairs. “We had caregivers to assist us as we visited different sites, but we didn’t have much time to explore the museums,” he said.

His son served as his escort on the trip. “They also had young cadets from military academies,” he said. “I remember thinking how they looked like we did 80 years ago when we landed on the beaches of Normandy.”

Using a walker due to limited mobility, Rasmussen reflected on his perseverance. “The doctors tried everything, but my left leg just doesn’t work anymore,” he said. Still, at 100 (he turns 101 on Jan. 17), he’s not slowing down. His next stop? Washington, D.C., for a World War II veterans’ event in November.

Despite the challenges of age, Rasmussen maintains his sense of humor. When Jasperson joked, “It’s a long way to come for 30 seconds of work,” Rasmussen responded, “Yeah, but I got a free breakfast.”