My name is Reli, and during last fall (1997), I've crossed the world, and flow all the way from Israel, and spend a month FLYING with AIRD (Denny), in the beautiful lake county of Minnesota.

     I was already a private pilot with 140 hours when I arrived. During the month I've managed to log about 40 hours, with which 14 hours in the twin, and 15 hours instrument. Both were in one of the best prices that could be found any were.

     I would like to describe here my impressions from my adventure, in order to give a first hand observation to people who are thinking of coming.

     First you have to live somewhere. I was lucky, and spend the month with one of Denny's local students. There are many Bed & breakfast around, and except July and August, most of them have vacancy, with a reasonable price. Car is also easy to arrange, also in a reasonable price.

     After you find place to stay, and have a car, you could start enjoy the area.. The scenery is wonderful, especially in the fall, but I am sure any season has it's beauty there. 10,000 lakes is not just a phrase, they are actually there ! And those lakes are surrounded by wonderful forests. There are hiking and bike (and snow-mobile..) trails that run all over. There are some nice restaurants in the nearby towns, and if you are looking for a larger cities, Brainerd is just 40 miles away, and you could find everything there. There are even Casinos around, in the Indian reservations. One of them is just 20 miles to the north.

     As for flying, I would call it a FLYING paradise ! If you are looking for a private license, the grass strip is great for landing of un-experienced pilots. There are also many small paved and un-paved airports around to fly to, for short and long cross country.

     If you are looking for a more complex flying, the "Apache" is one of the best airplane to get your multi-engine training, and I enjoyed a lot flying it.

     If you are looking for instrument training, Park Rapids that is just 15 minutes away offers, NDB, VOR, and ILS approaches, to a 5500 Ft runway. This airport have very little traffic, so you could shoot approaches as much as you like.. If you get bored with Park Rapids, you could also fly to Brainerd or Bemidji that are not too far away also, and shoot approaches there..

     It do not matter what type of flying you do, the view from the air is breath-taking ! And you are getting it any way as a side bonus to your flight training.

     Another important issue is the people and the atmosphere. I enjoyed Denny's training very much, and all the other people around are just great. Friendly, calm, and really want you to have a good time.

     So to sum things up, I would fully recommend traveling to Minnesota, and logging some time with Denny, in Backus.

     I would be glad to answer any question you have, regarding my experience:

igurarie@iil.intel.com           Reli.

Great pilots are made not born. . . . A man may possess good eyesight,
sensitive hands, and perfect coordination, but the end result is only
fashioned by steady coaching, much practice, and experience.

Hey u all - My name is Victor. And BELIVE ME; Studying and living in Backus,
MN is the best thing that could ever happen to your life - and that's if u
need a 360 degree revolution. After arriving in Backus (7Y3), I realize the
significant difference and contrast to that of Jamaica where I am from. I
tell u  - I love Jamaica but MN is next.

The Flight Training is one of the BEST within the US. It gets better; u
havent seen the beauty of the State with the lakes until u have begun flying
and absorbing the breath-taking views of lakes and fields of corn and pine
trees.  It's a great experience studying and living in Backus. I will
further say that it's a GREAT environment for studying; no wonder there are
so many successful departures from that school. I arrived there with Zero
hrs and as the weeks progressed, I was taught to have my own flying skills.
The time got a bit cooler but it was still FUN. Thinking about acquiring my
Private Pilot's License was something I always dreamt of doing and I realize
that it takes dedication and determination along with other requirements to
acquire such. Flying at Air D is flying with a full revolution. The flying
horizon is broad and if youre considering pursuing your studies in Aviation
- AIR D is the KEY.

Thanks Denny for the wonderful work and efforts - Keep up the good and
healthy work...Feel free to contact me about the Limey (The Cessna 172)
Flying it was FUN. (smile) I'm looking forward to seeing other successful
Pilots.

"Learning the secret of flight from a bird was a good deal like learning the
secret of magic from a magician. After you know what to look for you see
things that you did not notice when you did not know exactly what to look
for."
— Orville Wright

Victor
e-mail:  vickwell@excite.com