Avion Unmanned, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) division of Avion Solutions, Inc., signed a participating addendum with the State of North Dakota and all its state agencies, political subdivisions and institutions. This contract opens the door for Avion Unmanned to provide UAS services to state and local government agencies in North Dakota. “Providing a simplified […]
North Dakota
Allen Sauter to be inducted into North Dakota’s Aviation Hall of Fame
The North Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame committee has announced that Allen Sauter has been selected for induction into the state’s Aviation Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on the evening of March 3rd, at the Upper Midwest Aviation Symposium banquet in Minot, ND. Allen Sauter will join the prestigious aviation hall […]
Airline Growth Allows ND Communities to Attract and Retain Air Service Opportunities
North Dakota’s eight commercial service airports finished calendar year 2019 with a statewide total of 1,191,569 passenger boardings. This is a growth of 108,452 passengers or an 10% increase from 2018 numbers. This also results in the second busiest year on record for North Dakota next to 2014, which occurred during the height of the […]
Williston Basin International Airport Opens; Burns & McDonnell Completes Multiple Design & Construction Projects
The Williston Basin International Airport (XWA) in North Dakota is open with flights beginning on Oct. 10. Burns & McDonnell served as the designer of record and on-site construction representative for several projects for the ground-up construction of the airport, which was constructed to serve increased commercial aircraft traffic and support the growing economy. The […]
Airbus Aerial Receives Waiver for Urban BVLOS UAS Flight Operations Over Populated Areas in North Dakota
Airbus Aerial has been granted a waiver by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) operations in Grand Forks, ND without the need for a visual observer. The waiver allows Airbus Aerial to conduct such operations as part of North Dakota Department of Transportation’s UAS […]
Inspiring and Connecting Youth to the Aviation Workforce
By Mike McHugh Given the state of today’s aviation industry, it’s hard not to get excited about sharing aviation with young people in hopes of inspiring them to join our aviation workforce. It seems like the demand for pilots, mechanics, UAS operators, etc. just continues to rise, with no sign of slowing down in the […]
North Dakota Airline Passenger Boardings up 10% in First Half of 2019
During the first half of calendar year 2019, North Dakota’s commercial service airports provided a total of 580,343 passenger boardings, representing a growth of 53,240 passengers or a 10% increase from this same time period in 2018. The increased number of passengers throughout the state has allowed communities to attract, retain, and grow additional air […]
North Dakota Awards $3.5 Million for Airport Infrastructure Grants
On June 6th the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission finalized approximately $3.5 million in infrastructure grant allocations to multiple public airports throughout the state. There were 165 individual projects that received grant awards at 58 different public-use airports throughout the state. Additionally, the Aeronautics Commission also provided aviation education grants as follows: $7,930 to the Dakota […]
North Dakota Pilots Complete “Fly North Dakota Airports” Passport Program
Pictured above are, from left, Kelly Braun, Terry Bryn, Gale Hansen and Kyle Wanner. On Sunday, March 3rd, eleven pilots were presented with awards for participating in the “Fly North Dakota Airports” Passport Program. The passport program presents awards to pilots for flying to airports in the state as well as attending FAA Safety Seminars […]
Remembering Darrol Schroeder, Major General (USAF Retired)
By Gary Ness Darrol Schroeder, farmer, business man, military man of many accomplishments, with more than 22,000 total hours flown in over 130 different types of military and civilian aircraft – Quite the accomplishment for a country boy from Davenport, North Dakota. (June 25, 1930 – March 3, 2019) Little did the publisher of the […]


