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Leo D. Jostad was born March 2nd, 1939, in Bottineau, ND.\nHis first flight at age five was sitting on his dad’s lap in a Piper J3 Cub\nflown by flight instructor Bruce Wright. Leo’s dad earned a private license in\nan OX-5 powered Curtis Monoplane, and the “seed” had been sown in\nfather and son. Leo found creative employment opportunities to finance flying\nlessons while finishing his college degree at NDSU. He still remembers the\nthrill of his first solo flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After completing his bachelor\u2019s degree, he taught music in\nSouth Fargo for one year before being commissioned in the United States Air\nForce. Between 1966 and 1969, while stationed at Minot AFB, Leo earned his\nCommercial and CFI Certificates then was hired by Pietsch Flying Service.\nService to his country took him out of North Dakota, where he was stationed at\nKadena AFB, Okinawa, Japan, flying combat sorties in Vietnam and the Tonkin\nGulf areas. During this time, he assumed operational responsibilities in the\nKadena AeroClub. He was an active GA enthusiast and flight instructor, the club\nmaintenance operator for a fleet of 15 aircraft, and test pilot for\nmaintenance-released aircraft. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross\ntwice and the Air Medal 15 times for performance under extremely hazardous\nconditions during combat operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once stateside, he was involved in Offutt AFB Aero Club\nwhere he continued teaching military pilots, young and old, as well as\nnon-pilots, about the beauty, freedoms, and adventures of civil aviation. After\n24 years of service, Leo retired from the USAF as Lt. Colonel. He continued\nproviding flight instruction over the next several years in Omaha at Offutt\nAero Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1988, the family moved back to North Dakota. Over the\nfollowing years, Leo was approached to act as Chief Pilot and Director of\nFlight Operations for Farstad Oil Co and later with Food Management Investors.\nBetween his corporate flying positions, he acted as Chief CFI at Northern\nPlains Aviation in Minot, ND. The part 141 flight school was a labor of love\nand a source of pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo has taught and mentored several international students,\nlocal students, his daughters, and two granddaughters. He has been a principal\nmember of his community, participating with the church, music, veterans, and\nthe famed Club de Skinatique, of which he is a founding member. He is acting\npresident of the Bottineau Municipal Airport Authority, spearheading many\nimprovement projects for local general aviation. In addition to providing\nmedical flights to those in need, Leo regularly donates plane rides for the Evergreen\nScholarship fundraiser earning the Friend of Education Award from Dakota\nCollege at Bottineau. Leo Jostad is the embodiment of characteristics displayed\nin past Hall of Fame recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The induction ceremony will take place in Fargo at the annual\n\u201cFly North Dakota\u201d Conference on Tuesday, March 8th at the Fargo Air Museum.\nThe social will begin at 6 p.m. and the banquet begins at 7 p.m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To learn more about the state\u2019s aviation conference or to\npurchase tickets for the awards ceremony, visit https:\/\/www.fly-nd.com\/events\/Conference<\/a>.\nQuestions can be directed to the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission at\n701-328-9650.<\/p>\n\n\n\n