Mark Your Calendars!  The Spring 2019 Pancake Breakfast and Fly In is set for April 6. Enjoy John The Pancake Man's breakfast, entrance to the museum, and the opportunity to listen to aviators and car collectors talk about their passions. There will also be a car show with a best car announced at 11:30 am. To enter the car show, just buy a ticket to the breakfast and fill out a form at the front desk. The winner of the car show will receive family passes to the museum, a museum gift basket, and an invitation to display their vehicle for 30 days at the museum. There will also be a raffle for a museum gift basket at the event. Purchase your tickets here. or at the front desk the day of the event.

Inside:

• Rich Crow: Morningside College Drone Professor
• Dr. Steve Feimer: Co-Author Vietnam Vets, Still Coming Home
• Bob Grimm: Marquart MA5
• Dallas Grimm: Swift
• Bob Heath: Nieuport 11
• Kevin Heineman: Sioux City Police Drone Pilot
• Ryan Lihs: 1929 Pitcairn, RedLine Aviation
• Jake Rains: KTIV Chief Drone Pilot
• Mac McCullum: Retired historian of 185th
• Hawthorne Aviation
• 1 Vision Aviation

Outside:

• Rick Alter: 1938 Cub
• Rod Brown: Bush Plane
• Dave Jordan: Mercy One Helicopter
• Sioux City Police Department
• 185th Fire and Rescue
• 1 Vision Cessna 172

Stay tuned as we add exhibit talks.
Updated April 4, 2019

The museum has partnered with Morningside College advertising and marketing students who are taking their senior capstone class. Dr. Pam Mickelson chose the museum as the client for the students to work on from August 2018 to May 2019.

The student are currently conducting market research on the museum, and next semester, they will use the information they gather to create an advertising campaign. As part of their market research, the students created a survey to determine local awareness and attitudes about the museum.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey! The students learned a lot of valuable information about local perceptions of the museum.

The students are having a lot of fun working for the museum, They’ve been enjoying frequent trips to the MAMAT and lots of afternoon coffee.

The Beverly Belles of Denver joined the Midwest Honor Flight to make the Hangar Dance a success. 
     The evening included dance lessons for the Dordt College dance team, a concert with the Beverly's, dance, a taste of wine, costume contest, and a silent auction.  Benefits from the bank funded one last flight of honor with the Midwest Honor Flight and the air museum educational programs.

Raymond Hansen Knudsen, Grandfather of museum intern Eamon Adamson, served in the 69th infantry division of the U.S. Army from 1943-1945. He was born in Buffalo Center, Iowa in 1924 eventually moving to New Jersey. He grew up during the Great Depression, which caused him to be very resourceful and creative, one of his trademarks. Drafted in July 1943, following his graduation from high school, Raymond was given the nickname "the Swede" because of his Scandinavian heritage. He was actually Danish but didn't mind "the Swede" nickname.
 
He originally trained to be a pilot but before finishing his training he was called to serve in the infantry due to immediate need of men. He arrived in South Hampton, England by way of the troop transport ship MS John Ericsson. It was Christmas Day 1944 700 men from his division were sent to the Belgium front helping the German offensive. The German army attacked in mid December 1944 creating a bulge in the American lines. The battle for this area would be called "The Battle of the Bulge."
 
Raymond arrived in Le Havre, France where 810 replacements brought to re-fortify the division and make ready for combat. He specifically remembered the snow being deep and the wind very cold. His regiment, the 272nd went into action along the Siegfried Line. The troops lived in log-covered dugouts for protection against enemy artillery. Raymond was part of the telephone section, in an interview with Raymond Knudsen, "Our main tasks were to find and repair breaks in wire. Repairing the wire breaks was tough because we had to do so in all kinds of weather and at night. To keep up with the infantry units, we were moving all the time."  
 
He had many stories of "close calls". Among them was a time while driving his jeep, German artillery punctured several cans of juice. Ray remembered the bubbling sound as the juice ran over the floor of the jeep. The shrapnel missed Ray by mere inches. 
 
One other time Ray and his men were surprised by a German tank. The tank fired point blank at Ray and his crew and missed hitting a brick wall instead. For some reason the tank didn't fire again but left. Had that tank tried one more fire the outcome for Raymond could have been very different. 
 
Raymond survived the war to return to his family eventually marrying Mary Ann Shull and having 5 daughters. One of those daughters is Audrey Adamson mother of intern Eamon Adamson. Raymond worked for Bell Telephone Company for many years in New Jersey. He died in 2013 but lived long enough for Eamon to spend time with him and hear first hand some of his stories. Raymond's other trademark was his thankfulness. He never took anything he received for granted. He loved God, family and country. Veteran's Day meant a lot to Raymond and I can't help but remember him on this day. 

The Experimental Aircraft Association, local Chapter 291, has awarded 14-year-old Kevin Farias with a $4,000 "Matching Funds Award". This award will pay not only to attend group school but will pay for his aircraft rental and instructor expenses. This award is given to those who truly desire to pursue a career in aviation. Kevin's interest in aviation began after his father spent 11 years as a pilot in in the US Navy. Farias said, "I feel encouraged so that maybe in the future I can get my pilots license and then maybe one day I can apply for Naval Academy in Annapolis." 

On behalf of everyone at the Mid America Museum of Aviation and Transportation we wish you good luck, Kevin! 
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Check out the link below to see the video:

http://www.ktiv.com/story/31193587/2016/02/10/young-aspiring-pilot-receives-local-aviation-award#.Vr1muBMmQPM.facebook?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=12205892 

Allie Sweeney

​Where are you from? Sioux City, Iowa
What is your major? Advertising major with a minor in Photography and Graphic Design
What is your favorite display? Flight 232 display
Why did you become an intern? I wanted to gain work experience as an intern. Plus I enjoy going to museums so it seemed like the perfect fit! 

Brett Kies

​Where are you from? I am from Kansas City, Missouri
What is your major? My major is Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing.
What is your favorite display? My favorite display is the Flight 232 area because it gives the area some pride in what they accomplished.
Why did you become an intern? I became an intern because I wanted to get started in marketing and really enjoy history.


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Thanks to April Tidwell at Leadership Siouxland for her initiative in developing a new QR code virtual tour at the Mid America Museum of Aviation & Transportation. This new QR code virtual tour enhances the visitors’ experience by giving them more insight on the particular exhibit as they tour the museum. The virtual tour works by either checking out a tablet from the front desk or using the QR code reader app on your smart device and scanning the codes attached to many exhibits located around the museum. It will then take you to a link which provides addition information about the exhibit in which you scanned. Thank you to Electronic Innovations for donating six tablets. Also thank you to Mary Honomichl (Siouxland Community Health),Robert Gries (Per Mar Security), Eric Hoak (United Real-Estate Solutions), Karen Hodges (Electronic Innovations) and April Tidwell (Sioux City Community Schools).

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