Northwest Airline

Five Minneapolis Flights That Changed History
Posted by Tony Randgaard on Saturday, January 30, 2021 at 12:00 AM By Tony Randgaard / January 30, 2021 Comment

The Aviator

Northwest Airline’s executives went to bed downtrodden on July 14, 1938. Their plans to meet and refuel Howard Hughes’ twin engine monoplane at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport had been dashed when his crew wired that they would land in Winnipeg instead. And this wasn’t just any old pit stop — this was the last stop on Hughes record-shattering round-the-world speed race. His previous stop was Fairbanks and Hughes was streaking more than 3 days ahead of Wiley Post’s previous world record.  

To make matters worse,...

Open the Cockpit Door or I'll Kill You!
Posted by Tony Randgaard on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at 12:00 AM By Tony Randgaard / May 26, 2016 Comment

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Airlines Bum Rush For Havana—No Guns at Their Heads This Time
Bouncing through First Class, Northwest Flight attendant Margaret Burt could have popped right off the silver screen as another Rachel McAdams. Or maybe a Catch Me If You Can stewardess with that plaid pillbox hat framing her cherubic face, and blond hair pinned up in a stylish bob. A little surprised when she offered the swarthy-looking man in the first row his Regal Imperial dinner, and he asked for aspirin instead? Later during initial descent into Miami, Burt reminded him to fasten his seat belt. Sure, that could occasionally irritate...