AirFair 2025 takes flight with a hometown feel

Wings of the North is aiming high – just with a lighter payload.

After grounding its long-running AirExpo in 2023, the Eden Prairie-based aviation nonprofit is launching AirFair 2025 – a scaled-down, community-centered and family-friendly celebration of flight. The one-day event runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 12, on the south side of Flying Cloud Airport, rain or shine.

“It’s not an AirExpo,” said Bob Jasperson, a longtime Wings of the North volunteer, former board president and current museum director. “This is just the AirFair – a more local, grassroots kind of thing, mostly general aviation aircraft.”

Gone are the sprawling flyovers and vintage bombers. In their place: ground displays, military exhibits, nonprofit booths, food trucks, and face-to-face time with the pilots and volunteers preserving local aviation history.

This year’s event also marks the 250th anniversaries of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps, each founded in 1775.

From AirExpo to AirFair

Parking constraints, airport development and rising costs drove the shift.

“Every time a new hangar goes up on the south side, we lose 200 to 300 parking spots,” Jasperson said. “We used to bus people in from places like Grace Church. But the cost of shuttling and the risk of bad weather – where you’re still on the hook financially – just wasn’t sustainable.”

Admission is $20 per vehicle, with advance online purchase encouraged. Credit cards will be accepted at the gate – cash will not be accepted – and volunteers will direct cars through the airport and out the back to ease congestion.

Jasperson said the site can accommodate about 800 vehicles, with an expected turnout of 2,500 to 3,000 people.

“We used to have seven or eight thousand people come through for the big show,” he said. “This time, if we get half of that, we’d be happy.”

Although a few aircraft may take to the skies – “The T-6 Thunder guys will probably do a little flying,” Jasperson said — most will remain on the ground for public viewing.

Exhibits and attractions

Aircraft and ground displays will include a National Guard C-130 Hercules, Navy MH-60S and MH-60R helicopters, Wings of the North’s BT-15 Valiant and L-19A/O-1A Bird Dog, multiple T-6 Texans, and a T-34 Mentor. General aviation and homebuilt aircraft are also expected, offering visitors a broad mix of historic and modern planes to explore.

Additional attractions range from flight simulators and a U.S. Navy submarine model to military vehicles from the Red Bull Historic Military Vehicle Association. The Minnesota State Patrol helicopter, Eden Prairie police and fire departments, and the Metropolitan Airports Commission will also have displays.

Inside the Jet Linx hangar, guests can view the grand prize in Wings of the North’s 2025 sweepstakes: a 1950 Aeronca 7EC Champion. The winner can choose the plane or take a $30,000 cash prize. Tickets cost $50 and are limited to 2,500 entries.

Wings of the North will hold the grand prize drawing on Saturday, Sept. 27. Five additional prizes will also be awarded before that. Proceeds will help fund a permanent aviation museum at Flying Cloud Airport.

“The sweepstakes has kind of become our biggest fundraiser,” Jasperson said. “For $20 a car full, we aren’t going to make much money on the show this year. That’s more just our public relations to keep our name out there.”

More than 15 booths will feature aviation vendors and nonprofits, including the Eighth Air Force Historical Society and the World War II History Roundtable. “We may even have a World War II veteran or two, if their health allows,” Jasperson said. “They don’t usually like to commit too far in advance.”

Three food trucks will serve hot dogs, ice cream and other classic air show fare. Wings of the North’s mascot, Buzz, will be on hand to greet younger guests.

A museum in transition

Tucked inside a rented hangar on the northwest side of Flying Cloud Airport, the Wings of the North Museum is quietly building momentum.

The museum reopened in September 2023 after losing its previous location in 2021. Since then, it has hosted school field trips, veteran gatherings and birthday parties – including an upcoming event for a Vietnam veteran turning 70.

“It’s sort of a hidden gem – not many people know we’re here,” said board president Steve Bruss. “There isn’t a lot of signage, and people drive past the airport every day without realizing this is sitting right here. But the real value isn’t just in seeing the artifacts – it’s hearing the stories. That’s what truly brings everything to life.”

Volunteer docents lead personalized tours, helping the museum rank among Eden Prairie’s top-rated attractions online. “People can walk around on their own if they want, but they get so much more when they hear the history behind each aircraft,” Jasperson said.

That storytelling includes exhibits like the Spirit of St. Louis replica – a Warner Brothers stage prop for the 1957 James Stewart film about Charles Lindbergh. Once displayed at MSP Airport, it now hangs in the museum.

“We take pride in being a Minnesota-themed aviation museum,” Jasperson said. “There are plenty of places focused only on World War II. We cover all eras — but with a homegrown lens. That’s what makes us unique.”

Permanent ambitions

Bruss, president of Wings Insurance at Flying Cloud Airport, was elected board president several months ago. His focus: securing a permanent home for the museum – ideally with stronger visibility, signage and public access.

“Our current space is working for now, but we simply don’t have the room for the programs we envision,” Bruss said. “We’re strong, we’re thriving, and we’re excited about growing – but we need a permanent base to get there.”

Wings of the North has submitted a formal proposal to the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), identifying two possible future locations. Their top choice: a site just west of the current hangar, with better access for visitors.

“We’re looking at a footprint roughly twice the size of what we have now – maybe even multi-story, with space for events and restoration,” Bruss said. “But these things take time.”

The MAC’s long-term development plan for Flying Cloud Airport includes relocating the control tower and constructing new hangars – changes that directly affect Wings of the North’s plans. Until then, the museum remains in a holding pattern.

“There are environmental and impact studies, FAA approvals – all of it has to happen before we can move ahead,” Bruss said. “That’s going to be a work in progress, always. But yes, my primary focus in this role is to grow the physical presence of Wings of the North.”

Lighting the spark

Both Jasperson and Bruss hope AirFair will inspire the next generation of aviators.

“We want to light that spark,” Bruss said. “Whether it’s a middle schooler who’s never been near a plane, or someone who wants to go into aviation maintenance or become a pilot – we want them to meet people, ask questions, and see themselves in it.”

For Bruss, aviation is personal. One of his sons flies for Delta. Another is an aerospace engineer. A third, a mechanical engineer, is preparing for his private pilot checkride.

“We live and breathe aviation at my house,” he said.

Jasperson sees the impact up close. “I started flying at this airport when I was 15,” he said. “Now I see students volunteering here – one of our docents is applying to the Air Force Academy.”

A one-day tradition in the making

AirFair may be a new event, but organizers hope it becomes a lasting tradition.

Rather than trying to revive the large-scale air shows of the past, Wings of the North is embracing a smaller format that better suits its current footprint and mission.

“My personal dream is to keep doing a small one-day show like this until we get our new museum built,” Jasperson said. “Then maybe we could do two or three smaller weekend events throughout the summer.”

Bruss added, “We just don’t have the space” for something bigger.

Still, what AirFair offers is something organizers believe is just as valuable: access to pilots, aircraft and aviation history in a family-friendly setting.

“It’s 20 bucks a car, so it’s mom, dad, and one, two or three kids,” Jasperson said.

“There isn’t much in the Twin Cities where you can spend $20 and get a full day of entertainment for the whole family,” Bruss said.