Fargo Air Museum adds homebuilt Velocity to collection

FARGO – The Fargo Air Museum landed a late Christmas present Sunday – a homebuilt Velocity aircraft.

The four-seater fills a niche in the museum’s permanent collection, according to Fran Brummond, the museum’s executive director.

“We needed to represent the homebuilts, we needed to represent that segment,” said Brummond.

The plane was built from a kit by Kirk Lindberg, a Twin Cities resident who estimated that by the time he completed the project in 1994, he had put 3,000 hours into the aircraft.

His Velocity was recognized with an award at the 1995 Oshkosh, Wis., air show, and Lindberg and his family flew many trips in the plane over the following two decades.

Lindberg, who retired last year after more than 35 years with 3M, said he recently bought himself a retirement present – a new airplane – and he felt it was time for his trusty Velocity to find a new roost.

He considered several potential recipients, but after talking with officials at the Fargo Air Museum, he realized where it had to go.

“He knows he’s donating it to a good home,” said Brummond, who added that planes accepted into the museum’s collection must pass a high bar, as space is limited and even a planned expansion will hold only so much.

“We can’t accept everything, we don’t have room,” Brummond said.

Lindberg said he enjoyed flying the small and sleek Velocity, but added his new plane makes access for himself and his passengers a tad easier.

Referring to the Velocity, Lindberg said: “You don’t get into this plane, you put it on.”

Source:    http://www.inforum.com