Battle Lake Fly-In set for Saturday

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published 12:00 p.m., September 4, 2009

The Third Annual Tribute to Beck Fly-In will be held Saturday, Sept. 5, starting at 11 a.m. at the Battle Lake Airport. The event, sponsored by the Battle Lake Area Community Fund, will run until 2 p.m. when a raffle drawing will be held.

Also planned is a silent auction with items from the Fargo Air Museum. Proceeds will go from the community fund to the Beck Wing at the air museum. There will be lunch at noon Saturday at the Battle Lake Airport.

Promoters urge area residents to come to the airport and see the aircraft while joining others for food and family fun. As in previous years, visitors will have the opportunity to walk around the airport grounds and see the vintage and modern airplanes, talk to the pilots and even — if they wish — catch a ride in a hot air balloon.

Half of the proceeds from the hot air balloon rides will go to the community fund and half to the new Lakes Area Community Center in Battle Lake.

“The possibilities for a fun time on Saturday at the Fly-In are endless,” said volunteer Pat Kostelecky.

Gerry Beck, who died in a plane crash in 2007, often flew to Battle Lake and was the owner of Tri-State Aviation, a Wahpeton-based World War II aircraft restoration facility.

Back again this year for the Battle Lake Fly-In is Brad Deckert who lives in Peoria, Ill., and who again will display his 1945 Grumann TBM Avenger. He has family ties to this area and has spent time at West Battle Lake for many years.

The 1945 Grumann TBM Avenger was a torpedo bomber developed for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. It eventually was used by several air and naval personnel around the world.

“The TBM was the heaviest single-engine airplane of World War II,” Deckert said. “It was the first plane designed with a wing-folding mechanism created to maximize storage space on an aircraft carrier.”

Family and friends of Beck held a special service and celebration of his life at the Fargo Air Museum. Tragically, he lost his life two years ago when he crashed in his Mustang while landing at the AirVenture Airshow in Oshkosh, Wis.

Beck founded Tri-Sate Aviation, Inc., a business that specialized in warbird restoration. He built his airplane from the original North American Aircraft plans and specifications. His longtime friend, Doug Rozendaal, and photographer Max Haynes, assembled a poignant tribute to Beck, featuring images of his loved ones as they bid him farewell at the Fargo service.

EAA made this web tribute available at www.eaa.org/BeckTribute.

A North Dakota native, Beck's shop was located in Wahpeton. He and his crew assembled a P-51 Mustang and an authentic Japanese Zero. Both are in flying condition. Next up for Beck was a P-51A with an Allison engine.

Beck completed his A-model Mustang and flew it in several airshows and for the film Thunder Over Reno.

The life of Gerry Beck

Gerald S. (Gerry) Beck was born in 1949 at Britton, S.D., and grew up on a farm in Guelph, N.D. His introduction to aviation was when he took his first airplane ride to skydive while attending the University of North Dakota (UND). In addition to being on the skydiving team, he earned his pilot’s license at UND. After graduation in 1971, he taught Industrial Arts in the Grand Forks school system for three years. He formed Tri-State Aviation aerial spraying and aircraft maintenance facility in 1974 and operated out of Wahpeton. Gerry developed a number of crop spraying innovations that are in wide use today. He manufactured and sold the popular Super Boom for spray planes, an innovative design that increased airplane safety and performance. His influence in the aerial application industry helped create an effective North Dakota Aerial Agricultural Aviation Association (NDAAA).

He also represented North Dakota on the National Agricultural Aviation Association Board of Directors and was chairman of the Research and Technology Committee for several years. A vintage airplane restoration business grew out of his spraying operation.

Gerry bought wrecked aircraft and rebuilt them for use in the flying operation. This grew into a passion and fascination with World War II airplanes, specifically the P-51 Mustang, and the restoration of them. His proudest accomplishment was the building of a P-51A from the ground up, which meant replicating all of the parts from original blueprints.

At the time of his death, in 2007, he was involved in the “Red Tail” project, restoring a P-51C in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen. Notable among the planes he restored was one of only five flyable Japanese Zeros, the Navy TMB “Avenger” and the F-4U “Corsair.”

His mastery of the secrets of the war birds gained the attention and respect of the national aviation community. The airplane restoration work continues under the direction of his wife and partner, Cindy Schreiber-Beck. Gerry’s passion for vintage aircraft was instrumental in the creation of the Fargo Air Museum. He was involved in the vision, planning, fundraising and operation of the museum and served on the Board of Directors.

Beck died in July 27, 2007, in an aircraft accident in Oshkosh, Wis. He was a man of few words, but a man of true knowledge and the capacity to share his knowledge with all who showed an interest in his world of aviation.

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