A Visit to The Dakota Territory Air Museum

By Nigel Hitchman

It’s a long drive out to Minot, ND. In August 2023 that was my target after Oshkosh, 800 miles and around 12 hours non stop, but I took the scenic route via a few other museums and places of interest. It’s well worth taking the time to visit though, because it’s an excellent museum detailing a lot of North Dakota aviation history and a fabulous collection of aircraft. I knew that many of the warbirds were there, but was also surprised at the number of interesting vintage aircraft on display too: a really great collection, well displayed with good information, but not cluttered as some museums tend to become.

“North Dakota native, Oswin H. Elker, served with distinction in WWII as a P-40 Warhawk pilot with the Flying Tigers. He was shot down twice and escaped both times through enemy territory. Oswin was impassioned with the museum’s mission. His financial generosity after his passing resulted in the construction of the Oswin Elker Hangar.”

The Oswin Elker Hangar is filled with civilian aircraft, commercial displays, Carl “Ben” Eielson history, and early North Dakota aviation history: everything from a replica 1910 Curtiss Pusher to a Beech 18.

The second main hangar is the newer Flying Legends hangar, which contains a fabulous collection of WWII aircraft. Some of these were associated with the Texas Flying Legends collection which was managed by museum leading light and former owner/operator of the local FBO, Warren Pietsch, and operated in conjunction with the Dakota Territory Air Museum. They used to spend that majority of the year in Texas but would come here in the summer. More recently with one partner deciding to sell his part of the collection, the hangar at Ellington, TX was sold and they moved here permanently. Quite a few new aircraft have also been added since with more to come.

The two newest additions completed in 2023 are Warren’s amazing P-51C Thunderbird and DTAM’s P-47D Bonnie, both of which were stars of Oshkosh, joining two other recent additions P-51D Mustang Miss Kitty and P-51C Mustang Lope’s Hope, which was another Oshkosh award winner.

The Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc MK959/N959RT was operational with 302, 329 and 145 Squadrons of the RAF from 1944, including combat missions over Normandy just after D-day, and later joined the Dutch Air Force as H-15. Eventually it ended up displayed on a pole at Eindhoven Airbase before being taken down and joining the Dutch Spitfire flight in the early 1990s, but was soon sold before restoration began and ended up near Houston where it was fully restored, flying again in 2004. It was based with a collection at Millville, NJ from 2007 until it joined the DTAM in 2015 (as reported by Vintage Aviation News).

The Hawker Hurricane “BG974” was originally built as RCAF 5708 and was lost in a forced landing near Gander in July 1944. Recovered in 1972, it initially went to Texas for restoration between 1972 and 1980 and then left for Connecticut, before being bought by the Lone Star Flight Museum at Galveston. There it was restored by Ray Middleton in Colorado flying again in 2006, but not long after delivery it was involved in a landing accident when the late Bill Greenwood’s Spitfire ran into the back of it. Shortly afterward the airframe was further badly damaged by the floods from Hurricane Ike which ripped through the area in September 2008, so the aircraft went back to Ray Middleton for another restoration. Having been sold to the DTAM during the restoration, it flew again in 2021.

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk N2416X was delivered as USAAC 41-5709 but crashed on landing at Cold Bay, Alaska in September 1942. After stripping for spares the wreck was buried and then recovered in the 1980s, restored by Tom Reilly for Don Brooks/Liberty Foundation, making its first flight in August 2009. Later sold to Walt Bowe in January 2013 it became part of the DTAM collection in August 2014.

Warren Pietsch has two superb Monocoupes that are both often on display in the museum, but this day the Model 110 NC114V was in the museum and the 110 Special N101H was in his hangar at the FBO. The 110 Special was the third factory built clip wing after Johnny Livingstone requested the factory to clip the wings of his original 110 to make it faster for air racing. N101H was also re-engined with a bigger 185hp Warner during its restoration by Jim Kimball for John McCulloch in the 1990s. It has since been restored and repainted again, being completed in 2011.

James Kightly (Commissioning Editor)

James Kightly, from Melbourne, Australia, discovered his passion for aviation at the Moorabbin collection in the late 1960s. With over 30 years of writing experience for aviation magazines in the UK, US, Australia, and France, he is a feature writer for Aeroplane Monthly and an advisor for the RAAF History & Heritage Branch.

James has interviewed aviation professionals worldwide and co-runs the Aviation Cultures conferences. He has flown in historic aircraft like the Canadian Warplane Heritage’s Lancaster. At Vintage Aviation News, he ensures accurate and insightful aviation history articles.

Outside aviation, James has worked extensively in the book trade and museums. He supports the Moorabbin Air Museum and the Shuttleworth Collection. James lives in rural Victoria with his wife and dog.

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