Cherry Grove, Minnesota and Aircraft Designer Bernard Pietenpol

Explore Cherry Grove, Minnesota, to see where Bernard Pietenpol built planes for the everyday person! 🛩️🌳

Quick Summary

Discover the soaring legacy of aircraft designer Bernard Pietenpol in the quaint community of Cherry Grove, Minnesota. 🛩️

Learn about Bernard Pietenpol, the self-taught aviation pioneer.
Explore the iconic Pietenpol Air Camper, a plane for the “average American.”
Find out how Cherry Grove’s aviation history makes it a hidden gem worth visiting.

The cute Cherry Grove Community Center... it's pretty much all there is to see in this remarkably tiny (and unincorporated) Minnesota town! The mural is fun for selfies! Hehe. — *The cute Cherry Grove Community Center… it’s pretty much all there is to see in this remarkably tiny (and unincorporated) Minnesota town! The mural is fun for selfies! Hehe.*

Cherry Grove, Minnesota: Home of Bernard Pietenpol

Cherry Grove is a cozy unincorporated community nestled in Fillmore County, Minnesota. 🌳 It’s located south of Wykoff and is surrounded by an array of charming places like Spring Valley, Preston, and Harmony. If you’re a fan of nature, you’ll be pleased to know that Forestville Mystery Cave State Park is just around the corner! 🍃

My hubby Jack and I drove through here in the spring of this year (2023) and stopped to stretch our legs and do some exploring. Honestly, there’s not too much to explore other than what you see in these pix! Hehe.

There’s basically a community center and a Pepsi soda machine next to an empty field. But in these quaint surroundings, you can learn about a real slice of Minnesota history.

The Man Behind the Planes

What sets Cherry Grove apart is the Pietenpol Workshop and Garage. 🛠️

Bernard Pietenpol, a self-taught aircraft designer, spent most of his life here. Pietenpol was an aviation genius. He didn’t just build planes; he designed them for the “average American” of the 1930s. Talk about an aviation democratizer! 🙌

The Pietenpol Air Camper

One of Pietenpol’s most famous creations was the Pietenpol Air Camper. 🏕️✈️

Picture this: a two-seater, open-cockpit monoplane made with easily available materials and powered by a Ford Model A engine. Simple, sturdy, and affordable, Pietenpol’s Air Camper became a hit, with plans published in magazines of the time. 📖

More Than One Trick up His Sleeve

But Pietenpol didn’t stop there! He also designed the Pietenpol Sky Scout, a single-place aircraft powered by a Ford Model T engine. With so many different power plants, from the Corvair engine to more modern options, the Air Camper has seen many adaptations over the years. 🔄

Where Are They Now?

A restored Pietenpol Air Camper resides in the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Pennsylvania, while the original hangar from Pietenpol Field found a new home in Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Even after his passing in 1984, Pietenpol’s legacy soars on. He was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in 1991. 🏆

Build Your Own Air Camper

If you’ve ever dreamed of building your own plane, you’re in luck! 🛠️✈️

The Pietenpol Aircraft Company rolled out a kit version of the Air Camper in 2015. It’s got everything except the engine and fabric covering. With a bit of craftsmanship, you can take to the skies in a plane you built yourself! 🌈

Wrap-Up

So next time you find yourself cruising through Minnesota, don’t overlook Cherry Grove. This small community might seem like a tiny dot on the map, but its aviation history is sky-high. If you’re a history nerd like me (or you just want to grab a Pepsi like my hubby Jack), then this little intersection of a town is worth the stop. Hehe! 🚗💨

Hope you enjoyed this airborne adventure through Cherry Grove and the incredible life of Bernard Pietenpol. Happy travels! 🌍✈️