MINNETONKA (ROADSIDE TAILS) — Hector is small-town Minnesota, and there are lots of reasons to visit. One of those happens annually in September when Hector hosts its Flight Breakfast, hosted by the Hector Minnesota Lions Club.

Hector, the legendary warrior and the prince of Troy, plays prominently in Greek mythology and is indirectly responsible for the naming of the City. As romantic as the thought of Greek mythology being the naming source, it happened when early settlers arrived from Hector, New York. 

We were traveling the Yellowstone Trail heading back from a photoshoot and stopped at Hill's Unique Gifts to take some photos of their Yellowstone Trail signs we had seen heading west. If you're in the area, please stop in and visit the owner, Teri Hill, she is a wealth of information, and you'll love the historical photos and unique gifts. 

The Yellowstone Trail will become part of our travel plans and Roadside Tails. So many people to meet and neat places to see along the way.  

Back to the Hector Flight Anniversary! This breakfast is the longest-running flight breakfast in Minnesota, and pilots come from Minnesota as well as other states to participate. 

Except for a couple of years during World War II, the Hector fly-in has been an annual event, but the breakfast portion didn't take off until 1943. The Airport did continue operations during World War II, but a 24-hour armed guard was required. 

After the events of 9-11, the 2001 breakfast was deemed to be a "drive-in," but there was confusion about when US airspace would reopen. One intrepid aviator did "fly-in," but hitched a ride home in a car.

The 50th Anniversary booklet we received from Teri Hill had an icon on the pages proclaiming Hector the "most air-minded city in the USA," and it's true. 

Founded in 1925, the Hector Airport is the oldest in Minnesota, still operating at the original location. At that time, there were three "flying fields" around town; the one located south of town is the site of the current Airport.  

Hector claims to have the most "pilots per capita," and State and Federal data support that claim. Aviation enthusiasm runs deep, and you'll notice a taildragger throughout the town. The Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame has four inductees from Hector

• Mary Jane and John Rice grew up in Hector, then moved to Willmar. They managed the Willmar Municipal Airport there for many years and sold Mooney Aircraft. 
• Ken Butler was also from Hector, and was a founding member of the Minnesota "Flying Farmers." The Municipal Airport in Hutchinson is known as Butler Field.   
• Edgar "Ed" Newberg Born in Olivia, Minnesota, Newberg took his first airplane ride in 1964 and later soloed from the Hector Airport. He barnstormed and acquired ratings, including turbine, seaplane, and helicopter. He flew charter and surveillance flights for the Sheriff's office. When he learned aerial spraying in 1981, he began a busy ag career, eventually forming his own company while simultaneously managing the Hector Airport. Ed's wife, Connie, is Hector's aviation historian and has compiled a fantastic amount of data and stories about aviation in Hector.  

The Hector Flight Breakfast is on the third Sunday of September. The Lion's Club of Hector makes breakfast, and the proceeds always benefit a charitable cause or person in need of assistance. 

For more information, you can check out the Hector, Minnesota Facebook page, the Hector Lions Club Facebook page, and the Municipal Airport website.

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