Notable Events and Flights

1903 – Birth of Max A. Conrad, Jr.

1928 – Max solos and receives flying license

1931 – Max and Betty (Biesanz) marry

1940 – Armistice Day Rescue

1942 – Airport Burns Down

1943 – Max takes job as pilot with Honeywell

1944 – Family moves to Minneapolis

1948 – Family moves to Switzerland

1950 – Max flies to see family in Switzerland in Piper Pacer

1950 – Flight from New York to Palermo, Sicily

1951 – Max on Piper payroll

1951 – Los Angeles to New York in a Piper Pacer
Winona Experiment

1954 – Duplicates Lindbergh’s flight to Paris in Piper Apache

1959 – Non-stop from Casablanca, Morocco to El Paso, Texas (record still stands)

1959 – Non-stop from Casablanca, Morocco to Los Angeles, California in Piper Comanche (“Let’s Fly” – N110LF)

1961 – Round the world, westbound, from Miami, Florida in twin-engine Aztec – first civilian aircraft to land at the South Pole (record still stands)

1961 – Dedication of Max Conrad Field in Winona, Minnesota

1961 – Congratulatory telegram from JFK

1961 - Max made honorary Colonel receiving citation from Gen. Curtis LeMay for training 3000 Air Force pilots

1962 – 18th Pacific Flight - 150 Transatlantic Flights

1964 – Capetown, South Africa to St. Petersburg, Florida in twin Comanche

1965 - holder of 4 world aviation records: class 3 and class 4 straight line distance; class 3 closed circuit; class 4 round-the-world speed marks (1960 closed circuit record still stands – Minneapolis, Chicago, Des Moines, Chicago)

1966 – visited 34 nations flying round-the-world in twin-engine Piper Comanche for Canada’s 100th anniversary Expo ‘67

1968 – Closed circuit St. Louis, MO in N123LF “St. Louis Woman” Aztec

1968 – first attempt round-the-world-over-the-poles departing St. Louis, MO in “St. Louis Woman”

1969 – second attempt round-the-world-over-the-poles departing Winona, MN in Piper Aztec “White Penguin”

1969 - President Nixon sends Max a telegram wishing him well 

1979 – Max Conrad, “The Flying Grandfather” Dies

1981 – Guinness Book of World Records

1992 – Inducted into Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame