|
Charles 0. Petersen was born in Queens,
NY in 1916. Orphaned in 1929, he moved to Marquette,
NE to live with his aunt. In 1939, he received his
first plane ride with Evelyn Sharp at the Grand Island airport. He was immediately hooked on flying but
could not afford lessons. When WWII broke out, he tried to enlist in the
Navy’s air program but was rejected since he was married and had a daughter.
He then joined the Army Air Corps, where he flew Stearmans,
BT-13s, UC-78s and finally B-24s. Petersen was assigned to photo recon school
and ended up in the 24th Combat Mapping Squadron, India, flying a modified B-24. He also served during the
Korean War. In the early 1950’s, Petersen operated an FBO at the Grand Island airport, giving flight instruction and flying
charter. In 1957, he began aerial spraying following a grasshopper
infestation at Loop City. In 1966, Petersen moved to Minden, where the business grew to include seven Grumman
Ag-Cats, making it the largest Ag-Cat operation in the country at that time.
He gave flight instruction through the 1960s and 1970s and served on Minden’s Airport Board from 1980 to 1992. In 1982 Petersen
Flying Service began discussions with the F AA concerning the use of
automotive gasoline in the Pratt and Whitney R -985. Following the first auto
fuel STC (Supplemental Type Certificates) obtained by the EAA for the Cessna
150, the FAA agreed to a test program proposed by Petersen for Ag-Cats and
their radial engines. Petersen obtained his first two STCs
on March
23, 1983 through his company, Petersen
Aviation. Petersen Aviation then embarked on a test program which ultimately
resulted in the issuance of auto fuel STC’s for 36
different engine types and over 100 different airframes. By 1989, over 20,000
auto fuel STCs had been sold to owners and
operators all over the world. Petersen Flying Service was eventually sold to
Buffalo Air Service of Kearney. Charles 0. Petersen died in March of 1994.
|
