About Marginal Aviation
Fun, flying, restoring and passing along the knowledge to preserve antique airplanes. And maybe some more fun.
Marginal Aviation is a stand-alone, independent, antique airplane organization based out of Minnesota with members across the U.S.
Our goal is simple: to grow nationwide and help support like-minded people and organizations who focus on antiques and ensure their future viability while having fun doing it.
In the Name of Love
of Antique and Classic Era Airplanes. Since we were founded by those who love to fly, restore, maintain, and have fun around antique airplanes, it might be weird if you don’t. But, as long as you share a passion for aviation as a whole, we won’t judge you *too* much.
Pick Your Clique
…in a different organization because Marginal doesn’t have them. We don’t care if you’re 19 or 90, an airline pilot or pastor, from Iowa or Idaho, have 6 bucks to your name or 6 million, own a Taylorcraft or Tri-Motor, a person who enjoys a cocktail or two or an AA sponsor, we treat everyone the same. We pride ourselves on gathering as a group, interacting as a group, and enjoying ourselves and our airplanes at events, as a group. We aren’t strangers.
"Misfit Aviation"
was almost our name for a reason. While we take owning, maintaining and flying antique airplanes very seriously, we don’t do the same with ourselves. (Think Barstool Sports meets antique aviation.) We have quite an eclectic bunch of members filled with honest and genuine personalities. We won’t be mistaken for being congenial any time soon; we are not a suit and tie organization. You’ll see us in a T-6 wearing flip flops and shorts before you’ll see us in a Nomex suit (not that there’s anything wrong with one…). We enjoy watching our friends fly during golden hour, while sitting as a group with adult beverages, just as much as we enjoy flying our own. We are a little rough around the edges and buck tradition at times, and we might be rated R before we are rated PG, but we are ok with that.
How it became that "Everyone wanted to be... Marginal"
In the early 1970s Forrest Lovley had established himself as a go-to guy for antique airplane advice and repairs. He and Wally Hanson were widely credited for…
Get Involved
Donate
Marginal is fully supported by monetary and in-kind donations. With zero paid employees or compensated volunteers, we make the most of every donation but we still need your help.
The Board
Our board is the glue that keeps Marginal Aviation (relatively) together, and, we are the only co-ed antique aviation organization made up of an all-female board of directors
Jennifer Hanson
President
Jen is the wife of trustee, Toby, and daughter-in-law of Marginal Aviation co-founder, Gary Hanson. She resides with her husband Toby and their two airplane-crazy children at Webster, Mn’s Sky Harbor Airpark where she is also on the board of directors.
Debra Wilbright (Frost)
Vice President
Our VP, Debra Wilbright (Frost) comes from a flying family and is the daughter of the late Larry Frost who was on the original Marginal Aviation charter. She holds her pilot’s certificate that she has had since St. Patrick’s Day 2015 (of course) and owns a Super Cub that was restored by Clyde Smith Sr. that has been in the Frost family for many years. She, her husband, two daughters and the airplane live in LeSueur, Mn, home of Marginal Aviation’s First Ditch fly-in. She is on the airport commission at LeSueur Municipal Airport as well.
LuVerne Verhoeven
Director
Director, LuVerne Verhoeven has been a stalwart volunteer at various antique airplane organizations since the dawn of time and makes the best chocolate chip cookies you’ll find at any fly-in. Her and her husband Tim own one of the straightest Stinson 108s in existence that resides at LeSueur, Mn’s Municipal Airport, home of the First Ditch Fly-in
Linda Lovley
Secretary / Treasurer
Forrest Lovley
Board of Trustee
Tim Verhoeven
Board of Trustee
Board of Trustee, Tim Verhoeven, is the hardest working, most reliable, antique airplane organization volunteer on the planet. Seriously, it’s borderline weird. For sure at least indescribable. He’s better than we deserve. Tim and his wife Luverne own the aforementioned Stinson 108 and reside in New Prague, Mn
Toby Hanson
Vaughn Lovley
Ben Redman
Board of Trustees
Toby, Vaughn and Ben (pictured from left to right) all have fathers on that were on the original charter in 1977. All three are pilots and are deeply entrenched in the antique airplane world.
Toby is a licensed A&P mechanic at the FBO at Stanton Airfield in MN and son of co-founder Gary Hanson.
Ben is an A&P/IA and runs RARE Aircraft in Faribault, MN with his brother Jeremy and father Roy, arguably the premier antique airplane restoration facility in the world.
Vaughn, well he goes to a lot of fly-ins and can usually be seen “socializing” somewhere around the antique parking section.
They’ve all been friends and have known eachother since birth, and can usually be heard making “mom” jokes about each other. Toby and Vaughn both live at Sky Harbor Airpark in Webster, MN. Ben lives with his wife Karen (United Airlines Pilot and CFI) and son Liam who is becoming a very active pilot in his own right, in Faribault, Mn.
Wanna know more?
Pull up a folding chair, we are happy to share.