Welcome To Zangger Vintage AirparkZangger Vintage Airpark has been a privately owned, public use airport since 1949. Russell and Dolly Zangger developed the airport and provided the surrounding area with quality ground and flight instruction for over fifty years. In the early 90’s some of the land was offered to pilots for their homes and hangars. We became the first Residential Airpark in Iowa and we are continuing this philosophy with an additional 42 lots now available.Located in the plains of the Midwest, Larchwood enjoys the four seasons and is adjacent to a nine hole golf course with the new Grand Falls Resort Casino just a few miles away. We are a Harvest Host destination for RV'ers and are recognized by the Recreational Aviation Foundation as a destination airport. Larchwood offers convenient shopping with a full service grocery store and excellent dining. Chud's, Meadow Acres, Sports Center. We are conveniently situated within fifteen minutes of Sioux Falls, South Dakota which has nationwide recognition for its health care and banking services and offers major air carrier connections.Larchwood belongs to the West Lyon Community School District which has won awards for their commitment to education in its K-12 programs. In addition to providing outstanding classroom education to its students, West Lyon offers top-notch programs in wrestling, football, basketball, cross-country, track, golf, baseball, softball and volleyball.
About UsThe Zangger family airport at Larchwood became one of the oldest privately owned and operated airports in the state. Russell was born in 1922 on the family farm. His wife Marie, who was always called “Dolly”, was born in South Dakota in 1924. After marrying Russell in 1944, she taught at a one-room country school for $80 a month. Russell received $65 a month for helping his father on the farm. After Russell inherited the western portion of the Zangger half section, he established an airport.Dolly had been interested in aviation since the age of eight. Her older brother had been the advance man for two barnstormers, one of whom gave the young girl her first flight. Dolly soloed the family 125 Swift in 1950 and received her private pilot license in November 1952. A teacher by profession, she obtained her basic ground instructor certificate in 1958 and taught ground school in the basement of their home. That certification was followed by the advanced ground instructor in 1959 and the instrument ground instructor in 1967. She taught 10-week courses and tutored persons wanting to become instructors.At age 18, Russell Zangger was mowing hay when he decided to become a pilot. Without telling his parents, he took his first lesson at Sioux Falls in a Luscombe. After logging four hours of instruction, he found that he couldn’t pass the flight physical and stopped flying. After finally passing the physical, he bought a 1946 Taylorcraft BC12-D for $700 on February 11, 1949. The owner soloed him. On the second day of March that year, he received his private license. The following morning, he began carrying passengers from the hay field on the farm. As people in the community became interested in flying, he taught them and then flew with them to Sioux Falls, where a licensed instructor legally soloed them. At the insistence of many potential pilots, he took the written tests for the flight instructor rating and then called for an appointment for his check ride. The examiner suggested that he obtain five hours of dual from a certified instructor. The check ride was passed. In the spring of 1958, he obtained his instrument rating and a year later his instrument instructor rating. He never charged extra for instruction in one of his aircraft, feeling that it was assurance that his rental aircraft would return intact.
Russell and Dolly Zangger have owned, financed and operated Zangger Airfield on the family farm in Larchwood, Iowa since 1949. The airport boasts two runways, and is the first airpark in Iowa featuring homes with direct private hangar access to the runways. Russell, born in Larchwood on February 22, 1922, received his Private Pilot’s Certificate in 20 days from start to finish. In 1953, he received his Flight Instructor rating and began giving lessons. Since he only had a private pilot’s license and not a commercial license, he was unable to charge for lessons he gave. Born in South Dakota on August 26, 1924, Marie (Dolly) was the first female in Iowa to make her initial solo flight in a 125 Swift after receiving only 6 hours of dual instruction. In 1958 she opened and operated the first aviation ground school in northwest Iowa not associated with a college, at the couple’s home. Between the two of them they have trained nearly 3000 students. Russell and Dolly became members of the Civil Air Patrol in the 50s. They received the Meritorious Service Award and medals from the United States Air Force for 2,500 hours of active duty at their Ground Observer Post. The Zanggers have the unique distinction of being the first couple to be inducted into The Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame in Greenfield, Iowa.
1940's
Working with his father, Russell was farming crops and raising polled Hereford cattle. Without his parents' knowledge he had taken his first flight lesson in Sioux Falls, in a Luscombe. He was enthused but was unable to pass the airman’s physical. He was soon drafted for service in WWII but failed that physical as well and then bought a Harley Davidson. He courted his wife to be on the Harley Davidson as it burned less gas which was advantageous during the gas rationing. They married in 1944 and rode in 45 of the 48 states until their son Jimmy was born in 1949. They had a couple of serious accidents and Dolly suggested that Russell take another airman’s physical. He passed and soloed in three days with five hours receiving his private license a mere 20 days later. He bought a Taylorcraft and kept it on the farm in a new hangar. Their son Jimmy was born in 1949 and the airport had begun its life as well.
1950's
Quite a few friends and neighbors expressed an interest in aviation as well and Russell showed them everything he knew. They then went on to receive their pilot’s license and purchased airplanes. Dolly was one of the students and received her private license after soloing a 125 Swift. She also soloed a 145 Swift, Taylorcraft, Luscombe, Cessna 150, Tri-Pacer and a Stinson L-5. Her log book has an endorsement from the WWII Flying Ace Joe Foss, who was willing to ride with her in the Swift for a proficiency check. Russell built a three place hangar in 1953 and more students were interested in flying. Another three place hangar was built in 1956 while Russ received his instructors rating, commercial license and instrument ticket. Dolly was trained as a school teacher so it was a natural step for her to receive a ground instructor’s certificate. A new maintenance shop was built in 1958 and yet another three to four place hangar built in 1959. The business was growing fast and in 1958 the farm was put into the soil bank program and Russell and Dolly pursued the aviation business full time.
1960's
The north/south runway was hard surfaced as traffic was heavy enough to prevent good growth of grass. Russell was very busy with the flight instruction, Dolly was teaching two or three primary ground school courses each week and many students were trained during this period. Russ was also flying FAA Part 135 charter trips with one of his customers being Bishop Hoke, who blessed the quintuplets from Aberdeen. Another of his charter customers was Myron Lee and the Caddies as they flew to many of their concerts. Russ also taught Myron to fly during this time. Russell was using three Taylorcraft BC12-D’s for primary instruction, a Cessna 140 which was traded in on a new 1959 Cessna 150 for advanced and instrument training and a Tri-Pacer for charter work. The shop was used by John W VonNeida who was one of the first Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics in the state of South Dakota. The Zangger airport was the only airport in Iowa that had four runways during this time. The thought was that when a student returned from a cross-country trip he should be able to land with as little crosswind as possible. This would help guarantee the safety of the student and the aircraft. The last hangar built was a five place T-hangar built in 1968.
1970's
Ground and Flight Instruction continued during this decade and many more folks were trained by Russell and Dolly. One of the philosophies in Russ’s training was to instill sound judgment with common sense and safety in mind. With 9/27 returned to crop land, the farm was active again.
1980's
This was the decade that aviation saw a major decline in manufacturing and student starts were falling off as a result. The airport still housed seventeen airplanes or so and some activity remained but fuel sales and the general level of activity had declined. The remaining grass runways were returned to crop land leaving 17/35 as the sole remaining runway.
1990's
Russell and Dolly were renting out the farm and doing general upkeep on the airport. They had essentially retired from active flying but still had occasional students for both flight and ground training. It was at the beginning of this decade that they sold off four lots for residential development. And thus the residential airpark saw its first aviation residents. Runway 12/30 was re-established and the airport had two runways again.
2000's
2000’sThe airport had been listed as a “private use” airport for many years due to a change in the setback distances for obstructions near a runway. The hangars at the north end of 17/35 were too close, by the new FAA standards, and a displaced threshold would have been necessary which would have limited the length drastically. Now, with 12/30 available again, the airport was re-instated as a “public use” airport with the sod runway being the public use runway. The property was re-zoned from agriculture to residential to support the planned continued development of Zangger Vintage Airpark.Throughout their aviation careers they feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and work with so very many wonderful, fascinating people from every walk of life working towards the common goal of learning to fly! In following the lives and careers of former students it’s gratifying to Russell and Dolly to feel that, just maybe in some small way, they really did make a difference.
The Zangger Fly-In was held last on Saturday, July 13, 2013.The 2013 Zangger Fly-In began with a pancake breakfast from 7:00-11:00 a.m. The flying anvil demonstration was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and we had a celebration of life in honor of Russell Zangger at 2:00 p.m.Dad's wish was not to have a funeral marking his death but rather chose to have his life remembered by his friends during our fly-in. There was a short message given by his friend Don Klaussen, who was the M2 program director and prison Chaplin at the South Dakota State Penitentiary during the time Dad participated in this program sponsoring an inmate. We provided an opportunity for his former students and friends to reminisce and tell their stories about their associations with Dad and the experiences they shared while learning to fly! Thank you to all who shared! View Russel Zangger's Obituary.Since the passing of Russ and Dolly we had discontinued the annual fly-in but resumed August 2025. Future events will generally be held on the Saturday of the second full weekend of August.
Russell G. Zangger, age 90, of Larchwood, Iowa died Monday, September 24,
2012 at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. A Celebration of Life will honor his
achievements and be held after the annual fly-in at the Larchwood Airport in
July of 2013.
Mr. Zangger was born to Charlie and Lina Zangger, February 22, 1922 (2/22/22)
on the family farm east of Larchwood where he has lived his entire life. He is
proud to have recently received a Century Farm award at the Iowa State Fair
this past August and has lived on the farm 90 of the 100 years the farm has
been in the family.
Russell attended a one room rural school and Larchwood High School. After
leaving school he farmed with his father raising Polled Hereford cattle and row
crops. His primary transportation during the war was a Harley and courted his wife to be with it. They were
married on May 24, 1944 at Dolly’s parents’ home near Turkey Ridge, SD. They were adventurous and traveled
through 46 of the 48 states on the Harley, but after a couple of narrow escapes decided to trade in the
motorcycle for an airplane. They began their family when Jim was born in 1949 and Russ’s interest in aviation
grew. Russ and Dolly threw all of their energy into aviation and are the only couple inducted into the Iowa
Aviation Hall of Fame for their contributions to aviation in Iowa. They have literally taught many hundreds of
people to fly in the Sioux Falls area.
His passions have always been strong and after retirement he has devoted his time with the study of scripture.
He soon learned that the laws of the Old Testament were difficult for man to obey and understood the reason
for Christ’s coming. The New Covenant is simplified in Mk 12:31 where it says: “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than this.
Russell believes in the creator and that his design is perfect. For every function there is a reason but some
intellectuals believe they can improve upon it through ritualistic alterations for a variety of invalid reasons. A
practice introduced in the Old Testament and originally supported by the medical profession as “routine” has
since been proven medically unjustifiable by The American Medical Association and the American Academy of
Pediatrics. Many myths exist but far more harm will be done with the procedure than without.
It is Russell’s dying wish that people will learn to honor and respect God’s design as perfect and that, as
Christians, will come to understand the New Testament (Covenant) speaks against this practice. Christ came for
our salvation and has given us the New Covenant to guide us. Russell is at peace with his relationship with Christ
and is looking forward to the rest of his days with him.
Russell was preceded in death by his sister Edith, mother Lina, father Charlie, brother Clinton and his wife Marie
(Dolly) of 66 years. He is survived by his son Jim and wife Cecelia of Larchwood, grandchildren Kimberly Tucker
and Justen of Cedar Rapids, Dan and his wife Jane of Los Angeles, his great grandchildren Audrey and Grant
Tucker and Claire Zangger. Also surviving is his sister-in-law Blondina Zangger of Mesa, Arizona.
Information Security Policy
Last Updated: October 2025At Zangger Vintage Airpark, we are committed to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all information entrusted to us. We recognize that protecting client data and business systems is essential to building trust and delivering reliable relationships.1. PurposeThis policy outlines how Zangger Vintage Airpark protects information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. It applies to all employees, contractors, and partners who handle client or internal information.2. Core PrinciplesConfidentiality: Client data and communications are kept private and accessed only by authorized personnel.
Integrity: We ensure information remains accurate, complete, and protected from unauthorized changes.
Availability: Systems and data are maintained to remain accessible and functional when needed.3. Data ProtectionWe do not sell, rent, or share personal or business information with third parties.
All devices used for client work are secured with up-to-date antivirus, encryption, and strong password protection.
Cloud services (such as Microsoft 365 or other platforms) are configured following best-practice security standards.4. Access ControlAccess to sensitive information is restricted to those who need it for business purposes.
User accounts are protected with strong authentication and regularly reviewed.5. Incident ManagementAny suspected security incident is promptly investigated, documented, and resolved to minimize risk and prevent recurrence.6. Partner CollaborationWhen partnering with other IT professionals or vendors, Zangger Vintage Airpark ensures that security and confidentiality requirements are upheld throughout all projects.7. Policy ReviewThis policy is reviewed annually or whenever significant changes occur in business operations or technology practices.
Website Security Policy
Last updated: October 2025
At Zangger Vintage Airpark, your privacy is important to us. We are committed to protecting any personal information you share with us through our website, contact forms, or communications.
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