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About
Us
The 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.
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