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Advisory committee hears operations growth and development news as Cirrus training arrives
Summary
Advisory members heard that Air Lake operations were up in the quarter, the FAA's MOSAIC rule may expand light-sport aircraft activity, Minnesota State Mankato training visits increased slightly, and a local tenant announced Cirrus training services and a flight simulator coming to the airport.
The Air Lake Airport advisory committee received several updates tying recent growth in operations to new training activity and planned services at the field.
An airport staff member reported 11,831 operations in the second quarter of 2025 compared with 10,696 in 2024, and said the quarter included one noise complaint tied to a helicopter operation west of Interstate 35. The staff speaker read monthly totals for April and the summer months and said the complaint likely related to a power-line stringing operation.
The committee also discussed the FAA's MOSAIC rule, announced at AirVenture, which expands light-sport aircraft certification. The staff noted the rule increases performance limits — allowing up to four seats and heavier aircraft configurations — and could broaden participation in recreational and general aviation at Air Lake, though the staff said it was too early to quantify traffic impacts.
Members heard that Minnesota State University, Mankato, and its training partner Northstar Aviation accounted for a small number of daytime training operations at Air Lake (about 17 operations in July and 38 in August, as reported). The staff said flight-track data does not reliably indicate whether those visits included instrument approaches.
Separately, a tenant identified only as Adam said Cirrus will open a limited Cirrus service and training center at Air Lake later this month and that a Cirrus‑type side‑by‑side simulator (a Noble simulator) is arriving to support training. Adam said operations were up roughly 10% this quarter and urged interim road improvements to make the field more welcoming to visitors.
There were no regulatory or operational decisions taken at the meeting; the items were informational and flagged for follow up as projects and services develop.
