Roots & Riddles
The Man Who Built Airplanes in Cherry Grove
13:58
In the early days of aviation, long before flight kits and factory-built planes, one man in rural southeastern Minnesota believed that flying should be simple, affordable, and accessible to anyone willing to try.
Bernard Pietenpol, a mechanic and inventor from Cherry Grove, built his own airplanes using everyday materials and automobile engines—often testing them from open fields and country…