Mike Hartell, assistant director of MnDOT’s Office of Aeronautics, is retiring in March after nearly 10 years with the agency. During that time, he served as airport operations director, navigations systems coordinator, and aviation representative. Hartell has been a valued part of Minnesota’s aviation community. We at AirTAP are grateful for his partnership and wish him all the best in his next chapter. Here, he shares a few reflections (edited for length and clarity).
How did you find yourself on an aviation path?
I started out as a pilot. I think I soloed when I was 17 years old. I pursued aviation as a career—flight instruction and professional aviation—up until the airlines weren’t hiring. Then I went into the family business, which was commercial radios, two-way radio-type stuff, like what we used for the statewide radio equipment supply network. I sold that business in 2014 and then went back to aviation to have some fun. I worked at North Star Aviation down in Mankato as a chief flight instructor for the four-year program out of MSU [Minnesota State University Mankato], and then I came to MnDOT.
What are some highlights from your time at MnDOT?
I guess one of the biggest highlights here for me is that I took a program [navigational aids] that everybody had pretty much retired out of—we had no technicians, no workforce, equipment that was worn out and barely serviceable—and we’ve been able to establish a team, put a plan in place, and … are replacing and modernizing the system so that it’s all up to date.
I think the other big thing we have been able to accomplish is that when I started … there were safety concerns around some of our heliports, which are used by EMS folks and hospitals. We were inspecting our airports every three years, but we weren't inspecting the heliports but once every 11 or 12 years—we weren't able to get to it. I was able to work with Ryan [Gaug] and we established a program to get the team big enough and the workload set to get on a five-year schedule. By next year we should be on a three-year schedule with those inspections.
So you’re leaving things in good hands?
We’ve completely rebuilt the navaid team and we have a very strong group of radio engineers now supporting the network. And this year we successfully took our 80 weather stations and were able to rebuild and replace 20 of them. That may not sound like much, but to get 20 weather stations completely through FAA processing, built, and commissioned in one year is phenomenal. The operations group is staffed up and running really well, so overall the groups are in good shape. I can take my hands off the steering wheel.
What’s next?
I moved up from Savage to Hanover. I’ve got aging parents I take care of and I have kids nearby. And we have a cabin up in Northern Minnesota that we plan to frequent. And [I’ll] enjoy the freedom to travel and see the country—not from the air this time but from the ground.
