Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND003 - SHSND Foundation - Aviation Hall of Fame
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 00007
Title: Wilbur E. Brewer
Date: 1998
Creator:
Inscription/Marks:
Summary: Mr. Brewer returned to the family farming operation at Bowman, North Dakota after serving in the Army Air Corp during WW II and became an early provider of aerial application service in southwestern North Dakota. Aerial application was a new and effective way to control crop pests and disease but the damage caused by hail continued to have serious impact on the area’s agricultural economy. During the 1950’s, losses were so high that crop insurance became unavailable and many area farmers were facing financial disaster. Wilbur Brewer was a part of a group that investigated the new and often controversial cloud modification projects then in operation across the country. In 1961, Mr. Brewer’s company, Weather Modification, Inc., was founded and began an experimental project in Bowman County using aircraft to deliver cloud seeding agents to targeted thunderstorm cells. This project, later known as the North Dakota Cloud Modification Project, remains in operation today and is the longest running hail suppression project in the world. Through Mr. Brewer’s efforts, aviation students at the University of North Dakota receive weather modification training in the classroom and are then placed as intern copilots in weather modification programs where they have gained invaluable experience in flying in and around thunderstorms. Many of the more than 200 young pilots who have been in the program have gone on to careers in commercial aviation. During Mr. Brewer’s thirty years in command, there were no serious project related injuries. It is estimated that around 30,000 hours were logged by project aircraft in and around thunderstorms, half of the time in the dark, often with relatively inexperienced pilots. This outstanding safety record in dangerous flying conditions is a tribute to Mr. Brewer’s emphasis on safety and insistence on reliable well-maintained twin engine aircraft. Mr. Brewer is recognized internationally for his leadership, experience, knowledge, and innovative techniques in the development of the weather modification technology which has resulted in reduced hail damage in North Dakota and around the world.
Red ID: FND_I_77356 Image ID: 509177 Image Notes: 10950 00003 00007

Collection: FND003 Digitized Images from Collection
Title: SHSND Foundation - Aviation Hall of Fame
Date:

Summary: The North Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame honors those in North Dakota aviation who brought exceptional recognition to themselves during their aviation careers. A 12-member committee of the North Dakota Aviation Council judges the merits of nominees based on: - Major achievements in aviation in North Dakota - - Significant contributions to the development of others in aviation in North Dakota - - Special service to the State of North Dakota in aviation activities - - Activities that bring credit to North Dakota aviation either nationally or internationally - - Significant contributions to the local community or the state of North Dakota that are not related to aviation (service clubs, church related, political action, etc.) -

Enter a subject or term in one or both of the “Search” boxes.

  • “Item Detail” searches the Title, Creator and Summary fields of all item-level records.
  • “Collection Number” searches the Collection Number field only and requires an exact match.

The “DETAILS” button provides additional information about an item, as well as the following options:

  • “Collection Summary” details the contents of the entire collection in which the selected item is located.
  • You can print the image and its corresponding details by selecting “Print".
  • “Digitized Images from the Collection” returns a list of all digitized items within that collection (available from the “Collection Summary” screen).

Click on image to expand/zoom the image view.

“Photobook home” takes you back to the main Photobook page where you can start a new search.

“Featured Collections” showcases new and/or popular collections and the digitized images within those collections.

Information on how to order copies is located here.

The collections preserved in the North Dakota State Archives include over a million images. Only a small percentage of these images have been digitized. This photo gallery provides a preview of the images that have been digitized.

For more information on the non-digitized images, please refer to the finding aids found on our website at history.nd.gov, or ask a member of our reference staff for assistance.