Airplane Collector

He served 24 years in the Air Force through the Korean and andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://ww...  More »

He served 24 years in the Air Force through the Korean and andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/vietnamandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;Vietnamandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt; conflicts. He was twice stationed at andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/minot-air-force-baseandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;Minot Air Force Baseandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt; before retiring from the Air Force in 1974. And his love of flight lives on today in an amazing collection. andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/jim-olsonandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;Jim Olsonandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt; takes us to andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/williston-ndandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;Willistonandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt; to see Lavern Broe's airplanes. (Jim Olson, KX News) Lavern Broe loves visiting his basement airplane hangar every day (Lavern Broe, Williston) andamp;quot;I enjoy just walking in here it just still seems awesome to me.andamp;quot; (Jim Olson, KX News) What he finds awesome is his collection of airplanes. Big airplanes. Small airplanes. Tiny airplanes. Homemade airplanes. Radio controlled airplanes. Toy airplanes. Airplanes inside rubber balls. (Lavern Broe, Williston) andamp;quot;There the airplanes are inside the balls.andamp;quot; (Jim Olson, KX News) And true collectors airplanes. (Lavern Broe, Williston) andamp;quot;There's 805 airplanes here.andamp;quot; (Jim Olson, KX News) 805 airplanes that Lavern has accumulated over the past 20 years. Planes he's received as gifts. Planes he's purchased at air shows around the continent. (Lavern Broe, Williston) andamp;quot;Each time I bring home some airplanes.andamp;quot; (Jim Olson, KX News) And all displayed in his basement. He's even built a little airstrip, eight feet long, complete with lights. (Lavern Broe, Williston) andamp;quot;I gotta quit pretty soon...I'm running out of room.andamp;quot; (Jim Olson, KX News) But even if he quits getting - he'll never quit enjoying. After more than two decades in the Air Force and since becoming a private pilot, he's an avowed airplane nut. (Lavern Broe, Williston) andamp;quot;I was always an airplane lover. I still look into the sky anytime one flies over.andamp;quot; (Jim Olson, KX News) But he looks down - down in his basement to remind himself of all the places he's been - and planes he's seen. He even built one from scratch after seeing it at an airshow in andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/canadaandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;Canadaandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt;. (Lavern Broe, Williston) andamp;quot;I built it from memory. This is the Tiger Moth.andamp;quot; (Jim Olson, KX News) And it's memories that this collection stirs for Lavern. Memories of time served on B-47s and KC-135s, memories of air shows and piloting his own planes, memories waiting for him to revisit every day - in his Williston home's basement. Jim Olson, KX News.  « Less