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Thunderbird Aviation

Thunderbird Aviation was founded in 1961 by Albert Grazzini, a 2003 inductee to the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame. Under Al Grazzini's leadership, Thunderbird grew from a small flying club into the largest flight school in Minnesota. The Company became a Piper Aircraft dealership in 1967, growing to become the largest operating fleet of Piper Aircraft in that Company's network. Today, Thunderbird is one of the oldest Aviation operations in the Upper Midwestern United States. The Company has two large fixed-base operations in Minnespolis/St.Paul, Minnesota, at both Flying Cloud Airport and Crystal Airport.

Thunderbird's founder, Al Grazzini, was a pioneer in advancing the cause of general aviation in the United States. He helped form and get legislation passed that gave aircraft sales departments across Minnesota a break in making sales tax payments on new aircraft until they were sold or had been in use for one year. Grazzini also opened the Academy of Aviation, known today as Academy College, a fully-credited aviation training school offering two-year degrees in aviation skills.