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Erik Hokuf
Manager
It all began in 4-H. One of the projects Erik had involved aerospace. You could build model rockets, plastic models, and radio-controlled airplanes. That’s what really got him interested in aviation. His oldest brother, Shawn, went to the United States Air Force Academy. He’s now an airline pilot for Delta. His younger brother, Chad, is an airplane mechanic, also at Aircorps Aviation.
Erik was so interested in airplanes and aviation that by the time he got to high school he figured out how to get a job at the airport as a mechanic the summer before his senior year in high school. Then he worked on the job-training program in high school, so the second half of the school day he spent out at the airport getting high school credit and working toward his airframe & powerplant license. Very few people go that route today because it takes 30 months of on-the-job experience before you qualify. Then you take the same FAA test that technical school students do. He got his A&P license when he was 20, and at that time already had three years of experience.
So where did the love of Warbirds begin…
After working for Bemidji Aviation, Erik worked for a charter company in Minneapolis for about four years. Through connections he was contacted by by Ron Fagen (a Warbird enthusiast with a love for P-40's.) In 2004 he moved to Granite Falls and started Warhawks Inc. During his time there he restored and worked on a couple P-40's, P-51, and P-38. The P-40 Aleution Tiger won Grand Champion at Oshkosh!
In 2008 Erik and his wife, Sarah, moved back to Minneapolis to start Aircorps Aviation. They had a baby, Gavin, then moved the company to Erik's hometown of Bemidji! The next big chapter is just beginning...
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Dan Matejcek
CNC Wizard
Dan grew up on a farm south of Wahpeton, ND.
He was always in the shop whenever he could be. His first airplane project was an rc airplane that he built at the young age of 14! He's been flying them ever since.
Dan went to college in Wahpeton for Machine Tooling. After his first year he went to the airport and begged for a job at Tri-State Aviation working for Gerry Beck. Dan got the job and worked there while finishing school and continued to work there until March of 2011.
He made the big move to Bemidji and is now part owner at Aircorps Aviation. In 2005 his dad, brother and he started the build on a Vans Aircraft RV-9A. Exactly 3 years later they had a test flight, and now have about 200 hours on it.
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Mark Tisler
Restoration Guru
Mark lived on a small farm in western Washington working with machinery and had great interest in aviation. He graduated from Eatonville High School in 1983, attended Washington State University, graduated with a BS in agricultural mechanization in 1987. By then he had acquired a great interest in WWII aircraft.
Mark received his private pilot's license in the fall of 1985. He wanted to find an opportunity to restore WWII aircraft so he went to A&P school in Fargo, ND. While finishing school, he learned that Gerry Beck had started a collection of WWII aircraft in Wahpeton, ND. He spent several weekends there working on the Grumman Avenger. On my last weekend before Mark was finished with school he asked Gerry if he could work on his F4U-4 Corsair for the summer because he told him, “I didn't like the winters in ND. He asked when I could start and I said Tuesday, He walked out the door and got into his Thrush spray plane and that was my job ”. Mark worked for Gerry at Tri-State Aviation from June 1988 to April 2011, it was a great experience for him and he met many people in the Warbird industry. In those 23 years he was involved with the restoration of the Corsair, TBM, T6, Seafury, 9 P -51’s, and many other aircraft and parts.
Mark has now moved on to work with Aircorps Aviation. He built and flies a Van’s RV-8 kit plane and have a Boeing N2S-3 Stearman biplane project that he started 12 years ago. His other hobbies include gun collecting and gold mining.
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Eric Trueblood
Parts Bird Dog
AKA “the Eric with a c” “T” or “Trueblood”. Eric’s love affair with the power and history of WWII fighters can be traced back to his first warbird flight crammed into the rear radio compartment of a -4 Navy Corsair. Trueblood is now in his fourth year of assisting with and managing the logistics, parts, and scope of a restoration process, & seriously enjoys what he does. Whether it is the history, research, or a rare part you need, he can find it, even if it’s halfway around the world. Eric has been involved in a number of P-51 Mustang restorations, most recently the Oshkosh Grand Champion and Pheonix Award winner “Twilight Tear” a WWII combat veteran P-51D that retook the skies in April of 2011.
A native of North Dakota, this co-owner in Aircorps Aviation isn’t your average gear head; he also has bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Marketing. Bet you didn’t know that!
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Chad Hokuf
Rivet Pounder
Born and raised in Bemidji, Minnesota... on a farm, just like the majority of the crew! Chad has been working on airplanes since August of 2000, starting at Bemidji Aviation. Here he studied and obtained his A&P license.
Recently he started working on warbirds with Aircorps Aviation and he is loving every minute of it! Chad is married to Tara Hokuf, no children yet... He is a member of the Bemidji Fire Department and loves helping out the community. In his free time he loves spending time outdoors – hunting, fishing or just being outside. He says he is looking forward to many years with the Aircorps crew!
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Sarah Hokuf
Office Manager / Computer Geek
Sarah grew up in Chaska, a small town in the Twin Cities. She has been in the Advertising business since 1998 and doing Web Design since 2003. She still has her own business, Evolve Creative Services, but also helps out Aircorps with their computer needs and human resources.
Sarah is the wife of Erik and they have a little boy Gavin. Gavin already shows a big interest in anything mechanical, so I'm sure you'll see him around!
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