By Chad Koenen

Publisher

A Herman, Minn., native with strong ties to the Otter Tail County lakes area is not only hoping to share his passion of flying, but raise awareness for a rare genetic disorder that has affected the life of one of his daughters.

Jason Berger, who currently lives in the Twin Cities area, fondly remembers his time visiting family and friends on Otter Tail Lake as a child. 

After giving a number of his friends and family a float plane ride over the past few years, Berger is hoping to share his love of flying with people from across the region to give them a unique look at some of the better-than 1,000 lakes in the county. 

“Over the past couple of years, I’ve been able to give rides to most of my family, friends, and neighbors. The experiences we had were so overwhelmingly positive, I thought it might be something I could share with more people in the area,” said Berger. “I was able to fly with Justin Lightfoot, who operates a fishing guide service and used to also take people on float plane tours of the lakes area. He gave me some tips on fun places to take people.” 

Even though most people have a specific place they would like to fly over for a bird’s-eye view, Berger said there are a few places that he likes to take people if they are indifferent of where they would like to go on an airplane ride in the area.

“Most people want to fly over their cabin or farm, or have a special place in mind. It’s fun to fly over Eagle Lake because it has a Mediterranean look to the water for some reason. Lake Christina is also very pretty, but I have to watch out for all the cranes and egrets. There’s usually a pontoon party on Rush Lake, so those are a kick to fly by,” he said.

Originally from Herman, Minn., Berger spent a large portion of his summers growing up visiting his grandparents Stan and Nina Berger who owned a cabin on the south side of Otter Tail Lake. His grandparents owned the cabin since the 1950s, but when his grandma passed away in 1983 his grandpa sold the cabin.  

The cabin that was such a big part of the Berger family was owned by other people for a number of years until approximately 10 years ago when Berger and his wife bought back the cabin with the goal of eventually retiring to the area in the near future. 

A pilot for most of his life, Berger bought a share of a fairly basic aircraft in the 1990s and eventually worked his way to become a private pilot a few years later. Since that time he has enjoyed the opportunity to get a view from above by flying, even if he took a short time away from flying as the family raised their twin daughters.

“My first job out of college in the mid 1990’s sent me a letter that they were going to pay me $30,000 a year. I was used to living on ramen noodles and Kool Aid, so I didn’t think there was any way I could spend it all. So, I bought a share in a 1947 Aeronca Champ, which is a very rudimentary aircraft with a front and back seat, all controlled by a primitive stick and rudder system,” said Berger. “I worked my way up to Private Pilot by 1996 with a former PanAm airline pilot as my instructor out in Dawson, Minn. In 2002, my twin daughters were born, who quickly absorbed all my disposable income. So I took a break for a few years, but was able to find enough spare change in my sofa to start flying again.”

After his brief stint away from flying, Berger received the unique opportunity to become a partner in a float plane, which he quickly jumped on.

“I’ve been at it all along, but only as a very expensive, dangerous hobby. An opportunity to use my float plane rating came along four years ago, when a group of investors was looking for a new partner,” he said. 

As a way to share his hobby with other people, Berger put a post on social media earlier this summer offering to take people on a float plane ride when time allowed in Otter Tail County. Though his work schedule and ability to use the plane are limited, Berger hoped to not only share his passion for flying but also promote a national organization that has become such a big part of his family’s life over the years. 

Berger shared that one of his daughters has a very rare genetic disorder, which presents as something called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). The family has been active in promoting awareness of this disorder, but it is something that affects only about 1 in 2,000 people. As a result of the incredibly rare genetic disorder, an organization called NORD was organized as an umbrella organization to not only lobby and fundraise for LGS, but several other disorders as well. 

There is a cost to going on the float plane rides and when people land they will be provided a link to donate to NORD if they would like to make a free-will donation to the organization. It is one way Berger hopes to not only share his passion of flying, but promote the organization that has been such a big part of his family through the years.

While Berger would like to take as many people as possible on a float plane ride, there are several factors, including his work schedule and plane availability, that results in limited options throughout the summer months. 

“There are several factors that have to line up in order to make the Float plane Magic happen. Between my schedule, the weather, and routine mechanical issues common to all aircraft, it can be difficult to get it all lined up. So, I started with about 45 people who expressed interest in my Facebook post, but we were only able to complete about a dozen of those flights. Not bad, given all the factors working against it,” he said.

While a number of people who have already expressed interest will need to wait until next year to complete their flight, Berger said he will continue to add people to the list to give them a unique way to view the beauty of Otter Tail County from above. Riders are taken on a first come, first serve basis and can contact Berger at jasonberger100@gmail.com to be put on his spreadsheet and be notified when openings become available.

For more information about NORD, visit the organization online at www.rarediseases.org