Duluth, MN — The Lark of Duluth, a working replica of the “flying boat” that arrived in the Twin Ports a century ago, will be the star of the first festival celebrating the history of the local aviation industry over the next three days. But don’t expect to see the plane take to the air just yet.
On Thursday, builder Mark Marino and his team rolled the aircraft into the water for only the third time since its construction.
“The testing of a plane like this goes in phases, and the first phase is to make sure we have total control of it on the water,” Marino said
Until he’s confident on the water, Marino won’t take the plane into the air. During testing earlier in the week, he inadvertently pushed its speed to the point of flight and took a short, unintended 4-second hop.
Sandra Ettestad, Marino’s wife and partner in the Lark of Duluth project, supports the idea of not attempting to fly the Lark before the craft and its support team are ready. Current plans for the Lark O’ The Lake Festival include taxiing the biplane in the water but no airtime during the event, which runs today through Sunday.
“We want this plane to fly for the next 30 to 50 years,” she said Thursday. “Tomorrow is just one day in the lifespan of the plane. We’re really looking forward to showcasing it for many years to come, and this is just the beginning of its public life.”
Ettestad said the Duluth Aviation Institute, of which she is a board member, aims to make the Lark O’ The Lake Festival a biannual event.
Replica Lark biplane debuts at Duluth Festival