John Mohr, MN Avation Hall of Fame member
Monday July 14, 2025
6:30 p.m.
John Mohr was born in Virginia, MN. He grew up in the Crane Lake area and took his first airplane ride in a J-3 Cub on floats with his father as a one-year old. He soloed at age fourteen and received his Private license in 1970 and other licenses followed. In 1972, Mohr constructed a home-built helicopter using a boat outboard motor. He built four others over the years. He flew for the Einarson brothers at International Falls, hauling fishermen from camp to camp, making ambulance flights and instructing. In 1975, he purchased a Stearman biplane, restored it and soon began to perform aerobatics at local events. He moved to Orr, MN and started his own flying service. He was then hired by North Central Airlines to fly the DC-9. Today he is flying for Delta Airlines. In addition to his airline career, Mohr continues to fly exhibitions all over the world. Mohr has received many showmanship awards and has run his total flight time to 37,000 hours.
John Mohr performs what is believed by many to be the most entertaining 220 hp Stock Stearman (PT-17) routine in the world, known for executing a perfect, low-level square loop; the lowest “Harrier” maneuver in the industry called the “Harried Pass;” and the world’s only biplane-to-helicopter transfer. Mohr is the recipient of both the “Bill Barber” and “Art Scholl” awards for showmanship (2000), and a captain with Delta Airlines, flying the Boeing 757 internationally.
In his hall of fame acceptance speech, Mohr recalled sitting on his father’s lap in the family’s J-3 Cub, which is still owned by Mohr and his brother, Jim. Five generations of the Mohr family have learned to fly in that same Cub.
Mohr recalled some of his earliest attempts at flight, including pulling his brother behind his snowmobile in a Rogollo human kite, which ended up in a pile of sticks and fabric in the snow because the CG was too far aft.
“You’ve all seen a kite with no tail,” said Mohr. “That’s the ride Jim got just before he crashed. Then there is the surplus parachute we bought …that’s another story!”
After Mohr’s father soloed him in the Cub on floats at age 14, John moved to International Falls, Minn., where he worked and lived with Francis Einarson and his family of Einarson Bros. Flying Service. The rest is living history!
