Yellow, truncated, conical beacons form two lines that stretch east almost as far as the eye can see. On a sunny, snowless February afternoon, the mind plays a little trick with all that sunlight. The grass appears green. Then, in the blink of an eye, the drab dormant lawn returns.
Linda Betzoldt gazed out the living room windows at the view. Dan and Linda Betzoldt’s home is perched on a hill at the end of the grassy runway. They built their dream home in 1992. The modern design sports a garage that doubles as a hangar for one of their planes. Most days, when the weather is especially nice, the Betzoldts watch planes land practically at their doorstep. “At night, when the landing strip is lit up, it’s just beautiful,” Linda said.
Beyond the beacons are woods and fields and an enclave of 13 houses lining the grass landing strip. Most of the homeowner’s own at least one plane. The Betzoldts have four of them, including one in the garage and two in an adjacent hangar between their home and a neighboring spread. The fourth one is stored off site.
Their flying life is focused on their mutual passion for aircraft and flying. Both grew up around Meyers Airport and its planes, with fathers who were involved in the design and construction of some of Al Meyers’ most popular aircraft. They treasure every opportunity to jaunt off to Jackson for a leisurely lunch or a day trip to Mackinac Island.
Although they grew up around the airport’s aircraft in the 1950s and 1960s, they didn’t officially meet for decades. Linda would accompany her father, Jim Keehl, to meetings with Al Meyers to discuss plane designs and Dan would be hanging out with his dad, Ray Betzoldt, Meyers’ long-time flying pal. “When we were little kids, we knew who each other were, but we didn’t actually connect for several years,” Dan recalled.
They were reacquainted in 1979 at the Clinton Fall Festival and married a few years later.
The Betzoldt and Keehl families were entwined with Meyers long before the aviation pioneer landed in Tecumseh. Dan’s grandfather had a farm at Northline and Middlebelt roads, in what is now a corner of Detroit Metro Airport. Dan’s parents were living there at the time. “My dad met Al Meyers there and Al was building this airplane,” Dan said. “My dad kind of got to hanging around with him a lot and then Al ended up teaching him how to fly.”
The pair built their first two airplanes together at a nearby foundry owned by Linda’s grandfather. Later on, her father would develop detailed designs for Meyers aircraft. The Keehl family lived in Clinton, where Jim had a printing and engraving shop. Meyers started his aircraft company in the 1930s and by the time World War II rolled around, he was building a biplane for the Civilian Pilot Training Program. After the war, Al’s brother, Otto, started Meyers Boat Company and manufactured small boats from aircraft aluminum. Between the end of the war and the start of his boat manufacturing, Meyers also built whatever he could to keep the company going, Dan said. “I learned about airplanes just hanging out there from the time I was eight years old.”
Dan’s father taught all five of his sons how to fly and Dan’s love of airplanes doesn’t just stop at the landing strip. He spends a great deal of his spare time working on one or another of the planes. In his expansive garage, a Meyers 145—the first low wing plane built in Tecumseh—occupies most of the space. It is his pride and joy. “Well, this one hasn’t been flying for a couple of years,” he said. “I’ve got a little bit of work to do on the landing gear and just general things. Maintenance, nothing major. I might have to replace a couple bushings in the landing gear, but this airplane will do 180 miles an hour, 185 actually. But it burns 12 gallons of fuel an hour.”
The Meyers 145, built in 1946, was Meyers’ personal plane for years. Dan spotted it on a flight line at the annual air show for aviation enthusiasts in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Linda knew something was afoot when Dan kept disappearing from his plane-parking duties during the fly-in. Dan and his brother Fred initially were partners in the purchase, but Dan bought him out. The plane is sleek, fast and often mistaken for a brand-new model, Linda said. “This is my favorite one,” Dan said. “I can make it to Dallas in seven hours.”
Linda’s plane is a 1967 Cessna 150 she christened “Juliet.” “This airplane, the last number in here is what you call ‘Juliet’ or ‘Alpha,’” Dan said. “This one’s zero-eight-Juliet. The other airplanes sitting here, the pontoon one, this sea plane, it ends with an ‘R.’ So we call it ‘Romeo.’”
Sharing space with Juliet is a red and white 1950 Piper Pacer Original Taildragger. The Piper seats four, although it looks a bit cramped inside. It has been newly upholstered and updated.
Dan and Linda enjoy spending time together and with family. They each have children from previous marriages and Linda’s son, Dave Randolph, shares his mother’s passion for flying. In fact, Linda said, last year on Mother’s Day, he flew in, landed on the grassy strip and stepped out of the cockpit with a bouquet of roses for his mother.
The Betzoldts use their planes for recreational flying, Dan said. They might fly to Marshall for lunch or up to Charlevoix, which is just 50 minutes by air, or to Jackson for dinner. Their closest friends built a house with a runway and on any given day, they will fly over to Ida to see them. They still head out to fly-ins, conventions, and other activities with other aviation enthusiasts. In their downtime, Dan works on his planes and Linda sorts through the overflowing bins of Meyers memorabilia that is stacked in the basement. They enjoy being outside, where there always seems to be a plane flying overhead. Sometimes it turns out to be a neighbor returning home or a friend dropping by. For the Betzoldts, living by this particular airstrip is neither mundane nor boring. “We built the life we have to enjoy in our retirement,” Linda said. “It’s not for everyone, but it’s our lifestyle.”
