Northwest Airlines Putting Eagan Items Up For Auction
EAGAN, Minn. (WCCO) -- The old Northwest Airlines training facility in Eagan is set to get torn down to make way for the new headquarters for the Minnesota Vikings.
From office furniture to flight training equipment, thousands of items were left behind after the facility closed in 2012. Right now, all of those items are up for auction.
WCCO's Molly Rosenblatt shows us what you could take home.
The 300,000 square foot building used to be filled with the hustle and bustle of pilot training.
"A few years ago when it was extremely active and busy there was a lot of buzz around here," Paul McCartan said.
For years, it's sat quiet and empty, with many items left behind. This week, it's been a mad rush for auctioneer Paul McCartan. He's in charge of clearing out the old training facility.
"These don't make much noise anymore but they have in the past and you just don't get to sit in the cockpit of a plane anymore. This is an identical version of what you fly in every day," McCartan said.
From office equipment to aircraft parts and nine different multi-million dollar flight simulators, it's all got to go and everything is up for auction.
"The simulators drew most visitors during the preview. From school instructors, aviation buffs, to nostalgic pilots," McCartan said.
"You know they trained here. Maybe they still fly them, but most of it's been the guys who worked here or trained here or learned here," McCartan said. "They like to come back and sit in the planes where they got their lessons from."
And while progress and growth are exciting, it's still bittersweet looking at the remaining tangible pieces of an old era before they're all gone.
"If you flip toward the end, I think the last date we saw here was I think 2012, August, 30th, 2012," McCartan said.