Back when I had a private pilots licence one place that I would fly in and out of was the Mason City/ Clear Lake airport. If you take off from the south going north fly about 3/4 mile look straight down you will see the monument and the crash site. As a young man I was at several Dances at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. There are several good sites that tell of the ill-fainted plane trip to Fargo,N.D. You might even want to read about the Buddy Holly curse.
Love the 50's and 60's music. Doug you will love Sirius radio be sure to listen to it over the computer. I will some times have it running in the back ground.
Redman