Aviation in Wisconsin
Appearance
Aviation in Wisconsin | |
---|---|
Aviation in the United States | |
Airports | |
Commercial – primary | 8 |
Commercial – non-primary | 6 |
General aviation | 74 |
Other public-use airports | 45 |
Military and other airports | 1 |
First flight | |
November 2, 1909 |
Aviation in Wisconsin refers to the aviation industry of the American Midwestern state of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's first aeronautical event was a flight of a Curtiss aircraft by Arthur Pratt Warner on November 2, 1909 in Beloit.[1]
Events
- 1953 - The Experimental Aircraft Association is founded in Hales Corners.
- 1962, September 6 - Korabl-Sputnik 1 re-enters and imbeds itself into a street in Manitowoc.[2]
- 1970 - The Experimental Aircraft Association moves its airshow to Oshkosh. The airshow has grown to become the largest annual airshow in the United States.[3]
Aircraft Manufacturers
- American Champion, Rochester 1980 – present, Builds modern variations of the Aeronca Champion.
- Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh 1957 – present, manufactures Basler BT-67s by retrofitting Douglas DC-3 aircraft with Turboprop engines.[4]
- Champion Aircraft, Osceola 1954 − present, acquired by AviaBellanca Aircraft Corporation in 1970.
- Hamilton Manufacturing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1918 – 1929 Maker of propellers.
- Hamilton Metalplane Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin − 1927 Sold to Boeing, maker of the Hamilton Metalplane.
- Sonex Aircraft, Oshkosh, Homebuilt kit designs and kits. Manafacutres the Sonex series of aircraft.
Aerospace
- DeltaHawk Engines, Inc. in Racine, Wisconsin develops heavy fuel light aircraft engines.
- United Gear and Assembly Inc, is Headquartered in Hudson. Producer of airspeed gauges.
Airports
Commercial Service
- Wisconsin has 8 airports which offer regular commercial airline service
- Air Wisconsin, 1965 – present. Operates as a regional airline under the name United Express.[5]
- Kohler Aviation, 1929–1934. Operated Loening C-2 amphibious aircraft between Milwaukee and Grand Rapids, Michigan.[6]
People
- Richard Bong, highest-scoring air ace during WWII, was born in Superior.
- Klapmeier brothers, founders of Cirrus Aircraft, started their careers in Baraboo.
- Billy Mitchell, a major general who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force, grew up in West Allis.
- Paul Poberezny, founder of the EAA and the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow, lived in Hales Corners and Oshkosh.
- Tom Poberezny, former aerobatic world champion and president of the EAA, lived in Hales Corners and Oshkosh.
- Robert Campbell Reeve, founder of Reeve Aleutian Airways, was born in Waunakee.
Organizations
- Experimental Aircraft Association – is headquartered in Oshkosh.
- Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame.[7]
Government and Military
- All flight operations in Wisconsin are conducted within FAA oversight.
- The Wisconsin Department of Transportation manages taxes and state regulations for Wisconsin.[8]
- The Wisconsin Air National Guard includes the 115th Fighter Wing, based out of Dane County Regional Airport.
- The Wisconsin State Patrol operates 4 Cessna 172 aircraft.[9]
- The Law Enforcement Aviation Coalition, Inc. is a multi-state law enforcement equipment sharing service that has a Bell OH-58 Kiowa operating at a base in Kenosha
Museums
- EAA Aviation Museum Oshkosh.[10]
- Fortaleza Hall, Racine, Wisconsin. A Frank Lloyd Wright style building housing the SC Johnson Sikorsky S-38 The Spirit of Carnauba.[11][12]
- Mitchell Gallery of Flight at the General Mitchell International Airport
- Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, Wisconsin
Gallery
-
EAA Oshkosh Airshow
-
EAA grounds from the air in 2011
-
Richard Bong Veterans Historical Center
References
- ^ "Wisconsin First Flight". Wisconsin Public Television. Archived from the original on November 10, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
- ^ "When Sputnik Crashed in Wisconsin Half a century later, the town of Manitowoc commemorates its biggest day ever". Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ Biggest Annual U.S. Air Show to Salute NASA's 50th Anniversary NASA, July 23, 2008
- ^ "Basler BT-67". Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
- ^ "Air Wisconsin". Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
- ^ F. Robert Van der Linden. Airlines and air mail: the post office and the birth of the commercial aviation.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 4, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/modes/air.htm#general
- ^ "Wisconsin State Patrol". Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 26, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Associated Press (January 24, 2010). "SC Johnson unveils new architectural showpiece". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 25, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Blair Kamin (January 27, 2010). "Meeting Mr. Wright: Norman Foster's new Fortaleza Hall at S.C. Johnson & Son converses winningly with the old master". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
In 1935, Herbert F. Johnson, then the company's president, flew the original model of the S-38 from Racine to the Brazilian city of Fortaleza in search of a lasting source of wax from the carnauba palm tree.