# Aviation in Wisconsin

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.

## 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.
* 1970 - The Experimental Aircraft Association moves its airshow to Oshkosh. The airshow has grown to become the largest annual airshow in the United States.
* 1984 - Cirrus Aircraft is founded in a rural Baraboo barn.

## 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.
* Champion Aircraft, Osceola 1954 − present, acquired by AviaBellanca Aircraft Corporation in 1970.
* DarkAero, Madison 2017 − present, building a high-performance kit aircraft design.
* Hamilton Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee 1918 – 1929, maker of propellers.
* Hamilton Metalplane Company, Milwaukee − 1927, sold to Boeing, maker of the Hamilton Metalplane.
* Sonex Aircraft, Oshkosh 1998 − present, produces homebuilt designs and kits. Manafacutres the Sonex series of lightweight 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.
* Velicon, Milwaukee-based, manufactures electric motors and generators for aerospace testing.

## Airports

* List of airports in Wisconsin

## Commercial Service

* Wisconsin has 8 airports which offer regular commercial airline service
* Air Wisconsin, 1965 – present. Based in Greenville. Operates as a regional airline flying for American Airlines under the name American Eagle.
* Kohler Aviation, 1929–1934. Operated Loening C-2 amphibious aircraft between Milwaukee and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

## 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.
* Deke Slayton, USAF pilot and one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts, was born in Sparta.

## Organizations

* Experimental Aircraft Association – is headquartered in Oshkosh.
* Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame.

## 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* Fortaleza Hall, Racine, Wisconsin. A Frank Lloyd Wright style building housing the SC Johnson Sikorsky S-38 The Spirit of Carnauba.
* Mitchell Gallery of Flight at the General Mitchell International Airport
* Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, Wisconsin
* Aviation Heritage Center of Wisconsin in Sheboygan Falls

## Gallery

* Mitchell Gallery of Flight
* EAA museum and headquarters
* EAA airshow grounds from the air in 2011
* Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center