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Waukesha County Airport Newsletter |
October 2015 |
A Falcon 2000 Touching Down at Sunset |
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Bill Frison Retires from Corporate Flying
Earlier this month, Quad/Graphics corporate pilot and friend of Crites Field, Bill Frison flew his final flight as a corporate pilot. As Bill taxiied into the ramp, friends and family honored his career with the traditional firehose farewell.
Bill began his 55 year flying career as a crop duster in North Dakota before becoming the youngest pilot hired by Eastern Airlines in 1966.
He was a captain on 727 and DC9 jets until 1989, when he traded commercial aviation for corporate and contract flight services. Bill served as a corporate pilot for Quad/Graphics for more than 15 years. Additionally, his son, Joe, is also a Quad pilot.
When not flying professionally, Bill enjoys flying the two planes he has on his rural Wisconsin farm. He has also introduced all four of his grandchildren to the wonders of flight - including his grandson, Wyatt (12), who has been learning basic flying skills in the family's Piper Cub, and his youngest grandchild, Ruby (3), pictured with him below.
Please join us in congratulating Bill on a successful career in aviation and wishing him all the best in his future endeavors!
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It is with much sadness that we report the passing of a true hero and friend of the airport, Doug Holt.
Doug passed away on October 7 at the age of 91.
Despite his smaller stature, Doug enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps where he served from 1943 to 1945. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant with the 381st Bomb Group, where he co-piloted a B-17 Flying Fortress and flew 35 missions over Europe.
Upon leaving the military, Doug earned his degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and enjoyed a successful career with prominent area corporations, including the Heil Company and Harnischfeger Corporation. He retired in 1985 and then served as a consulting engineer and continued to feed his passion of aviation.
In recent years, Doug recalled his experiences during World War II in his book, "Lucky Dog," published in 2007. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and enjoyed mentoring young people in aviation.
A memorial gathering to celebrate Doug's life is planned for Saturday, November 7 from 2-4 p.m. at Newcastle Place, 12600 N. Port Washington Rd., in Mequon. Please keep Doug's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. Blue skies, Doug!
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Waukesha Aviation Club Repairs Tetrahedron
We would like to send a special Thank You to the members of the Waukesha Aviation Club, who donated their time and resources to repair and repaint the tetrahedron on the airfield this summer. It looks incredible!
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Airport Operations Commission Meetings
The next Airport Operations Commission meetings will be Wednesday, November 11 and Wednesday, December 9 at 8:00 a.m. in the airport terminal conference room.
All members of the airport community are welcome to join the meetings, which are held the second Wednesday of each month - same time, same place.
If you would like to receive notification of agenda items, please email Aimee Scrima at
ascrima@waukeshacounty.gov.
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The leaves are falling fast, the air is getting cooler and everyone seems to be preparing for the upcoming holiday season. I hope you had a chance to take in some beautiful fall colors flying, thanks to the incredible weather we were lucky enough to enjoy in Southeast Wisconsin.
In this issue of the newsletter, we are celebrating accomplishments, including the induction of two local pilots into the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame and the retirement of a long time corporate pilot. We're also remembering our friend and an American hero, Doug Holt, who passed earlier this month.
As we look ahead to the holiday season and back on the year we've had, we're fortunate to have enjoyed many successes and we hope the same is true for you and yours.
Thank you and fly safe,
Kurt
Kurt Stanich, Airport Manager
Waukesha County Airport
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Operations Update by Matt Grenoble
Snow Removal Contractors
The leaves are falling fast, which means only one thing: snow is just around the corner! We have been busy preparing for the 2015-2016 snow season. Meteorologists have predicted a warmer and less snowy season due to a strong El Nino, but we'll believe it when we see it. If you hire snow removal contractors to plow your ramp and hangar areas, please be sure they schedule a time to meet with us to complete the Driver Training and receive a badge if they have not already done so. Any contractors found operating on the airport grounds without a badge will be escorted off the premises. It is vital that we communicate to each operator regarding where snow can be piled safely in order to prevent wingtip clearance issues.
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)/Drones
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), also known as drones, have been a hot topic in the aviation industry lately. The extremely fast increase in the number of drones has sparked thousands of sightings near airports around the country. Here at Crites Field, we have already received multiple reports of drones near or above the airport, and we even had a near miss with an aircraft flying at 1,000 feet.
The FAA has published guidelines for both recreational and commercial drone operators, but has yet to establish regulations that will hold users accountable in the event of misuse, incident or accident. All drone operators are currently required to notify airport management or the control tower before operating within five miles of an airport, and must fly below 400 feet.
On October 19, the FAA released details of a task force they are establishing, which will deliver a report with recommendations by November 20 on a registration system for drones. The task force may make additional safety recommendations as deemed appropriate.
If you see a drone operating near the airfield, please contact Airport Administration or Operations at 262-521-5250 to report it.
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Local Pilots Inducted to Wisconsin Aviation
Hall of Fame
Earlier this week, two local pilots were among the four aviators inducted into the
Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh.
Milwaukee pilot and founder of Gaits Aviation Seminars, Greg Gorak, was nominated for his contribution to aviation through offering flight instructor and refresher courses, graduating more than 18,000 instructors. Since earning his wings in 1962, Greg has logged more than 8,600 flight hours. He is also a former charter pilot and chair of the Career Pilot Program at Gateway Technical College. Greg earned the designation as a Master CFI and was named FAA Flight Instructor of the Year in 1977.
Waukesha's own Chuck Vehlow, was also recognized for his contributions to aviation. Chuck graduated from West Point in 1968 and then received helicopter training at Ft. Rucker, AL before completing a 12-month tour during the Vietnam War. After his service, he returned to West Point as a professor before transferring to the Army Reserve. After 26 years, Chuck retired as a Colonel. Chuck led the McDonnell Douglas design team on the Longbow AH-64D Apache helicopter, and was later named vice president and general manager of Boeing's US Army military rotorcraft division.
Greg and Bill, we congratulate you both on your storied aviation careers and your rightful induction into the WI Aviation Hall of Fame!
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Hangar Lots For Lease
You may have noticed the new signage that we installed recently to promote the hangar lots available for lease on the airfield.
We currently have several hangar lots available in two areas of the airport! The first location is in the southeast hangar area near Gate 11 (
SouthEast Hangar Layout - Phase 2) and features 5 lots measuring 90' x 105' and another 5 measuring 90' x 120' each. The second location, off of Aviation Drive (
West Hangar Area), features four large lots
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each measuring 200' x 245'.
If you're interested in purchasing one of these lots, please contact the airport administration office for more information at 262-521-5250 or via email.
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Calling All Volunteers for JanBoree 2016!
We are proud to be participating in the Waukesha JanBoree, one of Wisconsin's premiere winter festivals.
We are looking for volunteers to assist us with the event - January 16 - featuring children's activities, including a flight simulator, arts and crafts and more.
If you're interested in giving your time and talent to make this event a success, please contact Aimee Scrima at 262-521-5250 or via
email.
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Connect with Us on LinkedIn!
Earlier this month we launched a LinkedIn company page for the Waukesha County Airport/Crites Field. In addition to being another great resource for all things news and aviation at your airport, plans are already in the works to utilize this platform to further promote our services to corporate aviation departments, connect aviation professionals to the next generation of pilots and enthusiasts and more.
We invite you to check out and follow our LinkedIn Company Page by clicking here. Enjoy!
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Upcoming Events
Young Eagles Rally at Crites Field
EAA Chapter 18 is hosting a Young Eagles Rally here at Waukesha County Airport on Saturday, November 7. From noon until 3:00 p.m. children ages 8-17 can enjoy free airplane rides, aviation activities and more. For more information, click here.
Host Your Event at the Airport!
Just a reminder, the Airport Terminal Conference Room is available for use for our tenants, businesses and community organizations. If you're interested in hosting your event at the Airport, check out our Conference Room Calendar available
online.
Waukesha Aviation Club "Coffee Talk"
The next sessions of the Waukesha Aviation Club "Coffee Talks" are scheduled for Saturday, October 31 and Saturday, November 28 at 8:00 a.m. in the Airport Terminal Conference Room. See you there!
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The Waukesha County Airport/Crites Field Newsletter is intended to inform airport tenants, visitors and other interested individuals about the latest events, news and services available to them at the airport. If you would like to see a topic featured in the next newsletter, please contact Kurt Stanich, Airport Manager, at
kstanich@waukeshacounty.gov or call 262-521-5250.
Waukesha County Airport/Crites Field
2525 Aviation Drive
Waukesha, WI 53186
262-521-5250
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