Five More Dairy State Aviators Honored

The Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame will induct five aviators at a ceremony to be held this fall. Paul Collins, Ed Hedeen, Roy Reabe, Carl Rindlisbacher, and Tom Thomas will be honored for their achievements and contributions to aviation in Wisconsin.

Collins and Hedeen will be inducted in the Pioneer category, for those who made aviation achievements before 1927. Collins was a well-known airmail pilot, logging 3,587 flight hours and 361,689 miles for the US Mail Service. He was an early member of the caterpillar club. Collins became a founder of Transcontinental Air Transport, "The Lindbergh Line" which evolved into Trans World Airlines.

Ed Hedeen served as the engineering officer for Commander Richard Byrd in the 1920’s, and helped establish the Great Lakes Naval Air Station. He also managed the Air City Airport near Sturtevant, WI and was hired as the first corporate pilot for Johnson Wax.

Roy Reabe is a leader in agricultural aviation in Wisconsin. He has been a pilot and A&P for over fifty years. He developed curriculum for and taught ground school at high schools, and created a state aviation organization, Wisconsin Ag Aviation Association. He resides in Central Wisconsin.

Carl Rindlisbacher’s devotion to the Rice Lake airport and aviation meteorology characterizes his induction. Rindlisbacher was known as a true ambassador of Wisconsin aviation.

Tom Thomas of Madison, WI was employed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Bureau of Aeronautics, for over 32-years. Before and during his years of service, he served in the Air Force and Wisconsin Air National Guard. Thomas is a certified flight instructor with both single and multi-engine ratings and is a commercial rotorcraft/helicopter pilot. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the EAA Young Eagles program, having flown over 200 flights.

The inductees will be enshrined at a ceremony to be held in the Eagle Hangar at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh on November 10. Plaques will be presented to the inductees and then permanently displayed in the Fergus Plaza at the museum. The public is invited. Tickets will be available later this year.

The Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame organized in 1985. Over 75 men and women who have made significant achievements in aviation in Wisconsin have been inducted. The organization’s mission is to collect and preserve the history of aviation in Wisconsin, recognize those who made that history, inform others of it, and promote aviation education to future generations.

FMI: www.aviationhalloffamewisconsin.com