website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
www.centralaviationwisconsin.com
Watertown Municipal Airport
Watertown Aviation
Wisconsin Aviation and Central Aviation
1938 Carriers of the Watertown Daily Times were treated to a
ride in what the paper said was “a huge deluxe
airliner.” The photo showed a large
plane with three engines. the plane took off from a field along Coffee Road south of
Watertown. That must have been back
before the airport was in its present location. WDT, 10
17 2009
1945 Commissioned -
The Watertown Municipal Airport was commissioned in 1945 and has grown from two
short grass strips, a few buildings, and seven aircraft to one of the Midwest's
most progressive aviation service centers.
Airport-generated
contributions to the community include:
• Home
base for two companies - Wisconsin Aviation and Central Aviation.
• Employment -
Wisconsin Aviation employs a total of 50 employees; Central Aviation employs 5
employees.
• Customers -
Student pilots, recreational aircraft owners, and professional corporate
travelers, often visiting local businesses.
• Promotes
community involvement - Marine's Aero Park, fundraisers, open houses, fly-ins,
Circus performances, and tours for local organizations.
• Provides
site for military and governmental law enforcement training, exercises.
Wisconsin
Aviation, in operation since 1981, maintains its corporate headquarters on the
grounds of the Watertown Municipal Airport.
Its president/CEO, Jeff Baum, serves as the airport manager for the
City. As the FBO (fixed base operator)
for the City's airport, Wisconsin Aviation is capable of providing a complete
line of aviation-oriented services to include:
• Air charter
- 20+ charter aircraft ranging from single engines to executive twin-engine
jets.
• Maintenance -
Factory-authorized service center for five major aircraft manufacturers.
• Flight
instruction/aircraft rental - A wide selection of single- and twin-engine
aircraft to meet training and rental needs including high-performance, tailwheel, and other state-of-the-art aircraft.
• Corporate
aviation management.
• Aircraft
sales.
• Scenic
flights - A bird's eye view of the Watertown and surrounding communities.
In
addition, hangar rental and fuel services are available for its home-based
aircraft (80+), as well as all transient customers. In addition to the normal
amenities offered at most municipal facilities, Wisconsin Aviation offers
home-based as well as transient pilots with ground services such as towing,
baggage handling, courtesy/rental cars, catering, and hotel reservations.
Cookies and hot coffee are always available in the lobby.
Also
located on Watertown's airfield is Central Aviation, which has been in
existence since 1953. It is currently owned and operated by Randy Effinger. Central Aviation provides aircraft refurbishing
and remodeling services to include painting, upholstery, interior design,
repairs, modifications, installations.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
1958
08 19 Ralph Duddeck
appointed by Watertown Airport Commission as its official representative at
the Watertown Airport WDT
10 28 Two separate inspections for Watertown Airport and
Watertown Aviation Co. WDT
1959
01 17 Watertown
Association of Commerce favoring proposed airport expansion program WDT
02 11 Airport
Expansion Plan voted down WDT
03 17 City of Watertown
asked to comply with agreement to carry out improvement WDT
07 27 First major
fly-in at Airport WDT
1960
10 04 The city council is being
asked to advance $10,000 out of the general fund for completion of the
Watertown airport project and is to be reimbursed by the federal government for
that amount. The airport project has
been underway here for years and the acquisition of additional property was
approved some time ago in line with recommendations by the State Aeronautics
Commission of Wisconsin which is acting as agent for the city in the program
and in the securing of both state and federal funds. WDT
10 15 Considerable opposition
to give the go ahead signal for the condemnation of certain lands at the
Watertown airport to obtain easements in order to permit the airport expansion
program to be carried out, flared at yesterday afternoon’s committee meeting of
the city council. The State Aeronautics
Commission of Wisconsin, which is serving as the city’s agent in the matter of
state and federal assistance in the airport program, had asked that proceedings
be started since it has been unable, up to now, to obtain the easements on two
pieces of property. At yesterday’s
meeting several councilmen said they would oppose any step for condemnation at
this time. WDT
1961
11 14 Santa Claus will arrive at the Watertown
Airport next Friday afternoon at 2:20 o’clock, make a quick trip to the
recreation building and join the parade which is scheduled to get underway
without delay soon after. It was also announced that the Candy Stick Palace
where Santa will make his headquarters will be placed in Memorial Park.
First plans were to locate it in Madison Street on the Bank of Watertown
parking lot but it was decided Memorial Park will offer better facilities and
that is where it will go up next week. WDT
1981 Wisconsin Aviation, in operation since 1981
1982
11 06 Dodge County
Airport, Air Watertown offer to operate free of charge WDT
1983
07
05 A six year statement of
project intentions calls for expenditures of $120,000 in fiscal year 1984
and a new parking ramp and lights, $185,000 in 1986 for two-inch overlay on the
asphalt runway, a city project in 1988 of a new parking lot for cars and
$25,000 in 1989 for seal coating a runway.
WDT
1985
05 04 Airport expansion proposed;
County taxes proposed for expansion
08
26 The possibility of having the voters decide the fate of the
proposed six-year Watertown airport expansion plan took another step toward
reality this morning. A 991-signature
petition was presented to the city clerk's office this morning asking the issue
be placed on the April 1986 ballot. For
a referendum petition to be valid, it must contain at least 15 percent of the
number of registered voters who participated in the last gubernatorial
election. In the case of Watertown, that
figure amounts to 859. The city clerk's
office has 15 days to check the validity of the signatures and if approved
submit it to council. WDT
12
09 With the release this week of the state 1986-91 Airport
Improvement Program, the question arises, “How significant is the April 1986
referendum on whether Watertown's airport should be expanded?” Except for an
anticipated expense of $300,000 for land acquisition in 1989, the tentative
program does not include any funds for the expansion of Watertown Municipal
Airport. There is no sign of a new paved crosswind runway. No sign of an added
700 feet on the airport's primary runway. The program, which is tentative,
undoubtedly fell well short of Watertown's request. In addition to the land
acquisition funds, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation plan does set
aside $1,300,000 for reconstruction work at the site in 1989. The work
includes: Reconstructing the primary runway; expanding the apron area;
improving drainage; and building a taxiway next to the primary runway. WDT
1986
02
24 Supporters for the expansion of the Watertown airport call
their promotional efforts innocent lobbying, but already their opposition is
leveling charges of “dirty pool” and “intimidation” even though their campaign
contains a boycott threat. With the
April election just over a month away, the certain highlight of the ballot will
be the statement “Be it resolved that the city of Watertown shall not expand
the Municipal Airport beyond its present boundaries.” The issue is much more complicated than just
the fact a “yes” vote is against expansion and a “no” is for expansion. The information on the issue and the
arguments are seemingly infinite, and the beliefs are strong on both
sides. WDT
05
16 When Watertown airport officials proposed an elaborate
expansion plan in 1985, they said no taxpayers’
dollars would be used to build a larger terminal building. A year later, they’re holding true to their
promise. Plans are still preliminary,
but Watertown Airport Project Manager Richard Wolff said he hopes a new 30 by
50 feet terminal building, funded completely by airport users, will be in place
by October. WDT
06
22 If Watertown borrows the money to build a combination airport
terminal/hangar, it could then achieve a profit by leasing it to the airport’s
base operator, the city finance committee says.
“Absolutely no tax money will be used,” said Mayor Kenneth Thiel of the proposal which would result in a new estimated
$235,000 terminal building. According to
a resolution, which will be presented to the Common Council Tuesday, July 1,
the city would borrow the money needed for the new building. The city in turn would lease the building to
the base operator, now Air Watertown, at a monthly rate higher than the loan
payments. WDT
08
11 An Oconomowoc construction firm should build the Watertown
Municipal Airport’s new terminal/hangar facility, the city airport commission
says. The airport commission Tuesday
recommended that Oliver Construction, which submitted the lowest of four bids
to the panel, be hired at a cost of $261,900.
Oliver’s bid was nearly $35,000 less expensive than its nearest
competitor. The other firms bidding on
the project were H.F. Mallow Construction, $296,362; Joseph Lorenz
Construction, $304,500; and DEBCO, Inc., $364,950. WDT
09
01 Use of a low interest state trust fund loan for a new
hangar/terminal building at the Watertown Municipal Airport was approved on a
near unanimous vote of the Watertown Common Council Tuesday evening. The
council voted 12-1, with only Walter Nuernberg
dissenting, to authorize the loan at an interest rate of 6.5 percent. Although
the actual bids on the project were accepted by a narrow vote of 7-5 two weeks
ago, aldermen followed Mayor Kenneth Thiel’s
recommendation to put aside their differences and support the measure. WDT
11
03 A resounding referendum vote that endorsed a plan to expand
the Watertown Municipal Airport has hardly quieted debate on the possibility of
a larger facility. Last April, voters by nearly a 2-1 margin said Watertown
should expand its airport. Tuesday
night, nine aldermen defeated an attempt by four others to eliminate the item from
the proposed 1987 city budget. “If you
(the common council) want to kill the airport project, just go ahead. But you are going to have to be the ones who
answer the people,” said an irritated Mayor Kenneth Thiel. “I’m getting a little uptight that the
airport issue has to come up at every council meeting.” WDT
11
16 Members of the Watertown Common Council were reassured that
the state is not likely to stop its commitment to fund the expansion project at
the airport if the city shows interest and begins to provide some of the
funding. During a Committee of the Whole
meeting, Robert Kunkel, chief of airport development for the Wisconsin
Department of Transportation, explained to the aldermen that this year Congress
appropriated $1 billion for airport improvements. Based on the state’s population, Wisconsin
will receive $2.3 million. Kunkel could
not guarantee to the council that Wisconsin would receive that much funding in
1989 when Watertown Municipal Airport is scheduled to undergo a $1.6 million improvement
project, but said that Congress has been increasing its allotment. WDT
12
23 Employees of the Watertown Municipal Airport are now operating
out of a new 11,100 square foot terminal building. Minor work still has to be done and the new
furniture has not arrived, but Airport Manager Jeff Baum said the building is
already getting rave reviews from the city’s chief executives. “This will probably be the finest terminal of
an airport this size in the state,” Baum said.
“People who have seen it (the terminal) love it.” The building, completed earlier than expected
by Oliver Construction of Oconomowoc, will be paid for through a lease with the
airport’s fixed base operator, Wisconsin Aviation. Watertown borrowed the $266,850 to build the
terminal, but the lease payments by the fixed base operator will exceed the
money the city has to pay back on the loan.
WDT
1987
01
04 Watertown officials have finalized a deal acquiring 70 acres
for the expansion of the municipal airport, and a state agency has asked the
city to inspect the possibility of buying 31 more. Ruth Funk has agreed to sell
to the city two parcels of land south of the existing airport, Assistant City
Attorney Thomas Levi said. The closing date of the sale was Dec. 30, but
officials declined to reveal the purchase price, saying it would hinder
negotiations for other land necessary for the airport project. “We are still in
negotiations with those property owners and by statute we are not required to
give them the purchase price” of the Funk farm, Levi said. WDT
01
19 Weather Star – A satellite hookup to the National
Weather Service is the latest innovation in the Watertown Municipal Airport
terminal, a facility which is already being called one of the best of its type
in the state of Wisconsin. The weather
access system, Weather Star, has been in operation for about two weeks, but it
has been extremely well-received, Richard Wolff, who recently returned as the
airport’s project manager, says. Weather
Star is a computer system hooked up via satellite with Haynes Environmental
Programming in Minneapolis. Haynes
obtains the information directly from the National Weather Service. WDT
1999
08 09 Plan
for development of private businesses in the west terminal area of
airport WDT
08 20 Transponder
Landing System (TLS); claim to first certified landing system WDT
2000
01 28 Wisconsin
Aviation expanded maintenance operations
WDT
06 12 Aerobatics
flying team performed, first time WDT
2008
07 22 Airport Commission expected to take action on
a Sunrise Building System hanger. WDT
10 28 Airport and the flight school Watertown
Aviation Co. underwent two separate inspections
Wisconsin Aviation
Inc., headquartered in Watertown, relocated avionics dept of Madison
location WDT
2009
02 06 50-year-old
rotating beacon replaced with a new light
WDT
10 26 Adam West
killed in Tennessee plane crash, former Wisconsin Aviation employee,
2010 Solverson Aviation
07
17 Wisconsin Aviation Inc. and Solverson
Aviation in Reedsburg have jointly agreed to consolidate some of their services
in order to provide a wider exposure for their customer base. The services that will be consolidated are
charter and aviation pilot training.
Wisconsin Aviation is headquartered in Watertown and has operations in
Madison and Juneau. It is the largest
full-service fixed base operations in Wisconsin. In combining the charter and aviation pilot
training services, the two companies will bring a a complete central service center to the Dane County
Regional Airport. The center also
includes a newly constructed avionics hangar at the Madison facility. The Watertown airport also has a complete
maintenance operation.
2012
03 19 Mechanic receives Charles Taylor Master Mechanic award
