Highlighting Women in Aviation by Spotlighting Air Wisconsin’s Maintenance Apprentice Training Instructor Ashley Haase Ashley Haase’s aviation journey is filled with inspiring mentors, unexpected turns, and, most importantly, an unwavering passion for all aspects of this industry. Her aviation career started as an A&P Mechanic to a SOC Duty Manager to her current role as Maintenance Apprentice Training Instructor. Ashley is happy to share her experiences, hoping to inspire others that it’s always possible to start their aviation career. Throughout Women’s History Month, we want to recogniz ..read more

A spotlight on First Officer Kevin Rosengren and his career change to chasing his dreams at Air Wisconsin Two years ago, I was sitting in an office working as the Chief Operating Officer for a Product Management Consulting firm. Today, I’m living out my childhood dream as a 48-year-old First Officer for Air Wisconsin. This is the story of how I got here and why Air Wisconsin was the right choice for me. In the summer of 2022, my family and I took a “bucket list” trip to Africa. We love to travel, and it was much needed family time following a few difficult years. Together with the trailing imp ..read more

Highlighting SOC Duty Manager Bob Woods and the military values that continue to have an effect on his leadership and civilian career Some lessons stick with you for a lifetime. For SOC Duty Manager Robert Woods, those lessons came in the form of core values from his 15 years in the military. The values of accountability, adaptability to overcome, and troop welfare have continued to be at the front of his mind, even as his surroundings have changed from a high-pressure military environment to the high-speed Systems Operations Center of Air Wisconsin. Having accountability not o ..read more

“Balancing both a military and civilian career requires a great deal of discipline, and it can be challenging for both you and your family. However, the sense of being part of something greater than oneself and the opportunity to acquire invaluable skills make it all worthwhile. Plus, there’s no denying the pride in looking sharp in that uniform. It’s a unique journey that offers personal growth and a strong sense of purpose.” Nick Whelan balances two worlds: as an Assistant Chief Pilot at our Dayton base and the other is being an active member of the Illinois Air National Guard. We are beyond ..read more

The idea of traveling around the world as part of your job? Yes, please! This benefit draws many to the career of being a flight attendant, but while travel privileges might be the most favored part of the job, it just scratches the surface of the profession. A flight attendant is the first responder to those onboard the aircraft, ensuring a positive first flight experience for kids and lending a helping hand when needed. It is not a career for those not willing to leap out of their comfort zone and right into the jump seat! Carol Brennan, who recently retired from Air Wisconsin as a flight at ..read more

#AsianAmericanandPacificIslanderHeritageMonth “Aviation is unlike any career; it gives you a sense of opportunity and freedom to travel anywhere in the world. I love that I can travel the world and connect with so many different cultures.” Recently, we spoke with Recruiting Specialist Tonya Thai and learned more about her story, how her love for aviation began, and her pride in her Vietnamese heritage. Starting at a young age, Tonya’s parents took her to air shows and were always excited to watch The Blue Angels perform. Her father would talk about how the sounds reminded him of warplanes from ..read more

Air Wisconsin Captain Tejash Patel knew he wanted to be a pilot since he was little, now as a commercial airline pilot he is able to look back and see how far he has come. How did you get your start in aviation? I got started in aviation in 2013. After graduating college with a Business Administration degree and working at CVS as a shift manager for a year, I very quickly realized that is not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. That is when I decided to pursue my dream of being an airline pilot and started taking flying lessons at Ocean Aviation flight school in Ocean City, Maryland ..read more

The 2023 Aerospace Maintenance Competition in Atlanta gives past Air Wisconsin competitor the chance to come back and recruit talented mechanics for the Midwest. What is the Aerospace Maintenance Competition? Their goal is to celebrate the past, present & future Maintenance Professionals. ​The competition is held annually in conjunction with Aviation Week Network’s MRO Americas. Teams representing educational institutions, commercial airlines, repair and manufacturing companies, general aviation and space compete to find out who’s the best of the best. Each team collects sponsors who suppo ..read more

From First Officer to Captain in about a year Sonal Surve inspires aviators to push forward and pursue their dreams When did you get your start in aviation? I started in 2012 right after I graduated from college.  Where did you do your flight training? I did my flight training at Phoenix East Aviation in Daytona Beach, Florida.  Who was your inspiration as you were learning to fly? My mom, whose multi-tasking skills never fail to impress me, and my instructor TJ, who did most of my flight training from instrument rating to CFI. What was one of the greatest challenges you faced i ..read more

The aviation community is filled with many different niches, but we are lucky enough to have two worlds of aviation combine through the talents of Randy W. Ball, an Air Wisconsin captain who doubles as one of the most well-known airshow jet performers in the US. With over 1400 performances to date Randy keeps a busy schedule between being a captain of a CRJ-200 and flying over 43 other types of aircrafts, of which have been manufactured in 9 different countries. Randy loves what he does and the flexibility that flying for us gives him. Being able to continue his passion in jet flying and air ..read more