Wisconsin Aero Bureau Website Makes Planning Easier
By ANN Correspondent Rose Dorcey
Looking for an airport to land at in Wisconsin? Wondering what
fuel services the airport offers? More importantly, where are you
going to eat once you get there? These questions and more, can be
answered by visiting the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's
Bureau of Aeronautics website. It can also help with your flight
planning to Wisconsin's largest aviation gathering, AirVenture 2005
in Oshkosh.
The easy-to-navigate site provides a wealth of information to
those who are making their way to the Dairy state, whether by air
or automobile, including road conditions, construction zones, rest
areas and scenic by-ways. But let's concentrate on the Air portion
of the site, since more than 10,000 aircraft are expected to fly
into this year's event.
The general information page includes a listing of Aviation
Publications. It's where you can find free access to several useful
pre-flight planning tools, such as the online Wisconsin Airport
Directory. Here you can download and print an overhead photo of the
airport you're interested in, and for larger facilities, an airport
diagram. You will also find the communication and navigation
frequencies, along with the services the airport offers and the
name and phone number of the FBO. Important notes and cautions are
also included, such as "deer, cranes and turkeys in vicinity of
airport" and "residential airport, people and equipment may be near
runway". Nearly 140 airports are listed.
A separate webpage shows a listing of fuel services at Wisconsin
airports, so if you're looking for 80 octane or 100 low lead, Jet A
or Mogas, you'll know where to find it.
Once you know where to fill your tanks, you need to know where
to fill your tummy. The Wisconsin Airport Restaurant Facilities
page lists over 500 restaurants and cafes that are located either
on or within five miles of an airport. Restaurant phone numbers are
included, along with courtesy car (and in some cases - courtesy
bike) information. Some restaurants provide pickup and return
services; at least one welcomes seaplanes. Call ahead though, a
quick check through the list shows restaurants that have since
closed, like my favorite Chinese place in the state's capitol of
Madison - The Red Pepper. There are also on-airport restaurants
that aren't included in the list, like the fantastic Scott's Pastry
Shoppe in Middleton (C29), located a few miles west of Madison,
where you can find the area's best pastries, along with hot
breakfast and fresh lunches. Again, I say, call ahead.
There are links to Wisconsin airports, weather-related websites
and aviation organizations. Flying a seaplane to Wisconsin? You
will find a list of seaplane bases and seaplane restrictions. There
is a handy poster that shows Wisconsin airports with right-hand
traffic patterns. For your trip home, the site also features links
to other State Department of Transportation Aeronautics
websites.