Growing up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a state steeped in aviation history, I was surrounded by the influences of pioneering aviators and their families.  My aviation career in Miami, Florida, started with a kid on his bike watching the Warbirds of the Experimental Aircraft Association.  These connections between Wisconsin aviation and Florida are clear to me today.  Aviation icons like Charles Lindbergh, General "Billie" Mitchell, General Jimmy Doolittle, and Steve Whittman have connections to all the airfields that have played a significant role in my life.   

Lindbergh's spirit of innovation and adventure has left an indelible mark on the aviation world, from his early barnstorming days in Wisconsin to his involvement with the EAA and the airports I've called home.  In the early 1920s, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison but left without graduating due to his insatiable interest in aviation.  He was instrumental in founding Pan American Airways, which had its home at Miami International Airport, my home airport. 

General William "Billie" Mitchell is considered the father of the modern Air Force.  The Mitchell family, with roots in Wisconsin dating back to the state's founding, played a crucial role in shaping aviation history.  Billy Mitchell's father, a wealthy banker and railroad magnate, served as a Wisconsin US Senator, demonstrating the family's commitment to public service and the development of the state.  Known for his infamous court-martial in 1925, Mitchell sacrificed his career to get War Department leadership to address the budding aspects of aviation warfare and its threat to the Battleship Navy.  Milwaukee County renamed its airport in honor of Mitchell's passing in 1936. 

Another influential figure in aviation history with Wisconsin ties is Jimmy Doolittle.  His father was born in Pepin, Wisconsin, a lumberjack with an adventurous spirit—a trait the future General would emulate.  My great-grandfather, a German lumberjack in the 1890s, shared a similar connection to the state's rich lumber history. Doolittle's innovative spirit and daring aviation feats, including his famous raid on Tokyo during World War II, inspire aviators today.  He made his name in 1922 as an Army Signal Corps aviator, completing the first trans-continental flight from Jacksonville Beach to San Diego in 24 hours, proving the strategic value of air logistics in warfare.  He flew out of the same military field I used as a naval aviator in the 1980s, NAS Jacksonville, Florida. 

Steve Wittman, born Sylvester Joseph Wittman on April 5, 1904, in Byron, Wisconsin, was an American air racer and aircraft engineer.  Despite losing most of his vision in one eye during infancy, Wittman learned to fly in 1924 and built his first aircraft, the Harley-powered "Hardly Abelson," in late 1924.  He became a test pilot and began his air-racing career in 1926.  Wittman is famous for designing and building "Chief Oshkosh" in 1931 and "Bonzo" in 1934.  During World War II, he trained pilots at the Oshkosh field as part of the civilian war effort.  Wittman continued to design and race aircraft throughout his life and was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.  Whittman was instrumental in founding the Experimental Aircraft Association in 1953 and bringing it to his home airfield, named after him after his retirement from the management of the Winnebago County Airport, renamed in his honor.  The epitome of a pilot's pilot, Whittman died at the controls of his personally built aircraft in 1995 at the age of 91.  It is also interesting to note that although Whittman and Lindbergh were contemporaries in the nescient aviation field and aficionados of the EAA, I could find no connection between them in friendship or rivalry. 

From Whitman Field in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to Mitchell Field in Milwaukee and NAS Pensacola and NAS Jacksonville to Miami International Airport, aviation has made my personal "local history" quite wide-ranging.  The aviation heroes above also had a hand in guiding my personal flight plan.  As I look back on my career, I am grateful for the experiences and opportunities that have shaped me.  I am proud to have been a part of the aviation community, and I will always cherish the memories of the airports, aircraft, and individuals who have played a role in my journey.  From Oshkosh to Miami and beyond, my life in aviation has been a testament to the power of local history and personal connections in shaping our futures, with the spirits of Lindbergh, Mitchell, Doolittle, and Whittman forever intertwined in that journey. 

Sources 

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