WATERTOWN, Wis. — Jeff Baum, founder of Wisconsin Aviation, the state’s largest FBO, will be inducted into the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame in October.
Baum is one of Wisconsin’s most successful aviation entrepreneurs and business operators — and has been for the past 32 years, according to Hall of Fame officials.
Wisconsin Aviation, which he started in 1981, offers charter, flight training, aircraft rental, aircraft sales, maintenance, avionics, interiors, and line services, at its three locations: Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) in Madison, Watertown Municipal Airport (RYV), and Dodge County Airport (UNU) in Juneau.
Baum has served on numerous state and national aviation committees, and through his leadership, Wisconsin Aviation has received numerous local and regional awards, as well as national recognition for outstanding service. For his achievements in Wisconsin’s aviation industry, Jeff was named “Business Person of the Year” (1988, 1997) by the Wisconsin Aviation Transportation Association and “Aviation Person of the Year” (2003) by the Wisconsin Airport Management Association. In 2012, Wisconsin Aviation was named “Best Air Charter Company” in Wisconsin by Corporate Report’s “Best of Wisconsin Business Awards.”
He has logged more than 17,000 hours of flight time. throughout his career as a pilot and has grown Wisconsin Aviation has grown from a handful of employees in 1981 to more than 150 today.
The Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame (WAHF) ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA’s) AirVenture museum located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Congratulations Jeff! General aviation plays such a critical (many times unnoticed) role in our economy and we are fortunate to have advocates and business owners like yourself in our community. Keep up the great work….
Congratulations Jeff!!
I have had the pleasure of doing business with Jeff for about 15 years. Jeff has always been an advocate for general aviation. While the big name FBO chains are concentrating on fuel sales and hangar rent, Jeff has always encouraged student pilots by operating successful flight schools, charter, aircraft sales and programs that support the aviation community. Jeff is a visionary who sees the need to generate interest in our industry so we have a supply of pilots and aircraft owners that need and use our services. The state of Wisconsin and the general aviation community has benefited from Jeff’s efforts and I am happy to hear about this well deserved honor!
Congratulations, Jeff. Much deserved.