Faces of Aviation

Here you'll find aviation enthusiasts who share a common addiction for flying.  When not in the air we can usually be found hangar flying - relaxing, sharing "you're never going to believe this..." stories over a cold brew.  
Here's an introduction to some of the pilots whose stories you've heard in our virtual hangar.

Brian Aukes

Logging his first PIC hours by the age of five, Brian has been flying aircraft of all shapes and sizes for nearly his entire life.  According to Rachel, he is the best pilot around, and when he's not flying, he can usually be found in the hangar working on the planes (all of his shirts have the pilot's telltale sign - oil stains).  
In early 2009, Brian's became a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), which means that finally he and Rachel won't have to argue about who gets to fly AND log the time. 

Rachel Aukes

Rachel's the newest aviator of the bunch.  After being introduced to flying in a Stearman on a date with Brian, she was hooked (on both Brian and flying). In 2007, she earned her wings and now takes the stick from Brian whenever she can. 

Dan & Diane Sokolowski

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Hailing from the Lincoln, Nebraska area, the Sokolowskis are the newest members of the Stearman family with their "new" 1943 Yellow Peril Stearman #66. They are not new to flying - they've been flying since they were teens and have been building tailwheel time for the past several years with their beautiful blue and white 2003 Citabria.

Jim Pippert

Jim has traveled the world on wings and on foot (he's a marathoner).  Throughout the past 35 years, his passion for flying has been constant, and he has cultivated a rare and amazing collection of taildraggers.  On a sunny day, you'll need to look up to find Jim as he can often be found treetop flying in his Cub or having some Stearman formation flying fun with Brian.  He's also the early riser of the bunch.  Whether it's during the Stearman Fly-in, Blakesburg, or a Sunday morning fly-in breakfast he just smirks when we late-risers finally roll in.  

Matthew & Amy Sawhill

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The Sawhills are also based at AMW and fly a pristine Cessna 140, which we adoringly nicknamed the Green Lantern. Matthew has flown birds of all shapes and sizes - from gliders to RCs to taildraggers. Amy was bitten by the aviation bug after taking the stick in the 140. Together, they make it to all the area's fly-ins.... and, yes, they even manage to fit everything they need in their 140 to camp out at Oshkosh each year. Currently, they're working on an RV-4 project, which we hope to see in the skies sometime this spring (2010).

Jeff Bryant

When Sparky isn't flying through the skies, he volunteers his time in getting the Half Fast Hangar off the ground. In addition to being  a pilot, Sparky is the hangar's director of operations, creative director and social committee all rolled into one. From co-hosting the Barnstormer Tour to planning a Catholic Priest Pilot shindig, it was Sparky's passion and fun-loving ideas that makes the hangar a great place to hang out.