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Gordon Stelter and two friends got together in the mid-1950s, bought an airplane, and learned to fly. 52 years later, Stelter is still flying airplanes and sharing his joy of flying with others.

“I’ve been flying for 52 years out of Tomah Airport,” Stelter said. “And I have flown lots and lots of kids out of the airport.”

Stelter, 73, has taken trips in his own small airplane to southern Oklahoma and Iowa, among other destinations, and spent many years promoting aviation. He is a charter member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Tomah Chapter 935, and every year he helps bring an EAA fly-in to Tomah. The EAA in Tomah has seen growing success in its 14 years. At the 2007 fly-in, which was held in September, nearly 25 planes showed up for the fly-in, and Stelter helped the EAA serve over 300 breakfasts.

“If you like aviation at all, it is really something,” Stelter said of the annual fly-in. “It worked out really well this year, and we had a lot of airplanes show up.”

Stelter’s favorite part about flying is teaching others, and that is exactly what he has done as the coordinator for the Young Eagle and Flying Eagle Programs at the airport.

“I don’t do cross country trips anymore,” Stelter said. “I teach basics of flying to students and adults, and if they want to go on from there, they can move on to a flight instructor. Teaching people the basics of flying is my hobby.”

The Young Eagle Program flies students age seven to 17, and the program worldwide has flown over 1.3 million students since 1997. The Tomah Airport has flown over 1,350 students since 1997, and Stelter has been a big part of that.

Stelter, as well as other pilots from the area, teach students the basics of airplanes, and take them on a 20 minute flight.

“At Tomah we have flown lots of kids, and I love doing it,” Stelter said. “We examine the plane with them, explain the basics of flight, and give them a certificate. A lot of kids will come back and want to do more.”

For those students that do want to pursue more flying experiences, Stelter coordinates the Flying Eagle Program as well. The program is run by EAA volunteers, and meets on the third Saturday of each month with training on aviation careers, compass and map reading, recognizing section lines, aircraft safety and characteristics, and flight maneuvers. In a day and age where technology such as GPS is making flying easier, Stelter still likes to teach his students how to fly without such technologies.

“Even though we have GPS, we still teach how to use aviation maps and land references just in case the GPS fails,” Stelter said.

Stelter retired 11 years ago from his position as Emergency Government Director for Monroe County and now drives a school bus from the Tomah School District. His hobby is still flying, and after over five decades in the air, Stelter has never flown commercially, never pursuing a commercial license. He simply enjoys being in flight, and using his experience to help others get off the ground.

When asked about his favorite part of flying, he smiled and pointed to a picture on the wall of the Tomah Airport Flight Office. It is a picture of Jocelyn Schedler-Warwick, who he helped teach when she was a child. Schedler-Warwick now flies a jet for a lumber company, and teaches others to fly.

“It just warms your heart when you see someone have success like that,” Stelter said.

Stelter has no plans to quit flying anytime soon. He can’t get enough of it. And, according to Stelter, as long as he keeps passing his physicals, he’ll still be flying around in the skies above Tomah.

“As we get older, we know we’ll have to give it up sometime, but I’m in A-1 condition right now,” Stelter said. “Teaching anyone the basics of aviation is what I want to do.”