Former Air Wis Services, Inc. Chairman, President, CEO Passes Away
Posted on: Friday, 21 April 2006, 15:00 CDT
APPLETON, Wis., April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- It is with sadness that Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation (AWAC) shares the news of the loss of one of its original leaders. Preston H. Wilbourne, Former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Wis Services, Inc., passed away April 20, 2006. He is survived by his wife Kitty and their children and grandchildren.
Preston was a part of the commuter airline industry when it was in its infancy. He helped shape and define what the regional airline business was to become over the next decade. He was a fine man and he will always be fondly remembered at our airline and within the industry.
Mr. Wilbourne joined Air Wisconsin in 1965 as General Manager, shortly after the airline commenced operations. At the time, the fleet consisted of a single de Havilland Dove aircraft with nine seats. The aircraft linked the Fox Cities to Chicago. Over the next 20 years, Wilbourne would grow Air Wisconsin from a single-route commuter airline to a carrier with national status and a fleet of more than 32 aircraft. He retired as Chairman, President and CEO in 1990.
Prior to Air Wisconsin, Mr. Wilbourne spent nearly all of the first twenty-three years of his aviation career working for Piedmont Aviation. During his tenure at Piedmont, he worked as a station agent and also held various jobs in reservations, scheduling, tariffs, operational planning and administration. An accomplished airframe and powerplant mechanic from his days in the U.S. Air Force, he had a thorough and well-rounded knowledge of what it took to make an airplane fly and what it took to make an airline successful and profitable.
Preston will always be remembered for his contributions to the regional airline industry, Air Wisconsin and the communities it served.
Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation (AWAC) operates as the largest privately held regional airline in the United States. Founded in 1965, AWAC schedules nearly 500 departures per day system-wide to 30 states and two Canadian provinces. With service to 75 cities throughout North America, AWAC carries approximately 7 million passengers per year. AWAC works in partnership with US Airways and United Airlines. Additional information can be found at http://www.airwis.com/ .
Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation
CONTACT: Kelly Lanpheer of Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation,+1-920-749-7638, klanpheer@airwis.com
Web site: http://www.airwis.com/
Source: PRNewswire
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