50 years of flying

Four days after his 16th birthday former Old Fort resident John Wise flew an airplane solo for the first time. Fifty years later, he received the Wright Brothers Master Aviator Award from the Federal Aviation Administration for 50 years of safe flying. The award, first given by the FAA in 1948, has only been presented to 5,600 aviators in its history. It is named in honor of Orville and Wilbur Wright, two American aviation pioneers credited with inventing, building and flying the world's first motor-operated airplane. The Wright Brothers made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright Flyer on Dec. 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The brothers also invented aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible. "I've been flying consistently since 1971," said the 1974 graduate of Old Fort High School. His first solo flight was on Dec. 11 of that year at Seneca County Airport, and his endorsing flight instructor was Dwight Gnepper, the original owner of Tiffin Aire Inc., which is now owned by daughter and son-in-law, Brad and Kim Newman. "Brad was introduced to flying (by) my dad (Paul Wise)," Wise said. "Brad went to work for Tiffin Aire and the Gneppers, met their daughter, and he's still there. We're all just kind (of) in the same family in a way." In 1970, Wise's first training flight was at the old Tiffin Airport, which was off SR 53 on the north side of Tiffin, he said. The aircraft was a 1946 Aeronca 7AC Champ. "Many Tiffin residents are probably not aware of the old airfield's existence, but the runway was located running east to west on the west side of 53 behind the site of the current PCA lending office," Wise said. "My dad was my original inspiration and had purchased a new Cessna Skylane in 1969," he said. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Air Force from 1974-78 as an air traffic controller at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. He described his job as an air traffic controller as "90% boredom and 10% sheer terror." "Of all the jobs I've done, I probably enjoyed that more than anything. It's hard to describe," he said. "It's a mind thing. It's sort of like playing 3D chess. Your mind has to work a certain way. Either you can do it or you can't." As he left the Air Force, Wise was hired as an air traffic controller for the Great Lakes region and traveled to the Oklahoma City area for six months of training. "I liked it here," he said. He changed his mind about his career. Instead of returning to Ohio, he remained in Oklahoma, where he still resides with Diane, his wife of 40 years. He works as a corporate pilot and flight instructor. Through the years, he said he's taught "dozens" of people to fly in central Oklahoma. "I hang out at the Sundance Airport, but I instruct all over town," he said. Wise said he visits Seneca County when he can. His mother, Loretta Wise, still lives in Old Fort. He has fond memories of his years growing up in Old Fort and hanging out at the Polar Bear ice cream shop – which he said was torn down in the early 1980s. "They had this special ice cream there, and chicken sandwiches that were unbelievable," he said. But during high school, his main interest was flying. Through the years, Wise said he's flown almost every single-engine plane, except for antiques. "It's one of the benefits of my age," he said. Because of his experience, he said he has enough hours flying older planes that insurance companies allow him to fly them across the country. For example, if someone buys an older plane in one part of the United States but lives elsewhere, Wise will be hired to fly the plane across the country. "About half a dozen instructors in the county are qualified," he said. "I get those jobs from time to time." Wise said he's expecting to fly for another 10 years – as long as he remains qualified by passing his medical review.