PROFILE Up until that point, Joe had
worked as a mechanic. Now he was managing the business with the help of his dad. Around 2008, Nick started to
take a step back from the day-to- day operations. He spent more time driving his RV around the U.S. and enjoying the leisure time — especially enjoying warmer locations during the cold Wisconsin winters. Joe transitioned over the role of president. His dad had pretty much groomed him for the job, so he says the transition wasn’t too challenging. His dad was also just a phone call away when questions arose. Two years ago, Joe’s dad passed
flight school and a Part 135 operation at the airport, Gail Force Freight Company, and needed some help on the maintenance side. Joe ended up working weeknights helping out at Gail Force. “It got to be a lot of work for me,” he says. “I’d be at Blackhawk Airways during the day, go to Gail Force after work and work at Cottonwood on the weekends.” Eventually, business at the flight school at Cottonwood slowed down, so they closed up shop. Gail Force was expanding, and the company hired a few additional mechanics. This allowed Joe to leave, focusing on working at Blackhawk Airways. In 1994, Hansen bought Dick
Wixom out of Blackhawk Airways. Once again, Joe was working for Gail Force, this time at the Janesville airport. Joe says that when Gail Force
took over, things were going well. The company was still doing freight operations and outside maintenance. Then the company started to expand even more. They bought a company called Prompt-Air based at Chicago Midway that did cancelled check flights. They had operated three Aztecs and a Cessna 210. They had started with two MU-2s a 310, three Twin Beeches, two Barons
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and a Navajo. The mechanics were extremely busy — especially with the MU-2 inspections. “There was a lot of work,” Joe says. “We could work 10-hour days and weekends were optional if we wanted.”
BLACKHAWK AIRCRAFT
MAINTENANCE In the Winter of 1999, Joe’s dad Nick decided that Gail Force was going in a different direction than he was interested. He approached Joe and asked him if he’d like to start his own business. Joe was excited about the opportunity, and they decided to go into business for themselves. “We had a meeting with Bob Hansen and basically gave him a three-month notice that we were going to be starting up our own business,” Joe says. “He was OK with it, and he is still a customer of ours. We have remained friends to this day. During those three months, they were able to hire additional mechanics in preparation for our departure.” In 2000, Blackhawk Aircraft Maintenance opened its hangar doors. Nick was the president, Joe was the vice president and Nick’s wife Jeane was the secretary/treasurer.
away. “My dad passed away unexpectedly,” Joe shares. “The responsibility for the company got dropped in my lap really quick. Before that, even if he was in Florida, if I had a question, I could always give dad a call. He had the answers. Now I needed to rely on what dad taught me. I’m the one that needed to have the answers.”
PILOT/MECHANIC Joe earned his private pilot’s certificate in 1998, around the same time he received his IA. We asked him his thoughts on having a pilot’s license. “It’s nice to have,” he says. “You get an aspect of how the aircraft are supposed to operate in the air.”
ADVICE
What advice would Joe give to having a successful career in aviation? “Find yourself a nice grass-roots operation,” he shares. “Some of these guys want to go straight to the airlines. I’ve always been happy doing what I’m doing. I’ve been fortunate to work at companies that treated everyone like family. I’ve gotten my fingers in a lot of different aspects of the industry.
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