Historic flight plan

1948: Wisconsin Central Airlines across Wisconsin

A Michel Lagneau historic route presented as a clear cockpit briefing, ready to help you prepare the simulator, follow each stopover and enjoy the journey.

Period1948AuthorMichel LagneauReading4 min

19Waypoints~ 1 433 kmDistance3Segments

Interactive route, leg by leg, with animated playback.

Real route map

Approximate track based on the article waypoints and available aeronautical coordinates.

01Milwaukee and Madison02Lake Michigan03Northern Wisconsin

Pre-flight briefing

Wisconsin Central Airlines across Wisconsin

Understand the mission

Start with the historic context: it sets the atmosphere, aircraft choice and overall logic of the journey.

Prepare the simulator

Check scenery, recommended aircraft, fuel and weather before launching the first leg.

Follow the legs

Use the airport codes, flying times and route notes to build your navigation leg by leg.

Enjoy the journey

Let the route shape the experience: adjust lighting, document waypoints and take time to rediscover the story.

Historic flight plan

Michel Lagneau route notebook

Settle into the cockpit, prepare your aircraft and follow the journey as a proper historic crossing.

A regional route through Wisconsin

Wisconsin Central Airlines was founded in 1944 and served the state of Wisconsin in the late 1940s. The route is based on documents found through Timetable Images, the site maintained by Björn Larsson and David Zekria, whose archive work on historic airline timetables is invaluable.

This flight plan recreates the feeling of a local airline: short legs, municipal airports, industrial towns, the Lake Michigan shoreline, Door County, then the forests and lakes of northern Wisconsin. It is a perfect route for low, careful flying and for feeling how post-war regional networks were stitched together.

Year1948

A post-war American local-service atmosphere.

AircraftSingle or twin

A small regional aircraft or light twin fits the route well.

NavigationVOR / ADF

GPS is recommended as a backup for the many airfields.

SceneryWisconsin

Lakes, forests, mid-size cities and Midwest countryside.

Preparing the flight

Choose a touring single or a small twin: this is a regional route, not a long-haul flight.
Fly at a moderate altitude to enjoy visual references: Lake Michigan, valleys, fields and forests.
Keep GPS as a safety net, but use radio aids if you want a more classic navigation rhythm.
The trip becomes long through many short hops, so it works very well over several sessions.

Suggested route

Southeastern Wisconsin

Fly this chapter as an organized sequence, keeping the departures, arrivals and stops shown in the navigation cards.

KENW → KMWC → KUES → KRYV → KMSN

Madison, Wisconsin Dells and Lake Michigan

This chapter sets the logic of the Madison, Wisconsin Dells and Lake Michigan segment: move step by step without compressing the historical progression.

KMSN → KDLL → KSBM → KFLD → KMTW

Lake Winnebago and Door County

This chapter sets the logic of the Lake Winnebago and Door County segment: move step by step without compressing the historical progression.

KMTW → KOSH → KATW → KSUE → KGRB

Central Wisconsin

This chapter sets the logic of the Central Wisconsin segment: move step by step without compressing the historical progression.

KGRB → KCLI → KSTE → KAUW

Northern Wisconsin

This chapter sets the logic of the Northern Wisconsin segment: move step by step without compressing the historical progression.

KAUW → KEAU → KASX → KRHI

Navigation steps

Southeastern WisconsinRacine / Kenosha KENW → Milwaukee Timmerman KMWC Depart from the southeast corner of the state and make a short climb toward Milwaukee. Approximate time: 31 min.
Milwaukee KMWC → Waukesha KUES A very short leg to Waukesha County. Approximate time: 10 min.
Waukesha KUES → Watertown KRYV Leave the urban area for a more rural navigation feel. Approximate time: 23 min.
Watertown KRYV → Madison KMSN Arrive at Dane County Regional / Truax, one of the major stops of the route. Approximate time: 27 min.
Madison, Wisconsin Dells and Lake MichiganMadison KMSN → Baraboo / Portage KDLL Head toward Baraboo Wisconsin Dells, gateway to slightly more rolling terrain. Approximate time: 30 min.
Baraboo / Portage KDLL → Sheboygan KSBM A longer crossing toward the Lake Michigan shoreline and Sheboygan County Memorial. Approximate time: 85 min.
Sheboygan KSBM → Fond du Lac KFLD Turn back inland toward the southern end of Lake Winnebago. Approximate time: 28 min.
Fond du Lac KFLD → Manitowoc KMTW Another connection back to the Lake Michigan shore. Approximate time: 41 min.
Lake Winnebago and Door CountyManitowoc KMTW → Oshkosh KOSH Head to Wittman Regional, a legendary field for aviation enthusiasts. Approximate time: 39 min.
Oshkosh KOSH → Appleton KATW A short hop to Outagamie County Regional. Approximate time: 16 min.
Appleton KATW → Sturgeon Bay KSUE Fly toward Door County and the northeastern peninsula of Wisconsin. Approximate time: 58 min.
Sturgeon Bay KSUE → Green Bay KGRB Return to Austin Straubel International. Approximate time: 37 min.
Central WisconsinGreen Bay KGRB → Clintonville KCLI A small municipal-airport hop typical of the local network. Approximate time: 27 min.
Clintonville KCLI → Stevens Point / Wisconsin Rapids KSTE Move toward the centre of the state and Stevens Point Municipal. Approximate time: 34 min.
Stevens Point KSTE → Wausau Downtown KAUW A short leg to Wausau, with the scenery becoming gradually more forested. Approximate time: 23 min.
Northern WisconsinWausau KAUW → Eau Claire KEAU A longer westbound branch toward Chippewa Valley Regional. Approximate time: 79 min.
Eau Claire KEAU → Ashland KASX A major climb north toward Lake Superior and Kennedy Memorial. Approximate time: 104 min.
Ashland KASX → Rhinelander KRHI Final leg to Rhinelander / Oneida County, deep in the wooded north. Approximate time: 82 min.

Atmosphere tips

This route works well with light variable weather: a few clouds, decent visibility and modest winds make the approaches lively without making the short legs tedious. Keep a reasonable altitude to enjoy the transition from southeastern urban areas to farmland, Great Lakes shoreline and northern forests.