MKE SPOTTING PART 1

by Scott Jankowski · Published May 13, 2024

Story and Photographs by Scott Jankowski

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is my hometown airport, living just 9 miles to the west. Mitchell is currently served by 28 passenger and cargo airlines, please note that this number includes multiple regional airlines that operate under the mainline carrier’s name and titles. A good example of this is the American Eagle brand where multiple airlines operate in American Eagle colors, those being Air Wisconsin, Envoy, Jetstream, and Piedmont Airlines. In 2023, Mitchell saw close to 97,000 aircraft movements of all types and handled approximately 6 million passengers. Mitchell’s passenger airlines utilize 2 concourses and a stand-alone International Arrivals building with a total of 36 jetways in use. The third concourse has been closed for many years and may eventually be renovated and will replace the current international arrivals facility. The current cargo facility is located on the West side of the airport adjacent to Runway 7 right and features parking for up to 15 aircraft. Mitchell is also the home base for Air Cargo Carriers and Freight Runners Express with Air Wisconsin and SkyWest Airlines having maintenance facilities here as well. Textron Aviation also has a maintenance facility at Mitchell performing work on Cessna, Beechcraft, and Hawker aircraft with an emphasis on the Cessna Citation line.

The Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 128th Air Refueling Wing is based at Mitchell and flies the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker with 8 aircraft currently based at Mitchell. A total of three FBO’s (Fixed Base Operators) are located at Mitchell and include Signature Flight Support, Avflight, and Jet In. Major corporations have hangers at Mitchell and include Johnson Controls, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance, Rockwell Automation and Harley Davidson using a mixture of business jets. Mitchell has 2 primary runways, the 9,990-foot long 19R/1L and the 8,300-foot long 7R/25Land can safely accommodate any aircraft currently flying. There are plenty of locations to spot and photograph the action at Mitchell with 2 “officially” recognized observation areas, and several other spots around the airport including the centrally located 6 story parking garage. We are very fortunate that the current airport administration is very pro and spotter friendly.

Mitchell will never be overly busy owing to its close proximity to the major hub airports of Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis, however Mitchell does get a fair share of interesting visitors many seen here in part 1 of this 2-part article. If you are in the vicinity, you should consider a stop at Mitchell, you never know what will stop in. Until next time, “Blue Skies To All!”