Carl F. Rindlisbacher

Carl Rindlisbacher was born in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, but developed his passion for aviation and weather while serving as an observer with the Army Air Force in the Pacific during World War II.

A teacher by profession, Carl assumed the duties of volunteer manager at Rice Lake's Arrowhead Airport in 1957. He mowed the grass, plowed the snow and went out of his way to welcome travelers who were using the field. Carl continued to observe the weather, monitoring short-wave Weather Bureau broadcasts, preparing countless hand-drawn weather maps and sharing the information with pilots and anyone else who asked.

A tireless advocate for airport improvement, Carl persuaded the city to pave the runway, obtained a military surplus truck for a snowplow and acquired a non-directional beacon and distance measuring equipment to aid pilots when weather was inclement. More than anything else, Carl lobbied for a new, up-to-date airport for his hometown.

Carl retired in 1992, after twenty-five years as a paid airport manager and many more as an unpaid volunteer. For over four decades, he was the radio voice of Rice Lake and the person waiting in the office to greet arrivals, no matter the lateness of the hour.

Dedicated in 1995, the new Rice Lake Regional Airport was named Carl's Field in his honor.