There are a handful of signs at the entrance to Wisener Field, including a notable mileage signpost. Consideration should be given to adding one: “Anecdotes and flying stories ahead.” 

It is impossible to sit down with Lupita and Rob Wisener without aviation anecdotes, stories of historical feats and amusing insights into the early years of aviation. It happens without one becoming aware of it. An innocent question about a photograph is likely to launch a primary story and a couple of amplifying stories.  

It is only rightly so. Wisener Field is likely the oldest privately-owned, public airfield in Texas. Next June, it will have been in the Wisener family for exactly 100 years. 

If there is a repository of aviation history, it rightfully is Wisener Field and the family which continues to shepherd it. The 3,200-foot north/south oriented runways are often spoken of by pilots as ‘historic Wisener Field.’

The upcoming 12 months will be hugely important for the aviation capability of Wood County. The extension of Wood County Airport is predicted to become an economic driver in the county.  Understandably, the attention of the aviation world will be drawn to the significantly-enhanced capabilities soon to be operational at Wood County Collins Field.

In light of this welcome development, it is only appropriate that the capability and continuing service of Wisener Field not be forgotten. 

A morning spent with Lupita Wisener and son, Rob, rounded out a better understanding of the value of Wisener Field.

It is known by its unique Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Identifier 3F9. Two parallel runways (the eastern being paved, and the western a grass strip) service small aircraft under visual flight rules. 

The first surprising attribute of the field is the size. It occupies 60 acres in west Mineola, straddling the city boundaries, with an adjacent 30 acres owned by the Wiseners and available for use. The facility includes 19 outbuildings. Several hangars provide covered spots for around 70 aircraft.  

One of those hangars hosts a mechanics shop. Three FAA-certified airframe and power-plant mechanics are based at Wisener, with a fourth who sorties out of Mineola to provide mechanic services further afield. Additionally, two aviation inspectors also base out of Wisener. The inspectors conduct annually-required airworthiness inspections.

The remaining hangars are leased by a whole range of aviation enthusiasts, many of them retired from a career in the cockpit, for their prized flying machines.

When considering that there are also two flight instructors who regularly use the field for pilot lessons, the picture begins to come into focus that there is much more going on at Wisener Field than may be evident.

“And of course,” Lupita Wisener stated, “our main customers are recreational flyers, but we also have people that fly out of the airfield regularly on business.”

The backdrop to all this activity, however, is a long and colorful history. 

The first thing one views when driving into the airfield, the derrick and beacon, is a great example of this. The green rotating beacon was originally part of the aeronautical navigation system guiding aircraft on Red Airway Route #10 between Atlanta and Dallas.  The beacon was originally erected, in 1928, on high ground just to the north near the intersection of County Road 2220 and Highway 69 – on the present property of Sorelle Farms. 

Lupita said that when the Department of Commerce decommissioned that system in 1946, students who were in training at Wisener Field took it upon themselves to disassemble the derrick and beacon, move it to Wisener and reconstruct it on site.

“It is yet operational today. We maintain it twice a year and it is in good shape,” Lupita noted.

The historical centerpiece of the field is, naturally, the museum housed two hangars down from the fixed base operations building. The museum documents the amazing life of aviation pioneer Robert H. Wisener and the many roles played by Wisener Field throughout the years.  

In 1917, as a young boy, Wisener came to what was then an emergency Army Air Field and saw his first airplane. He came to lease the airfield in 1926 and purchased it in 1940. The stories of the Wisener family and the airfield are tightly entwined.  

Discussions with Lupita and Rob lead easily from stories of barnstorming to military flight training, from planning of global circumnavigation to the procedures used by the very first mechanics and the joyride flight taken by two young boys – Everett Nix and Howard Wisener, who had to work the controls as a team -- from the airfield to Tyler Pounds Airport and return.  

There are also stories of notable aviation personalities, such as Charles Lindbergh, as well as stories of foreign pilots using the LINK trainer, the early years of commercial aviation, wing-walking and technological development.

Rob explained that aviation, especially the early years, was a romantic endeavor. Lupita added, “It is an emotional connection for our family.”  

In the flying community, Wisener Field has become a bit of a historical pilgrimage. The grass strip is also a draw for many private pilots. It is not unusual, Lupita noted, to have flyers from the far reaches of the world visit the airport. 

It is the family’s hope to continue leveraging the historical record of Wisener Field to ensure its perpetuity. The museum is well on its way to being completely redesigned and reorganized. Liaison with civic authorities and community developers will be used to generate greater visibility for the airfield. Long term objectives also include restoration of the 1946 workshop and the pilot training room – both of which had been locked in time from the 1940s.  

Part curator and part storyteller, Lupita also wakes each day to the normal concerns of running a commercial business. Fuel costs, maintenance requirements and serving the clientele top the daily to-do list.  

That clientele, she explained, was actually two groups: those who presently use the airfield and the next generation of aviation enthusiasts. 

Through the very close relationship with the Experimental Aircraft Association, Young Eagle Days – where-in children are given their first flights – are fully supported. Usually, one is staged at Wood County Collins Field and one at Wisener Field each year. The objective is simple, to bring the joy and exhilaration of flying to young people.

Lupita described two such future pilots.

Middle-schooler Andrew Morrison is a Young Eagle and has his heart set on becoming a pilot. The family, residing in Tyler, participated in this year’s Young Eagle Day at Wood County Airport. Andrew’s motivation for flying has influenced his father to learn how to fly as well.

It was a flight from Longview to Mineola which ignited the interest of young Emily Gibson. She flew with her pilot/grandfather Randall Gayle, to deliver a sibling to Sky Ranch. The three set down at Wisener, and Lupita witnessed the sense of wonder which young Emily had after experiencing the flight. When they lifted off for the return to Longview, they sent a photo of Emily in the aircraft. 

To Lupita and Rob Wisener, the photograph of Emily in a pilot’s seat is the reason they continue to develop historic Wisener Field.