James “Jim” Johengen

Jim Johengen is a United States Air Force veteran who currently owns a small engine repair business. Jim got became mechanically inclined earlier in his life and worked for his father’s small engine shop before joining the military right out of high school. Jim spent 25.5 years in active duty as a vehicle operator/dispatcher, which brought him to many places in the United States, as well as Korea. This position included tasks like transportation of crew; for example, Jim would take pilots to their airplanes and then pick them up when they were done with their mission. He would also dispatch vehicles to crews that needed them and kept up on vehicle maintenance. Jim misses some aspects of the Air Force, like the different ceremonies that were held, but is glad to not have to worry about other aspects like always being in uniform.

Throughout his life, Jim has been in a number of aviation clubs and EAA chapters. He got involved with chapters in multiple states like Ohio, Nevada, and South Dakota. Jim stated that he got pretty involved with an EAA chapter in South Dakota. During his involvement in this chapter, he had to move to Korea for the Air Force which led to a 4 year break from aviation. Once he returned to the United States, he got back into aviation by joining an ultralight aviation group in Illinois. He eventually moved up to Wisconsin and joined the 509 chapter in Eau Claire. “I know why I joined is to get to know people, and to get to know Eau Claire”. Jim also mentioned that the 509 chapter has some nice features, compared to other chapters and aviation clubs. He likes the fact that the 509 Chapter has its own clubhouse, which eliminates the need to find and rent spaces for meetings and events. The young eagles program also stood out to him as a positive part of the chapter’s mission. He enjoys seeing kids who were exposed to aviation through this program eventually become commercial pilots.