October 29, 2010 - Roy P. Shwery aviation pioneer, founder of Midstate Airlines and inductee Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame, passed away peacefully on Tuesday at the age of 87. Shwery had been involved in aviation since his first solo flight at the age of 16 in 1939 in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Shwery obtained a commercial and instructors pilots license and in 1942 upon graduating high school began giving flight instruction to other pilots. Shwery soon joined the army and began flying medium and heavy bombers in World War II. He obtained his instrument flight check in a B-17.

After the war in 1945 Shwery returned to Wisconsin where he continued his flight training and as well giving flight instruction. Shwery purchased a Navion aircraft and began providing charter services. In 1948 Shwery purchased an FBO in Marshfield, Wisconsin where he provided aircraft maintenance, aircraft charter service and flight instruction.

In its heyday, Midstate operated a fleet of 19 Metroliners and added six Fokker F-27 50-passenger aircraft in 1984 (which required a flight attendant and a certificate modification under FAA part 121 rules), and flew to 15 cities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Chicago O'Hare airport.

The airline was purchased from Shwery by Sentry Insurance of Stevens Point, and subsequently resold to CEO and investor Bryce Appleton in 1986. In a time of airline consolidation, code-sharing and identical livery agreements between commuter/regional aircraft and their major airline counterparts, Midstate remarkably remained independent, while its popularity and passenger load factors declined rapidly by 1987. 

In 1986, Midstate subleased the F-27 aircraft to Chicago Air, a start-up carrier that operated a regional service out of Chicago Midway International Airport. Midstate provided maintenance services to Chicago Air out of Central Wisconsin. However, Chicago Air went into bankruptcy the same year and Appleton purchased what remained of the Midstate's assets from Sentry Insurance. The Chicago O'Hare takeoff and landing slots were sold off and Appleton continued to operate the Swearingen Metroliners, establishing a hub in Milwaukee. However, the airline continued to cut back service and eventually ceased operations in 1989. 

In 1992, Shwery was inducted into the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame and in 1997, Marshfield Airport was named Roy Shwery Field in honor of Shwery's contributions to aviation.