scroll to learn about our museum
Museum Story
Located on the peaceful countryside Brodhead airport, The Alfred & Lois Kelch Aviation Museum celebrates the Golden Age of Aviation – the science, the technology, and the stories that launched aviation into the modern age.
We focus on the Golden Age of Aviation: A rich and riotous era full of record-breakers, barnstormers, and home-built aircraft, the years between the World Wars brought about stunning developments in aviation. Air mail, ocean crossings, speed and endurance records, and hundreds of new aircraft fueled the imaginations of a world obsessed with flight.
In 2004, the entirety of Alfred & Lois Kelch’s vintage aircraft collection was placed into the Alfred & Lois Kelch Charitable Trust, along with funds to “…keep the hangars open”. In 2012, the trust board decided the doors should be open – and more. With the help of hundreds of donors and supporters, we’ve become a true museum.
Your Museum Team
Patrick Weeden
executive director
Pat Weeden grew up as an “airport rat” around the Brodhead Airport, and has been to just about every event there since the early 1970s. He comes from a family of pilots, airplane mechanics, vintage airplane restorers and nerds, so you could say avgas runs in his veins. After serving on several non-profit museum boards in the region, he came to the Kelch Aviation Museum in 2014 to organize the collection, plan the new museum facility, and raise funding for its completion.
Ami Eckard-Lee
creative Director
Ami is our creative director, and her name is pronounced “Amigo without the Go!” Ami is the mastermind behind the museum’s vintage style, from exhibits to posters and signage. She also plans and directs our kid’s tours (and adult tours) and creates activities for museum guests of all ages. She is also in charge of all of the museum’s “stuff,” including 10,000+ publications, vintage pilot gear, hundreds of paintings and prints, thousands of photographs, and much more.
Ami recently earned her Sport Pilot license, completing all of her flight training and testing in a 1931 Curtiss CW-1 “Junior.” She can also be seen hosting her own television series, “Field Notes on Climate” on the PBS Wisconsin Education channel.
Hannah Shickles
Chief Curator
Hannah is our Chief Museum Curator and Events Coordinator. After earning her pilot’s license, she went on to earn a degree in Aviation Management and build a background in aviation safety — skills that now come full circle as she helps care for and even fly aircraft from the museum’s collection.
When she’s not coordinating events or taking to the skies, Hannah researches and designs museum displays that make aviation history engaging and accessible for visitors of all ages. She also hosts the museum’s video series, History with Hannah, where she shares fun stories, fascinating facts, and behind-the-scenes looks at the collection. Whether she’s in the cockpit, curating an exhibit, or on camera talking history, Hannah is always finding new ways to keep the spirit of aviation alive.
Our Board
The board of directors oversees all financial aspects and long range planning for the museum. They ensure adherence to Al & Lois Kelch’s original mission of aviation opportunities and STEM-based education for people of all ages.
Our current museum board consists of:
Ann-Marie Elmer, Brodhead, WI; president
Kent McMakin, Rockton, IL; vice-president
Eric Berens, Stevens Point, WI; secretary
Jaine Winters, Brodhead, WI; treasurer
Ken Essman, Burlington, WI; member at large
Volunteers
Volunteers are the fuel that keeps the museum flying!
From educators to pilots to mechanics to photographers, our amazing volunteers are what make the museum a special place.
Current volunteers include:
- Outreach volunteers & Educators Michael-John Jaeger, Mike Flory, and Nick Hein
- All around helpers Karl Wedel, Mark Buehl, Jeff Skiles, Tom Hegy
- Librarians Nancy Kopp and Skyla
- Mechanics Kent McMakin, Mike Weeden, and Chad Wille
Sister Organizations:
A special thank you to our donors and sponsors!
2026 Sponsors:
- Jennifer Elliott Real Estate
- Ron Alexander Youth Aviation Program
- Mike’s Flooring and Furniture
- Kuhn
- Brodhead Optimist Club
Major Donors:
- Wagner-Essman Foundation
- Knight Foundation
- Joranlien family
- Rudy Kopp
- Jakob Robinson
- Anne Pellegrino
Collaborators:
- Brodhead Airport (C37)
- EAA Chapter 431
- Boy Scout Troop 108
- Students in Aviation International
Major Museum Supporters
Rudy Kopp & family
Local legend Rudy Kopp was a fixture at the Brodhead airport, whether flying, masterminding cookouts for fly-ins, or showing people the sky with his telescope.
Rudy’s love of aviation and learning lives on in the museum’s archive & library, named in his honor in 2021.
The William S. Knight FOundation
The William S. Knight Foundation has been a major partner in museum funding; In fact, our main hangar is named, “The Bill & Sue Knight Memorial Vintage Aircraft and Auto Hangar” in their honor.
Kent & Sandra Joranlien
Kent was a charter member of EAA Chapter 431, located next door to us on Brodhead Airport. He and Sandra were early supporters of our museum, and our Phase II building will be named, “The Kent E. Joranlien Memorial Fellowship Hall” to honor his legacy.
The Brodhead Area Foundation
Led by a community-based board of directors, the Brodhead Area Foundation Inc. supports local organizations that enhance the Brodhead community and support the people & organizations who make this their home.
The Wagner-Essman foundation
The Wagner-Essman foundation, operated by the Wagner family of the Wag-Aero aviation company, support many nonprofits in Wisconsin and beyond.
The museum’s Welcome Atrium is named in honor of Richard “Dick” Wagner, who, with his wife Bobbie, founded Wag-Aero.
The Kelch Story
Based around the stunning vintage aircraft that our namesake Alfred Kelch collected, our museum brings the story of the Golden Age of Aviation to life.
The aviation legacy of the years between the World Wars changed the course of history, and at Kelch Aviation Museum we keep that legacy alive through education, preservation, and good old barnstormer-style pizazz.
