This female pilot took an electric-powered trip from West Virginia to Wisconsin and stopped in DeKalb

DeKALB – In the cockpit, Jean Preckel knows her way around the dashboard controls like any pilot should.

The Bruceton Mills, West Virginia resident doesn’t lose focus, and she’s attentive to detail.

So, when an opportunity arose to take an electric-powered trip to Airventure, one of the largest air shows in the world, Preckel couldn’t resist the urge to fly.

“I thought it would be very educational, a lot of good experience, something challenging to do,” Preckel said. “I’ve tried gas-powered airplanes. The vibrations and the noise are too much for me. The electric airplane is much quieter. It doesn’t have the vibrations. It’s a lot less expensive to fly.”

On July 15, Preckel departed from Valley Point Airport in Albright, West Virginia flying an ultralight eGull by Earthstar Aircraft.

On the way to the air show, Preckel made 24 stops to recharge her plane.

She recalled the many sights and scenes along the way of the Chicago skyline, airports and clouds.

Preckel said the highlights from her trip that most intrigued her are easy to pinpoint.

“I think mostly just being up where I could look straight down and see all the fields and farmhouses,” Preckel said. “On the way out, it rained a lot. The next day when I flew, then I could see all the fields and places where it flooded. So, it’s a very interesting perspective. That perspective of seeing everything from above. You don’t get that in a car or any other transportation on the ground.”

On July 25, Preckel arrived at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport to recharge her plane.

Renee Riani, airport manager for the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport, said Preckel was calling around looking for airport locations capable of turning around a faster charge.

Preckel said she needed to have a 220 volt outlet in order to charge her plane and reach her destination in a timely manner.

“The 220 [volt outlet] is much harder to find,” she said. “Generally at airports if they have a 220 [volt outlet], then it’s usually what they would use for a welder. So, I have an adaptor, so I can charge it, plug in my charger to the welder outlet.”

Riani said that around the time of the air show is when the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport tends to see a great increase in the number of people coming in and taking advantage of the competitively priced fuel they offer.

“[Preckel] was one among the many enjoying our customer service that we’re really well known for,” Riani said.

Preckel said she’s glad she found the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport.

All the while Preckel’s husband, Mark Beierle, was supporting her by driving from one airport to the next carrying the chargers in the car.

Preckel said it meant a lot knowing that her husband was following her every step of the way.

On the way back home from the air show, Preckel returned July 30 to the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport to charge her plane again.

Preckel said she was impressed by both trips to the airport.

“They were very nice,” she said. “They have a lot of traffic. A lot of airplanes going to Oshkosh, so they had free hot dogs and drinks. So, you could just come in there. Most the other airplanes, of course, would fill up with gas. They could have a hot dog and talk to people and be on their way.”

In her route back home, Preckel had to stop only 18 times this time around to recharge.

“On the return trip, I had a fair wind, so sometimes I could skip some of the airports,” Preckel said. “The prevailing winds are out of the west, so I had a head wind most of the time going to Oshkosh.”

Preckel said it helped shorten the duration of the trip and the amount of time spent recharging the plane.

Preckel returned home from her trip on Aug. 3.