By Tom Lindfors

NEW RICHMOND, WI – In his lifetime, Jay Schrankler has owned five aircraft including a gyroplane he built himself. He got his first taste of flying as an 8-year-old visiting his grandparents in Columbus, Ohio. His grandfather, Floyd, was friends with an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper.

“Back then it wasn’t hard to get a ride with my grandfather’s friend. So many times, I went up in the trooper’s Cessna 172 and flew highway patrol with him,” Schrankler recounted. “That sparked my interest (in flying).”

The new digital technology has only become affordable for small aircraft owners in the last 6-8 years. Upgrading not only makes economic sense it adds capability to the aircraft and makes flying it safer.

“This latest round of technology which now incorporates all the modern solid-state electronics and high-definition screens initially reserved for commercial and corporate aircraft makes it possible for everybody to have really advanced guidance equipment and controls for their aircraft,” Banitz explained. “It does a lot for safety and situational awareness for the pilot.”

Advancements in avionics technology including touch-screen interfaces, next-generation flight management systems and advanced connectivity solutions have enabled regional airports like New Richmond to become a viable base for corporate jet services that depend on flying regardless of weather conditions to be profitable.

A new basic four-seat plane costs more than a million dollars in today’s market and makes retrofitting an older plane with new avionics a smart decision.

“The average age of the general aviation fleet in this country is roughly 30 years,” Banitz said. “It’s far more cost effective to upgrade the airplane to modern avionics than to purchase a new airplane. Even though the upgrades are expensive they’re only a fraction of the cost to buy a new plane.”

“When people change airplanes, it’s different from what we do. We can take an existing old airplane and make it like the next new airplane,” Schrankler said. “We are unique and one of our goals is to grow this business to be really big.”

Perceptive Avionics provides pilots with a highly personalized process. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It starts with inventorying what a particular plane has equipment and instrument wise, determining what capabilities the pilot requires, the new technology options available to meet those needs and accommodating his budget.

Pilots typically work through several iterations with Schrankler’s team before arriving at the optimal configuration.

“The customer drives the timeline and will frequently ask for our advice,” Schrankler said.

Banitz added, “The fact that we are also pilots is an essential part of being able to do this job.”

Once the tech is matched with the needs, a customized installation takes place to ensure the new digital tech communicates reliably with the mechanics of the aircraft.

Before they hand the keys back to the pilot, Perceptive Avionics makes sure he is comfortable with his new interface.

“We’re unique in that respect. We offer two hours of complimentary training in your airplane. It’s included in your purchase.” Schrankler said. “There are also simulators that you can put on your iPad so you can simulate what the new configuration will look like, how it will perform and practice using it.”

What’s Next – Schrankler and Banitz are focused on accelerating the growth of their business. They expect to be moving into a new facility this summer triple the size of their current facility.

“In the next three years, we should have up to 11 people employed here. That’s doubling our workforce in the next three years,” Schrankler said.

They are also looking to expand their partnerships with flight schools where they train pilots to take care of their aircraft and help upgrade the avionics in the school’s fleet of aircraft.

Stemming from their receipt of Garmin’s coveted Bronze Award for sales and service based on customer feedback, they are looking to benefit from potential partnerships facilitated by Garmin with other companies around the state to retrofit additional aircraft.

Schrankler and Banitz also devote time to experimenting and developing new products they hope to someday bring to the market. Schrankler calls it their Skunk Works®, a tribute to Lockheed Martin’s legendary think tank responsible for “developing aircraft systems that push the boundaries of what’s possible.”

“We come up with these ideas and rather than let them go to waste, we see if we can develop some of our own products, something we would probably spin out of the business down the road,” Schrankler said.

Community – Math meets Imagination – “The nice thing about aviation is it covers so many disciplines in STEM from fluid dynamics and physics principles to power and engineering,” Schrankler said.

When he is not busy designing a custom avionics package for a customer, you can find Banitz introducing kids to aviation using model airplanes.

In December he hosted 10 kids ages 5-16 yrs for a build day at the airport. Working with the local Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter, he helped kids build free flight gliders out of foamboard kits he laser cut for them. The day started with education about the principle of flight emphasizing the need for balance between the wings and tail of an airplane.

By the time the gliders took flight, everyone had been modified from its stock configuration.

“You’d be surprised to see what flies if you balance it properly,” Banitz said.

Just the Facts: Perceptive Avionics Corp, Jay Schrankler – CEO, Lucian Banitz – Co-Owner. Formed: 2021. Address: 625 West Hangar Road, Hangar 16 -1, New Richmond, WI 54017. Phone: 715-338-4080. Website:  perceptiveavionics.com. Employees: 5, Sq. ft.: 3,600 (10,000 June 1, 2025).

Submitted by DCF

MADISON, WI – The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) honored nine individuals and teams today (April 18, 2025) at the 2025 Secretary’s Putting Families First Awards. The awards were presented during a celebration at the Pyle Center as part of Wisconsin’s proclaimed month-long recognition of Family Strengthening Month.

DCF Secretary-designee Jeff Pertl and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez presented the awards, highlighting the impactful work being done across the child welfare system. St. Croix County Assistant Corporation Counsel Anjali Patel and Guardian ad Litem Teresa Baier were among the nine that received the DCF’s 2025 Putting Families First Award. Anjali and Teresa were nominated as community partners in recognition of their dedication and continued collaboration with the families served by Children Services.

“Wisconsin succeeds when the families within it do. I was honored to join all the wonderful award recipients who have done so much to better the lives of not just our young people, but also mothers, fathers, and families,” said Lt. Gov. Rodriguez. “I want to thank these awardees for their tireless work and recognize the many organizations, providers, and individuals who join them in bettering the lives of children and families across our great state.”

Recipients of the award were selected because of their efforts to transform Wisconsin’s child welfare system to be more family-focused, collaborative, and in-home.

“Stability, connectedness, and belonging are essential for families to grow and thrive. Together, parents, professionals and community partners have worked diligently to serve even more families in-home with programs and services needed for success,” said DCF Secretary Jeff Pertl. “These efforts deserve to be celebrated because when families thrive, so do our communities. I am proud to honor such caring and compassionate individuals.”

This year’s recipients include leadership, adapting and implementing Family First initiatives, and having a proven record of ensuring the well-being of children and families. This year’s recipients include:

Community Partners: Teresa Baier and Anjali Patel, Community Collaboration of St. Croix County, and Navigation Network of Walworth County, and Crystal McClain received recognition for their strong collaboration with their local child welfare agency and other community partners to keep families safely together and in their homes. Their efforts in supporting and advocating for youth, families, and child welfare system change were also celebrated.

Parents with Lived Experience: Natasha Broxton, Samantha Copus, and Alyssa Hake all received recognition for serving as a support to other families who are serving as a vital support to other families navigating the child welfare system or involved in the child welfare system. The honorees were also recognized for their passion in sharing information and encouraging system change.

Child Welfare Professionals: Valerie Blackdeer and Sadie Garvin, Lexi Rachner, and Haleigh Thomas all received recognition for their passion for innovative approaches to reducing barriers to keep families together and keeping them connected to their communities and culture.

To learn more about DCF, visit dcf.wisconsin.gov and follow @WisDCF on Facebook.

Submitted by NIH

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is adopting a new initiative to expand innovative, human-based science while reducing animal use in research. Developing and using cutting-edge alternative nonanimal research models aligns with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent initiative  to reduce testing in animals. While traditional animal models continue to be vital to advancing scientific knowledge, using new and emerging technologies can offer unique strengths that, when utilized correctly or in combination, can expand the toolbox for researchers to answer previously difficult or unanswerable biomedical research questions.

“For decades, our biomedical research system has relied heavily on animal models. With this initiative, NIH is ushering in a new era of innovation,” said NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. “By integrating advances in data science and technology with our growing understanding of human biology, we can fundamentally reimagine the way research is conducted—from clinical development to real-world application. This human-based approach will accelerate innovation, improve healthcare outcomes, and deliver life-changing treatments. It marks a critical leap forward for science, public trust, and patient care.”

Some bodies of research have been inconclusive on the efficacy of translating the results of animal models to human diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. These translational challenges to humans may be due to differences in anatomy, physiology, lifespan, and disease characteristics. While humans and animals may share genes, some studies have shown there could be functional differences between organ and body systems that may result in some translational limitations.

New and emerging technologies have begun to allow researchers to study health and disease using human information, making them an alternative avenue to yield replicable, translatable, and efficient results either alone or in combination with animal models. These technologies include:

• Organoids, tissue chips, and other in vitro systems that allow scientists to model human disease and capture human variability and patient-specific characteristics.
• Computational models which simulate complex biological human systems, disease pathways, and drug interactions.
• Real-world data that allow scientists to study health outcomes in humans at community and population levels.

To integrate innovative human-based science, the NIH intends to establish the Office of Research Innovation, Validation, and Application (ORIVA) within NIH’s Office of the Director. The new office will coordinate NIH-wide efforts to develop, validate, and scale the use of non-animal approaches across the agency’s biomedical research portfolio and serve as a hub for interagency coordination and regulatory translation for public health protection.

ORIVA will expand funding and training in non-animal approaches and awareness of their value in translational success. New funding opportunities will include evaluation criteria that assess methods based on their suitability for the research question, context of use, translatability, and human relevance. Infrastructure for non-animal approaches will also be expanded to make these methods more accessible to researchers.

In addition, grant review staff will participate in mitigation training to address any possible bias towards animal studies and integrate experts on alternative methods into study sections. NIH will also publicly report on research spending annually to measure progress toward reduction of funding for animal studies and an increase in funding for human-based approaches.

NIH, is the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit nih.gov.