Airline & Flight Experience
Delta Air Lines captain and Airline Transport Pilot since age 21, with experience in flight instruction and aircraft operations.
Full-spectrum aviation services,
built in Yankton for aircraft owners across the Northern Plains.
FAA Part 145 Repair Station · Certificate No. RWSR491E · RWAS Avionics Desk · KYKN, Yankton
Roger Wilco Aviation Services is an FAA-certificated repair station at KYKN in Yankton, providing full-spectrum airframe, powerplant, avionics, and non-destructive testing services to general aviation, corporate, and commercial operators across the Northern Plains. The station is authorized under Certificate No. RWSR491E for a complete range of maintenance, repair, and alteration work.
Four Decades in Aviation
RWAS began in 2022 as a single-hangar maintenance shop serving the local general-aviation fleet. John Halsted founded the company after recognizing that aircraft owners across the Northern Plains often had to travel hundreds of miles for advanced avionics work.
Early work centered on annual inspections, airframe repair, and conventional avionics service. The shop then expanded into Garmin panel upgrades, non-destructive testing, precision fabrication, and the in-house Papa-Alpha tool line.
That steady expansion led to today’s FAA-certificated repair station: one Yankton operation combining airframe, powerplant, avionics, NDT, and fabrication capabilities for general aviation, corporate, and commercial operators.
Meet John Halsted
John Halsted is a veteran Delta Air Lines captain with more than 40 years of experience in airline operations, aircraft maintenance, avionics systems, and flight instruction. He earned his Airline Transport Pilot certificate at 21 and has built his career on both sides of the cockpit—flying the line and turning wrenches.
At RWAS, John sets the technical standards behind inspections, repairs, and avionics installations. His operational experience keeps the work focused on how aircraft are actually flown, maintained, documented, and supported after delivery.
John also guides Garmin installation strategy, shop capability development, and the practical problems that become Papa-Alpha tools. He remains responsible for the company’s long-term technical direction.
Technical Oversight
Setting practical standards for maintenance, documentation, avionics installation, and post-delivery support.
Product Development
Turning recurring shop and rigging problems into fabrication improvements and Papa-Alpha tools.
Meet Ryan Snell
Ryan helps turn ideas into finished work at Roger Wilco Aviation Services. As Operations & Project Manager, he connects customer communication, logistics, fabrication, shop operations, and the day-to-day details that keep projects moving forward.
Ryan also supports RWAS’s Garmin avionics work by coordinating customer questions, product information, parts, schedules, and project details for aircraft upgrades. He helps keep the many moving pieces organized from the first conversation through delivery.
From managing Papa-Alpha tool orders to helping develop new fabrication capabilities, Ryan brings a practical, hands-on approach to every project. He values clear communication, thoughtful problem-solving, and dependable work customers can trust.
Garmin & Customer Support
Coordinating product information, customer questions, parts, schedules, and project details for Garmin avionics work.
Operations & Logistics
Keeping orders, materials, schedules, and team details moving from the first question through delivery.
Fabrication & Projects
Helping move Papa-Alpha tools and new shop capabilities from practical ideas to finished work.
FIG. 01
Custom, precision laser-cut, powder coated, & UV printed to perfection, single panel for a Cessna 182RG.
Precision Rigging, Built In-House
One of the unique capabilities to come out of the RWAS shop is the Papa-Alpha line of precision rigging reference tools for Piper aircraft. Designed by Halsted after years of frustration with imprecise field methods for flight control rigging, the Papa-Alpha tools are CNC-machined from aircraft-grade aluminum, powder coated, and UV printed with permanent reference markings.
The tools cover stabilator, rudder, aileron, flap, and bell crank rigging for the PA-28, PA-30, PA-31, and PA-36 series — replacing the guesswork and tribal knowledge that has plagued Piper rigging for decades. Papa-Alpha tools are now shipped worldwide to maintenance shops, flight schools, and individual owners, and are available through rogerwilcoaviation.com, Aircraft Spruce, and Amazon.
NDT, Fabrication & Laser Cutting
Beyond avionics and airframe maintenance, RWAS operates non-destructive testing services including eddy current, dye penetrant, and magnetic particle inspection. The shop also maintains a sheet metal fabrication capability for structural repairs, custom cowlings, and bracket fabrication in aircraft-grade aluminum alloys.
Recent additions include a fiber laser cutting and welding system, enabling precision work on thin-gauge metals that was previously outsourced. This technology supports both aircraft work and the manufacturing of Papa-Alpha tools in-house.
Honest Work, Documented Right.
To deliver honest, professional aircraft maintenance and avionics work — on time, documented correctly, and built to last. Every aircraft that leaves this shop is one we’d fly ourselves.
We don’t just fix aircraft — we keep them flying safely.