THE FRASCA STORY

Rudy Frasca 1958

Frasca International was founded in 1958 by Rudy Frasca. Rudy began taking flying lessons at the age of 14 and soloed shortly thereafter. In 1949, Rudy joined the Navy and was stationed at Glenview Naval Station, where he worked as a flight instructor teaching pilots on the early Link trainers. After the Korean War, Rudy left the Navy to attend the University of Illinois, where he did research in Aviation Psychology and honed his interest in the field of flight simulation. The more he worked with that early generation of pilot training devices, the more he realized that there had to be a better way. In 1958, putting together everything he had learned in the Navy and the University, Rudy built his first flight simulator at home in his garage and Frasca Aviation was founded (the name later changed to Frasca International to reflect the emerging character of the business).

With over 60 years of active flying, Rudy’s love of aviation is obvious. But aviation is not just a business for Rudy, it’s also his avocation. Over the years, Rudy has flown hundreds of aircraft and collected several, including a number of “warbirds,” all in flying condition: a P-40, a recently restored Spitfire Mk XVIII, a Wildcat, an SNJ, a T-34, a Fiat, and a Zero replica.

Rudy is active in many areas of aviation and has held every office in the Warbird’s of America organization. He has been a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) since 1956 and has loaned several of his aircraft to the EAA museum so that the general public can enjoy them. He has received numerous awards both for his personal efforts and for Frasca International’s success in the simulation industry.

Frasca International is located on Frasca Field, an FBO owned and operated by the Frasca family. The FBO also houses Frasca Air Museum which includes a collection of WWII aircraft.