Bill was Editor-in-Chief of Business & Commercial Aviation from 2000 to 2020. During his stewardship, the monthly magazine received scores of awards for editorial excellence.
He is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award from the National Business Aviation Association; the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Aerospace Media Awards; the Aviation Journalism Award from the National Air Transportation Association; and an Aerospace Journalist of the Year Award for Business Aviation.
Previously, Bill served as Managing Editor of Aviation Week Television. He was the top editor for both Flying and Professional Pilot magazines, as well as a member of the senior editorial staff at Reader's Digest. He also managed communications for FlightSafety International.
Bill has authored or co-authored three aviation books, was an essayist for National Public Radio, wrote aviation documentaries for The Discovery Channel and has written for numerous publications including The New York Times, Smithsonian Air & Space, Popular Mechanics and The Associated Press, among others.
An active aviator, Bill holds a Commercial Pilot license, along with multiengine, instrument, seaplane and glider ratings.
En route from Oxford, Miss., to Rochester, Minn., the pilots of a Cessna Citation 560 diverted to Ellen Church Field, Crasco, Iowa. After touching down on Runway 33, the jet ran off the 2,949-foot-long runway's end and into a cornfield where it received substantial damage. Both pilots were killed, while the two passengers were seriously injured.
It was early afternoon when the de Havilland Twin Otter took off from Sullivan, Mo., Regional Airport with skydivers aboard. Witnesses said the airplane climbed to about 150 feet and at the runway's end when the aircraft made a Poof! sound and flames erupted from the right engine. The airplane began turning right and shortly thereafter struck trees and the ground behind a residence about a half mile northwest of the end of Runway 24. The pilot and five passengers were killed. Two remaining passengers suffered serious injuries.
Every year we eagerly anticipate the posting of the finalists in the Aerospace Journalist of the Year competition. While numerous articles by B&CA editors and contributors have been singled out for honor over the years, the field of entries keeps growing larger and more formidable. So, there's no telling which might receive strong marks from the judges. Now, I'm delighted to tell that seven articles published by B&CA made it to the shortlist of finalists in the 2006 round. The articles and their authors are:
