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.
NetJets, Berkshire Hathaway’s problematic fractional aircraft ownership program, is consolidating NJI Inc., which operates the company’s Gulfstream large-cabin fleet, with NetJets Aviation in Columbus, Ohio. Most NJI functions will move from Savannah, Ga., and South Carolina to Columbus, according to NetJets Chairman and CEO David Sokol. Pending regulatory approvals, the consolidation is to be completed in October. NetJets posted a loss of $711 million in 2009, but hopes to be profitable this year.
The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has set a July 15 deadline for submissions to its pilot fatigue survey. EBAA plans to present the results to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is writing regulations on pilot flight times for implementation among all EASA members beginning in June 2012. Current regulations vary among states. Historically, rules for business aviators are generally the same as those for airline pilots. EBAA hopes the survey will result in regulations more tailored to business aviation operations.
While supportive of FAA’s move to a satellite-based air traffic management system, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association thinks the “out” element of ADS-B delivers little or no benefit to general aviation aircraft operators. Heidi Williams, AOPA’s senior director of airspace and modernization, says ADS-B Out “really doesn’t get the general aviation aircraft operator anything more than what he gets today” from the ground-based ATC system.
