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.
THE WEATHER WAS HARDLY atypical for a summer afternoon in Florida -- warm, breezy and VMC with low scattered clouds, but there were thunderstorms in and around the St. Augustine area. It was Aug. 25, 2006, and Ward and Barbara Walter were among the many aloft over the Sunshine State. They were southeast bound from Bloomington, Ind., making their way to Governor's Harbour Airport on Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas where their vacation home was located. They planned an intermediate stop in Melbourne before heading out across the Atlantic.
FLASHLIGHT, CHECK. Screwdriver, check. Eyeshadow, check. I was ready. I'd been heading out the door when I stopped to more carefully consider the job at hand, the problems I might encounter, and what remedies I might need. While the hangar is just seven miles away, returning for a forgotten tool or document is annoying and yet occurs so often, I've begun to double-check myself before I get in the car.
VMC prevailed as the Aero Commander 690A took off from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport at 1900 hours with three people aboard for the VFR instructional flight. Neither the twin turboprop nor anyone aboard was seen again. It's presumed the aircraft crashed in Cook Inlet, about 12 miles west of Anchorage.
