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 SJ30 light jet, now known as the SyberJet, and which is undergoing significant improvements, was launched by Ed Swearingen back in the 1980s. The prototype first flew 22 years ago. Over the decades it's had a variety of names — mighty Gulfstream briefly promoted it as the “Gulfjet” before withdrawing from the program — and owners, including Swearingen Aircraft, the Jaffe Group, Sino Swearingen and Emivest, all of which either lost interest or came to financial grief, with the last named actually going bankrupt in 2010.
For investors like Chen who want to try their hand at airplane-making, two more possibilities recently surfaced. First, Aerostar Aircraft Corp. is working to make good on the late designer Ted Smith's vision, by developing a turbofan-powered version of his Aerostar. A pressurized model, with PW615s below each wing, has been flying since July 25, when it lifted off the runway at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Airport, Aerostar's home field.
The other day I participated in a great general aviation tradition by lofting into brilliant blue skies with a pal in his Mooney Bravo and galloping eastward in a 220-kt. pursuit of a $100 hamburger. Well, to be squeakily factual, when figuring $6/gal. avgas at 20 gph, engine and maintenance reserve (his budget), and considering our pain d'Avignon spread actually comprised a croque madame, battered chicken, limonata, coffee and two chocolatey desserts (my treat), it was more like a $500 excursion. Fun, but pricey. A serious, industry-wide problem of long standing.
