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.
During the Thanksgiving weekend, my eldest took his significant other — a delightful, super smart, 10,000-watt Michigander — into New York City to show her Manhattan in its most glittering season. The day's adventure included sightseeing, an overpriced meal, ice-skating in Wollman Rink and then, of course, a hansom cab ride through Central Park.
General aviation manufacturers are enduring one of the deepest and longest recessions in memory, resulting in massive layoffs, slowed production and cancelled new designs. Excepting Gulfstream, Bombardier and Dassault—whose ultrajets still find favor among blue bloods, blue chips, movie stars and moguls—those who make, maintain or serve general and business aviation aircraft have been in a bad way since Lehman Brothers turned out the lights in 2008. And things are not expected to get appreciably better any time soon.
This past summer, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) alleged that the sale of aviation gasoline violates California's Proposition 65, also known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, since avgas contains lead. The group wants to halt further distribution and use of avgas in the state and see the FBOs and other companies involved pay fines.
