Bill's fascination with airplanes dates to early childhood, age two, and a small balsa wood glider. Later he grew up under the base-leg flight path of the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. His favorite aircraft of the 1950s was the mighty "Peacemaker" of all times, the B-36. His personal involvement in the aviation world began when he was forty years of age. Since then, he has earned his Private Pilot License, single engine land with tail wheel endorsement, and the FAA Airframe Mechanics License. He was also employed at the Gulfstream Aerospace facility, Bethany, OK. Since 2008 he has been the Commander, Squadron 3, Youth Aviation Adventure’s annual event held at the Gordon Cooper Aviation Technology Training Center, Shawnee, OK. He served as a Shawnee Airport Advisory Board Member, too. In 2014 Bill founded a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, Heartland Aeronautical Experience, Inc., with the mission of "Inspiring Individuals to Choose an Aerospace Career."
