Bill Kershner flys West
01-10-2007, 01:41 PM
#1
APC co-founder
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Feb 2005
Position: B777
Posts: 5,853
Bill Kershner flys West
Having had the privilege to receive instruction from Bill, I was saddened to hear about this. Rest in Peace my friend, you'll be missed.
************************************************** ****
'Spin Doctor' Bill Kershner dies at 77
Pilot, flight instructor, and aviation author William K. Kershner, 77, died January 8 in Sewanee, Tennessee, after a prolonged battle with cancer.
"Bill will be remembered as an enthusiastic pilot, great educator and friend," said Bruce Landsberg, AOPA Air Safety Foundation executive director. "He served as a sounding board on many occasions to the foundation. I called on him periodically to discuss airmanship or procedural issues. From traffic patterns to aerodynamics of stalls to IFR techniques, I could always count on Bill for good advice.
Kershner soloed an Aeronca Defender from Clarksville, Tennessee's Outlaw Field a grass strip at the time in 1945 at age 16. After four years flying Corsairs in the Navy, Kershner worked as a corporate pilot, flight-test pilot, and special assistant to William T. Piper Sr., then president of Piper Aircraft. With the help of his wife, Betty who typed his handwritten manuscripts Kershner authored and illustrated a series of five highly regarded flight manuals; his Student Pilot's Flight Manual alone has sold more than 1 million copies.
Kershner contributed often to AOPA publications, including AOPA Pilot and AOPA Flight Training.
He also was known for his interest in spins, having logged more than 8,000 spins totaling some 35,000 turns; Kershner only counted spins of at least three turns and didn't record spins at all during his first 24 years of flying.
He was the national General Aviation Flight Instructor of the Year in 1992. At his Ace Aerobatic School in Sewanee, Kershner provided spin recovery and aerobatic training to hundreds of pilots, and he continued to teach ground school into late December 2006.
"He had a soft spot in his heart for student pilots and CFIs," said Landsberg. "Being an engineer at heart, he would step up to the blackboard and start doing equations to explain some aerodynamic truth. When pressed to put it in English so that a dumb pilot (me) could understand it he always could."
Flight instructor Catherine Cavagnaro, whom Kershner mentored into aerobatic instruction, will continue to operate his school.
Cavagnaro has purchased a Cessna 152 Aerobat nearly identical to Kershner's; his veteran Aerobat is going to the National Air and Space Museum. See a multimedia presentation and hear Kershner reflect on his more than 60 years of flying. The funeral will be private. More details will be provided as they become available.
************************************************** ****
'Spin Doctor' Bill Kershner dies at 77
Pilot, flight instructor, and aviation author William K. Kershner, 77, died January 8 in Sewanee, Tennessee, after a prolonged battle with cancer.
"Bill will be remembered as an enthusiastic pilot, great educator and friend," said Bruce Landsberg, AOPA Air Safety Foundation executive director. "He served as a sounding board on many occasions to the foundation. I called on him periodically to discuss airmanship or procedural issues. From traffic patterns to aerodynamics of stalls to IFR techniques, I could always count on Bill for good advice.
Kershner soloed an Aeronca Defender from Clarksville, Tennessee's Outlaw Field a grass strip at the time in 1945 at age 16. After four years flying Corsairs in the Navy, Kershner worked as a corporate pilot, flight-test pilot, and special assistant to William T. Piper Sr., then president of Piper Aircraft. With the help of his wife, Betty who typed his handwritten manuscripts Kershner authored and illustrated a series of five highly regarded flight manuals; his Student Pilot's Flight Manual alone has sold more than 1 million copies.
Kershner contributed often to AOPA publications, including AOPA Pilot and AOPA Flight Training.
He also was known for his interest in spins, having logged more than 8,000 spins totaling some 35,000 turns; Kershner only counted spins of at least three turns and didn't record spins at all during his first 24 years of flying.
He was the national General Aviation Flight Instructor of the Year in 1992. At his Ace Aerobatic School in Sewanee, Kershner provided spin recovery and aerobatic training to hundreds of pilots, and he continued to teach ground school into late December 2006.
"He had a soft spot in his heart for student pilots and CFIs," said Landsberg. "Being an engineer at heart, he would step up to the blackboard and start doing equations to explain some aerodynamic truth. When pressed to put it in English so that a dumb pilot (me) could understand it he always could."
Flight instructor Catherine Cavagnaro, whom Kershner mentored into aerobatic instruction, will continue to operate his school.
Cavagnaro has purchased a Cessna 152 Aerobat nearly identical to Kershner's; his veteran Aerobat is going to the National Air and Space Museum. See a multimedia presentation and hear Kershner reflect on his more than 60 years of flying. The funeral will be private. More details will be provided as they become available.
01-10-2007, 11:46 PM
#5
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jun 2006
Position: A320 R
Posts: 37
Rest In Peace Bill
I soloed with Bill in 1984.
A great man and instructor.
When I asked him why he volunterred his time to teach kids like me to fly,his reply was- everything I have in life I got from aviation. This is how I pay it back.
Truly a loss for aviation. My condolences to his family and friends.
Ekpt40
A great man and instructor.
When I asked him why he volunterred his time to teach kids like me to fly,his reply was- everything I have in life I got from aviation. This is how I pay it back.
Truly a loss for aviation. My condolences to his family and friends.
Ekpt40
01-11-2007, 07:16 AM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2006
Position: Bug Smasher Captain, CFI
Posts: 220
I never met the man, but I do feel a small sense of connection to him. The CFI that I used for most of my training did Kershner's aerobatics course and so I have heard quite a bit about him and the way he was. I have also purchased and read his books.
The aviation world owes a debt of gratitude to Bill Kershner, he will definitely be missed.
The aviation world owes a debt of gratitude to Bill Kershner, he will definitely be missed.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Will91
Major
68
04-30-2006 08:50 AM
