Captain, USN, Ret.; Degree in Chemical Engineering; at the time of selection stationed at Naval Air Systems Command, Washington D.C.; US Navy test pilot school Class 86; semi finalist in NASA group 12 selection.
Bill lived life fully, setting an example grounded in great personal courage, wit, and integrity. He had a distinguished 25-year career as a Navy helicopter pilot, test pilot, and consummate leader. Bill deployed in support of mine warfare and logistic operations to England, the Suez Canal, and Italy. He was one of the first Navy pilots to qualify for helicopter aerial (in-flight) refueling operations and flew the first coast-to-coast, non-stop demonstration of an RH-53D helicopter using in-flight refueling. He flew helicopters in Antarctica in support of the National Science Foundation and Operation Deep Freeze and was honored to have a weather station named for him. Bill qualified as a Naval Test Pilot in 1983, serving multiple tours of duty at NAS Patuxent River, MD, the Center of Excellence for Navy and Marine Corps flight test programs and commanded VT-27, a Naval Aviation training squadron at NAS Corpus Christie, TX. Bill's passion for flying continued after his retirement from the Navy in his role as a flight test pilot with United Airlines for 15 years, retiring in September 2012.