TheFlyingTurkey
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[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]'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. He was the national General Aviation Flight Instructor of the Year in 1992. Kershner continued to teach ground school into late December 2006. See the multimedia presentations about Kershner's work on AOPA Online.[/FONT][/FONT]
