Panama Jack
11th Jan 2007, 06:21
Had the pleasure of talking to this Gentleman over 10 years ago. Rest in Peace.
Kershner: An Educator And A Gentleman
Many aviators got their first introduction into the mysteries of flight via the manuals of William K. Kershner, pilot, flight instructor and author. Kershner died Monday, at age 77, in Sewanee, Tenn., after a prolonged battle with cancer, AOPA reported today. "Bill will be remembered as an enthusiastic pilot, great educator and friend," said Bruce Landsberg, AOPA Air Safety Foundation executive director. "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 was also "admired and liked by everyone he ever met, and that’s a rare man," says Ralph Hood, a columnist for Airport Busines. Kershner wrote five flight manuals, taking pilots from their first flight to instrument flight and aerobatics.
http://www.avweb.com/newspics/Mr_Kershner.jpg
A Long Career In Aviation
William Kershner soloed at age 16, in 1945, flying an Aeronca Defender from a grass strip in Clarksville, Tenn. He wrote his first flight manual in 1959, and his last book, Logging Flight Time, in 2002. The memoir chronicles his 60-plus years of flying both civilian and military airplanes. AVweb Editor In Chief Chad Trauvetter remembers him as a gifted instructor. "I was in a CFI refresher class at Embry-Riddle where Kershner taught the session on spins," he says. "He was not only a great teacher, but he did it in a way that made you bust out laughing. Before showing a self-produced video showing him doing a spin with 13 turns in a Cessna 152, Kershner said he told the cameraman on the ground to 'keep filming no matter how big the airplane gets in the viewfinder.' The entire class erupted in laughter." Kershner worked as a corporate pilot, flight-test pilot and special assistant to William T. Piper Sr., then president of Piper Aircraft.
Source: AvWeb (http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/781-full.html#194192)
Kershner: An Educator And A Gentleman
Many aviators got their first introduction into the mysteries of flight via the manuals of William K. Kershner, pilot, flight instructor and author. Kershner died Monday, at age 77, in Sewanee, Tenn., after a prolonged battle with cancer, AOPA reported today. "Bill will be remembered as an enthusiastic pilot, great educator and friend," said Bruce Landsberg, AOPA Air Safety Foundation executive director. "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 was also "admired and liked by everyone he ever met, and that’s a rare man," says Ralph Hood, a columnist for Airport Busines. Kershner wrote five flight manuals, taking pilots from their first flight to instrument flight and aerobatics.
http://www.avweb.com/newspics/Mr_Kershner.jpg
A Long Career In Aviation
William Kershner soloed at age 16, in 1945, flying an Aeronca Defender from a grass strip in Clarksville, Tenn. He wrote his first flight manual in 1959, and his last book, Logging Flight Time, in 2002. The memoir chronicles his 60-plus years of flying both civilian and military airplanes. AVweb Editor In Chief Chad Trauvetter remembers him as a gifted instructor. "I was in a CFI refresher class at Embry-Riddle where Kershner taught the session on spins," he says. "He was not only a great teacher, but he did it in a way that made you bust out laughing. Before showing a self-produced video showing him doing a spin with 13 turns in a Cessna 152, Kershner said he told the cameraman on the ground to 'keep filming no matter how big the airplane gets in the viewfinder.' The entire class erupted in laughter." Kershner worked as a corporate pilot, flight-test pilot and special assistant to William T. Piper Sr., then president of Piper Aircraft.
Source: AvWeb (http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/781-full.html#194192)