Bill Kershner Flies West
The great Bill Kershner is dead.
Others will describe his life in great detail. I will just say that he was a great writer and a great educator.
Kershner’s many training books made complex subjects simple. If he wrote it anyone—even I—could understand it. Once I was arguing with two rocket engineers about the finer points of flat spins. I called Kershner. He clarified the entire question and explained the answer, all in a few minutes.
Kershner was also admired and liked by everyone he ever met, and that’s a rare man. He was in the very first group inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame, and I was fortunate enough to be there. He was, as usual, delightful.
My contacts with Kershner were few and far between, and that was my mistake. My Alabama location was just a bit south of his Tennessee location for many years, and I truly regret that I didn’t take the opportunity to spend more time at the feet of this great master.
Kershner also wrote fun-to-read stories. In my favorite he pulled the throttle back and asked his student, “Now, where you gonna land?” The student picked a field and Kershner explained exactly why that field was totally inadequate and would not work. Then Kershner pushed the throttle back in and the engine went quite dead. Kershner landed that airplane in the very field he had said wouldn’t work.
The student timidly said, “Uh, I thought you said that field wouldn’t work.” Kershner’s next written line was brilliant. “Shut up, I carefully explained.” That line ranks right up there with Gordon Baxter’s line, “Instrument flying is an unnatural act probably punishable by God.”
Long may his books live on.
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Leah–
Thanks for the comment. I wonder just how many people learned something from Bill Kershner. I guess we will never know, but many, many people remember him professionally and fondly.
Ralph Hood
Bill Kershner just happened to be seated on the front porch of that same quiet little airport the day I made my first solo. He couldn’t find much wrong with my landing so he critiqued my parking job instead! I’ll certainly never forget it and I’ll never forget him.
I flew with Bill many times…I took his course on safety and enjoyed every flight with him….he remembered better than I the dates we flew and what we did….I remember he wrote about one of our flights…he joked about it with me…he said you did the world’s smallest loops…I stalled and fell out of it and he joked about it…I joked about him parting the waters in his Corsair after an almost accident on take off…..I will miss him…..regards to him and his family……kwh
Rob Busch–
Great comment.
Thanks,
Ralph Hood
After making an illegal U-turn (according to a polite local constable – no citation) I pulled into a quiet little airport early one morning. Seated on the front porch was a dignified southern gentleman. As I approached I cautiously asked, “Mr. Kershner?” His reply was, “Call me Bill, c’mon in.”
That was the beginning of the most intense and rewarding 48 hours in my aviation “career.” I had the opportunity to sit at the feet of one of the great Grand Masters of the Craft – AirCraft that is.
Since I teach college mathematics Bill did not hesitate to delve into as much of the technical side of spins as I could handle. I teach for a living and have seen the good, the mediocre, and the very bad in the classroom. I can say without reservation that on the eighth day GOD said “Pull back on the yoke and apply left rudder” and there was Bill Kershner – and he was VERY GOOD.
The ground school he gave in that little back room seemed to fly by – no pun intended. I will never forget the stories, the laughter…I hope they buried him in those red socks he used to wear when flying Corsairs off of carriers!”
Suddenly it was time for us to go flying. So Bill began to check my logs. In order for us to fly I had to be current. I had a LOT of recent time including high-performance and retractable sign-offs. But he could NOT find any proof of a BFR. I told him that I was a WINGS participant but I couldn’t prove it. At the time I did not carry a copy of the WINGS certificate with me.
He said, “I tell all my students to follow the rules – as a result I cannot break them here.” I was crushed. I had just driven 14 hours and now…now no spin training… now no… now Bill was on the phone making arrangements with another flight instructor to give me a BFR. He did the oral portion and she did the flight portion. No charge. And then I got to fly with Bill!
I won’t bore you with the details. But I will say that the pilot who landed was VERY different from the pilot who did the take-off. Bill altered my perception of flying in a profound and permanent way. Suddenly “regular” aviation was very vanilla and I had developed a taste for chocolate!! I remember climbing out on the second day of training. Bill sat there as excited as a kid on his first ride. He looked out the window at that beautiful countryside and said with a wry Southern grin – “I wonder what the straight and level boys are doing today?!?!?!” A moment later he looked back at me and said, “The other guys can have the basic flight instruction part of this business. This (spins) is all I wanna do.”
Although I was not a CFI candidate I requested the “graduation” spin anyway. This was a 20 turn spin. My last few moments with Bill consisted of a slow climb to 9,500 feet…then it was power to 2300 rpm, wait for the stall horn….then yoke back, rudder to the floor AND OVER WE WENT. You had to count the turns or he made you do it over again. At turn number 17 the engine stopped from fuel starvation. The last three turns were in silence with a wind-milling prop. Then he said to recover and like always there he sat – playing by the rules……before I could reach for the key I had to open the window and yell….”CLEEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!!” Then I could restart the engine!
Most people outside of mathematics have never heard the name Paul Erdos. In short, he was a famous mathematician with a HUGE “cult” following. This gave birth to something known as an “Erdos number.” If you published a paper with him you were said to have “Erdos number 1”. If you published with a person who had published with Erdos – you had an Erdos number of 2. Erdos numbers are tracked up into the high teens or low twenties – it is THAT prestigious.
You may think it silly but since I am one of the fortunate pilots taught by Bill, that gives me a “Kershner number” of 1. Those pilots privileged to fly with me would have Kershner number 2. But now that Bill has “spun west” there will never be any more Kershner number 1’s…..that is because there will never be another Bill Kershner.
Bob Barlow–
Thanks for your comment. Seems like the whole world loved Kershner.
Ralph Hod
I have lost a great frend. I took Bills aerobatic course and had a blast. I have all of his books signed by him with his little notes he loved to write. One thing I always told people, if you don’t like to spin,don’t fly with Bill. So Long old Frend. Bob Barlow.
Hey Rob Mark–
Rob is a leader at the Palwaukee Airport, and I appreciate his comment. Notice that all of these comments just go to back up my statement that Bill Kershner was a rare man.
Thanks, Rob
Ralph Hood
Bob Minter–
For those who don’t know Bob, he put that Tennessee Aviation Hall of fame together. In fact, his contributions to aviation–particularly in Tennesse are far too numerous to list.
Thanks for writing, Bob.
Ralph Hood
Alan–
I’d love to hear that story. Just give me a ring at 800-828-3802.
Thanks for writing.
Ralph Hood
Bill Kershner’s book was the first aviation training device I received when I began flying in the 1960s. The University of Illinois used every book Bill wrote, in fact. I still have my original versions at home.
When I started instructing years later, using Bill’s books with my students seemed like a no-brainer. I never could find anyone who made flying easier to understand.
I was always impressed with those great little illustrations Bill drew as well, but maybe that’s because I still draw stick people!
He will be missed.
Rob Mark
http://www.jetwhine.com
Thanks Ralph for the great piece about my dear friend Bill Kershner.
He always had a line and was funny… I don’t care who you are… he was funny.
A Kershner classic: “Bill, do you believe in free speech?” To which he replied… “Hell I must, I have given enough of them!”
We will remember Bill Kershner forever through his books and all of the marvelous mempories he left those who knew him best.
Farewell dear friend,
BOB MINTER
Founder & Chairman
TENNESSEE AVIATION HALL OF FAME
Would love to talk to you about Bill and a story that I have. Flew from Dallas to Bill’s place in Sewanee as I never really felt comfortable with spins. Great story and a great teacher. It was years ago, but I have never forgotten my three days with him.
Alan