BIO
Bill has been very active and extensively involved with the aviation world for more than 50 years. A world of learning and experience has resulted from having attended many schools, seminars, conferences, and other aviation industry informational settings. Bill has been involved with almost every aspect of air carrier and maintenance organization management and operations, actively participating in many processes and certifications within each.
In addition to being very active in his local church, Bill has had other opportunities to fill many roles outside the aviation community which include: being the assistant engineer for a medium size county government for four years, serving as a member in civic committees, and successfully serving many years in military leadership assignments.
Brief Experience History
Years before being introduced to Civil Aviation, Bill was fortunate to have been given the special benefit of being an active member with the United States Coast Guard (USCG). During his 6 ½ years with the USCG, he qualified and participated in aviation as a Search and Rescue (SAR) Crewmember, Loadmaster, Dropmaster, Jumpmaster, and Plane Captain; qualified as crewmember in both fixed and rotary winged aircraft. Bill was afforded many other opportunities available to only a very select few from being trained to chart and plot navigation using Loran B during long overwater flights to being privileged to be a turbine engine mechanic maintaining and repairing to the highest level of field maintenance, short of overhaul, and being GE trained for and conducted Test Cell operations for the T58-GE-8B and -5 turboshaft engines.
After serving on active duty with the USCG, Bill was later privileged to serve 17 years with the Tennessee Army National Guard (TNARNG). Here he served as Field Artillery Survey/Detail Platoon Leader, Unit Executive Officer, Regimental Staff Officer, Unit Commander, and retired while finally serving as a Squadron Staff Officer. These opportunities provided substantial training and experience, especially with personnel and material management along with leadership.
Prior to becoming a member of the Army National Guard, Bill entered into the civil aviation world and was privileged to be a part of the new and growing commuter airline industry. This period of time permitted him to participate in many industry schools, committees, seminars, courses, and conferences, most focused on the required regulatory and safety changes surrounding the commuter airline market as it became a very saturated community. He continued this course as the industry grew into today’s regional airlines. Bill had the opportunities to fill multiple management and regulatory mandated roles for many decades, most in support of solving an in-house regulatory concern. These opportunities filtered over into the all cargo carriers, both small and large, which provided another tremendous area of learning and expertise.
As the opportunities continued to open Bill found that he could bring knowledge and expertise to both struggling as well as very strong operating firms and operations. Certified Repair Stations, other Air Agencies, STC and PMA applicants and holders, air carrier operators and special operations operators, and many others have requested and received much assistance including project management. This has led to many years of consulting, advisement, certifications, research, training, etc., along with many long hours spent in regulatory and civil litigation assistance. Each project and phase has continued to build a world of knowledge and expertise that Bill has used in providing solutions and guidance to almost every aspect of the civil aviation industry.
Bill has been privileged to provide personal presence assistance to entities in all the continental states, Canada, Bahamas, many Caribbean Islands, and Belgium. Remotely, assistance has been provided to entities in all US states and territories, as well as many, many other countries’ agencies and operators.
Ross Aviation Group, Inc. 