Bill Leff has had a passion for aviation ever since he was old enough to talk. Perhaps that passion was born in him or maybe it came from the energy emanating from his hometown, the birthplace of aviation, Dayton, Ohio. Or better yet, maybe it was the influence of the Wright Brothers - Bill lived down the street from the Wright Brother’s family home, Hawthorne Hill, and the story of the Wright Brother’s was told to him over and over again as a young child.

As a young boy, Bill delivered newspapers in his neighborhood to raise money for flying lessons and later bought his first airplane. At the age of 15, Bill soloed in a glider and then pursued and obtained his Private Pilot license at the age of 16. Like many others with a passion for aviation, he flew jumpers and taught flying to build flight time. He went on to obtain his Instrument, Multi-Engine, Single-Engine Sea, and Airline Transport rating to go with his Single-Engine Land, Glider, and Flight Instructor ratings. Since then, he has obtained Beechcraft 300, Cessna Citation, Learjet, Westwind, DC-3, and DC-9 type ratings. He is also an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic with FAA Inspection Authorization certification.

Bill’s aviation career includes more than 30 years of corporate flying, several years as President of an internationally known corporate aircraft maintenance company, and flight instructor for Trans World Airlines. Today, he also does test flying for defense research projects. He has flown more than 170 different types of aircraft from warbirds to airline transport aircraft and has well over 19,500 hours of flying time, including more than 3,800 hours in the T-6.

THE PLANE
T-6 'Texan'

The AT-6 “Texan” was the most widely used advanced trainer in the world during WW II and the Korean Conflict. More than fifty nations, like China, Canada, Australia, Cuba, Brazil, England, Mexico, South Africa, and France, used the AT-6 as their own combat trainer.

In the United States during WW II, almost every fighter or bomber pilot, whether single-engine or twin-engine, won his wings in a North American Trainer or AT-6. In gunnery and bombing practice; in formation and instrument flying, and; in coast patrol and semi-combat duty, the Texan proved its versatility.

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