Bill Hale

CFII, A&P, IA
BPT Director of Training
10,000+ hours

BPT: How did you get started in aviation?
BH: I learned to fly at Ohio State University. It was only 380 bucks added to the enrollment fee. I didn’t even have to take out a student loan to do it. I’ve owned a Debonair for more than 45 years – and it’s been a great ride, ever since.

BPT: What motivates you, Bill?
BH: Actually, I am not an aviation professional. I’ve never done this for a living; just for fun.
Through my association with BPT, I’ll bet I’ve flown with more than 800 people over the years.

BPT: What benefit does BPT offer pilots?
BH: Bonanza and Baron pilot /owners have been the only group that has ever been willing to make an organization like this go. Any attempts to have similar training for them have failed, because they don’t support it like our folks support BPT.

I think we have kind of a core constituency – and we offer an implicit value proposition.

BPT: What exactly is that “value proposition?”
BH: Some folks say, “Well, I can get that cheaper down the street.”

I guarantee that if they come here once a year or once every two years, we’ll make certain that they get everything that they need to be safe for the next period of time.

BPT: How do you do that?
BH: Pilots come to us in all stages of “rust,” from hardly any at all – to pretty rusty. In four hours, we can update them on rules, get their flying skills tuned up and basically whip them into shape.