William Miller, known affectionately to his friends as “Willie”, was born in New York in 1914. His aviation career began as the typical teenage model airplane builder and aviation magazine reader. It was during this time he discovered Barren Island Airport and after school would rush to get as close as possible to any of the airplanes. One kindly pilot noticed him (Paul Rizzo, who is currently the second oldest certified pilot in the states, age 95) and gave him rags to clean one of the airplanes. This closeness to an aircraft made his blood percolate with aviation fever. Eventually he was selling tickets for airplanes rides. In his spare time he wrote ‘aircraft model building’ articles for MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS. Today he has one of the oldest published articles note in the aviation SPACE WRITERS ASSOCIATION.
Willie became a commercial pilot and flew charter flights from Floyd Bennett and Roosevelt fields and also developed a fondness for sea-planes which he flew out of Port Washington on Long Island. He flew many Company Board Chairmen to numerous destinations. At age 27, Captain Willie joined Trans-Continental & Western Airlines (now TRANS WORLD AIRLINES) as a co-pilot in Kansas City, Missouri. Checking out as Captain, Willie was based in Kansas City and also in California. During World War II, he was assigned to AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND (ICD – Inter-continental Division of TWA) for the military; flying hospital ships of cargo and personnel. This widened his scope of flying throughout the various continents. After returning from ATC to the line in 1945, Willie flew International flights and was based in New York until early retirement in 1969.
While flying, there were many inquiries from Executives of Corporations as to where to locate/purchase different types of aircraft. This started his interest in brokering and finally owning his own business, AERO INTERNATIONAL and PLANET AIRWAYS. Fortune Magazine wrote an article on him, highlighting his sideline hobby selling and searching for aircraft. Not being able to stay away from his love of aviation, Captain Willie rented an office at the Marine Terminal, at LaGuardia Airport in New York from the Port Authority in 1969. He began brokering aircraft (AERO INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATES) to all the airlines worldwide and to the various corporations. It took but a very short time for this gentle man to learn that earning a living in terms of dollars and cents was not the primary requisite to happiness though – he still wanted to fly. He found in rubbing shoulders with a world of realities, that other things mattered far more – unselfishness, consideration of others, conscientious service, and above all integrity and honesty. This held him in high esteem of his peers, which made him successful.
The following are just a few of the aviation organizations of which Captain Willie was a member: The Hump Pilots Association, Long Island Early Fliers, OX-5 Aviation Pioneers, The Wings, Aviation Space Writers, National Business Aviation Association, TARPA, Quiet Birdmen, International Order Characters, TWA Seniors Club. And he also was awarded the Chinese Air Medal from the Chinese Airforce.
There is a star shining for Captain Willie up there; he is a thousand winds that blow. He paved the way for a new generation to find their way to the moon and the stars.
God Bless you Willie, wherever you are. We all shall meet you at the pass.
Dorothy C. Miller