Flying has always fascinated Bill Standerfer. He used to build model airplanes as a kid and hang them from the ceiling. His dad was a B-24 pilot during World War II, and his wife and brother are also pilots.
“We sort of had flying in the blood, I guess,” he said. “It was something I'd always had in the back of my mind.”
Now, this local pilot and teacher at Aims Community College is being recognized for his contributions to the field. He’s being inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame on Sunday. It was established in 1969 and has recognized over 150 pioneers in aviation.
He said he’s truly humbled that his teaching has made an impact.
“I just keep doing what I've been doing, and apparently somebody thought that was worthwhile,” he said.
Standerfer’s logged 3,300 hours since he started flying in 1970 and served in the Civil Air Patrol for more than 30 years.
He also teaches beginner flying courses at Aims and a mountain flying course for the Colorado Pilots Association. He said the weather has always been a learning curve for him and the pilots he teaches.
“You get up there and you get moderate or sometimes severe turbulence, the airplane’s going up and down at two or 3,000 feet a minute,” he said. “You start wondering about your life choices sometimes.”
Standerfer has worked with the Colorado Division of Aeronautics to install weather cameras in mountain passes to help with flight safety. But he loves flying in Colorado, particularly the Arkansas Valley and Collegiate Peaks right around sunrise. It’s even better if he’s in his favorite plane, the Beech Baron.
He said it’s fun to help fellow pilots navigate the peaks and see Colorado in a new way.
“When you're driving up I-70 to the Eisenhower Tunnel, it's pretty and all that, but you really need to get above the mountains to be able to really take in the grandeur of this state,” he said. “This is an absolutely phenomenal place to fly. The scenery is just spectacular.”
The public can visit the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame at the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum. The induction event will be October 12 at the Lakewood Country Club.
Aims Community College is an underwriter for KUNC.
