Was One Of The Founders Of ICAS

ANN has learned that William F. "Bill" Bordeleau has Gone West. The Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame inductee passed away January 8 at the age of 84.

Bordeleau was the owner of Continental Air Show Productions for 47 years, and a founding member of ICAS, the International Council of Air Shows. He is seen as having been instrumental in building the air show industry into what we know today.

Described by the WI Aviation Hall of Fame as "The most familiar voice in American air show history," Bordeleau started as an air show comedian, sky diver and pilot but found his home behind the microphone.

"From the first day he announced an air show in Platteville, Wisconsin, in 1969, to his work as the voice of the Experimental Aircraft Association for three decades, the name Bordeleau and air shows have become inseparable," the Hall of Fame says.

Bordeleau announced thousands of air shows, from the biggest to the smallest, all over the United States.

The Hall of Fame listing indicates that Bordeleau was named an honorary U.S. Army Golden Knight in 1979, an honorary crew member of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels in 1985, and an honorary U.S. Air Force Thunderbird in 1992. No one in the history of the air show industry or the military has ever been so recognized by all three U.S. military demonstration teams.

But memorable is his voice -- teaching, explaining, adding excitement to the drama in the sky.

An obituary published in the Milwaukee (WI) Journal Sentinel indicates that a celebration of his life will be held this spring at the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, WI.

FMI: www.wisconsinaviationhalloffame.org/inductees/bordeleau.htm