Story ID: 
Aviation Communications Stalwart Bill Reavis Flies West
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: Reavis is credited with "putting the APU on the map"
Word Count: 436
William "Bill" Reavis, who left an indelible mark as an aerospace communications stalwart, died on March 14 at his home in Mesa, Arizona, after a battle with cancer. He was 77.
A former combat veteran who served in the Vietnam conflict, Reavis spent most of his career with Bendix/King, AlliedSignal, and, ultimately, Honeywell Aerospace, where he became known for his almost dogmatic representation of his company’s safety and other technologies. In fact, he is credited for “putting the auxiliary power unit [APU] on the map,” convincing most aviation news outlets to write about the technology that otherwise would have received little media attention.
“Bill established himself as one of the most credible PR men in aviation history and was also known for his sharp wit and storytelling,” said Kyle Hultquist, Reavis' former colleague and now senior v-p of marketing and communications for StandardAero. “Bill was a one-of-a-kind individual in every way, and he left a positive and memorable imprint on all who were privileged to know him.”
Reavis retired from Honeywell in 2013 but kept his hand in communications, helping other companies, such as Astronautics, with media outreach.
Born on May 31, 1947, Reavis grew up in Missouri, where his father worked in the meat processing industry. After graduating high school in 1965 and attending community college for two years, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He ended up in Saigon in 1968, spending more than 400 days on what he called his “walking tour” of Vietnam as a mortar man with the 199th Infantry Brigade.
Discharged in 1969, Reavis attended the University of Missouri Columbia School of Journalism, earning his degree, and then embarked on a career in broadcast journalism with a television station in Joplin, Missouri. He stepped into aviation with a stint with Learjet in Wichita before returning to broadcasting with outlets in Oklahoma.
Reavis joined Bendix/King in Fort Lauderdale in 1988, beginning a tenure that would span 25 years as the company evolved into Honeywell. During that time, he transferred to the AlliedSignal communications team in Phoenix and helped with press, crisis communications, and promotion and launch of new technologies such as terrain awareness warning systems and enhanced ground proximity warning systems, in addition to the APU.
A fan of boating, auto racing, movies, and baseball, Reavis was predeceased by his wife of 42 years, Susan, in 2013, and is survived by his brothers Paul Reavis and Andy Reavis, nephew Alex Reavis, and niece Bailey Reavis. Instead of flowers, donations can be made to any local Boy Scouts of America Troop in his honor.