William D. Looney

William D. (Bill) Looney, Apollo Lunar Module spacecraft test manager for Grumman, died on February 6 in Merritt Island, Florida. He was 82.

Bill Looney was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on July 11, 1933 and grew up in Weehawken, NJ, with his three brothers, Jack, Harry and Ed. An avid collector of Wings cigarette cards as a boy, he had two dreams—to fly jet airplanes and design and build them. He graduated from New York University in 1955 with a degree in aeronautical engineering, worked at Lockheed for a year, and then began his active tour with the US Air Force. He flew F-86D fighter jets out of Anderson Air Force Base in Guam with the 41st Fighter Interceptor Squadron. He thought (as do many others) that the F-86 Sabre was a beautiful plane to fly, at a time when pilot’s still flew by hand and eye. Flying the F-86 satisfied his passion to soar and, perhaps, ruined him for any lesser planes—he seldom flew in later years. He continued in the Air Force Reserves putting in 20 years and retiring as a USAF Major.

After his active duty service in the Air Force, he landed his dream job at Grumman Aerospace on Long Island. He worked there for 35 years. While working full-time and helping to care for a rapidly growing family, he went back to his alma mater, NYU, and completed his master’s degree in aeronautical engineering.