A BLUE ANGEL who has "Flown West"

[CaptainEd]

Bill was a classmate of mine - GREAT GUY as well as TOP GUN.

Dashing, handsome, he represented the the cream of the crop among the Tailhook Fraternity.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/obit ... ennie.html

By Jack Williams
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
April 28, 2005

For all the demands of his wartime assignments, then-Navy Cmdr. William B. Rennie had one overriding conviction when he took control of an airplane: Flying should be fun.

"He had more fun leading than almost anybody I know," said Bob Pearl, a retired Navy captain who served with Cmdr. Rennie. "He was a fun guy and a smooth leader, and he always enjoyed flying."

Cmdr. Rennie, a one-time Blue Angel who earned a Distinguished Flying Cross in the Vietnam War, died April 5 at his home in Coronado. He was 73.

The cause of death was cancer, which was diagnosed about six years ago, said his wife, Celia.

In 320 combat missions in Vietnam, Cmdr. Rennie flew off the carriers Hancock, Bon Homme Richard and Shangri-La. Once, after a photo plane that he was defending was shot down, his F-8 took a hit. He carefully guided it back to the carrier in one piece.

In addition to the DFC, his combat citations included a Bronze Star, 20 Air Medals and three Navy Unit Commendations.

"Bill was a superb aviator," Pearl said. "The one or two times I flew on his wing, it was easy because he was so smooth."

Cmdr. Rennie's passion for flying lasted far beyond his 20 years and 4,867 flying hours in the Navy. As a civilian, he flew recreationally until January in his Beechcraft Baron B-58.

Cmdr. Rennie was born and raised in Pittston, Pa., where he was captain of his high school basketball team as a senior.

Aspiring to be a Navy pilot, he took a qualifying test. Before he learned the results, he accepted an appointment to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, Long Island. In 1949, his second year at the academy, he visited 52 countries on four merchant vessels. Upon graduation in 1953, he was commissioned as an ensign and was accepted into the Naval Reserve.

Near the end of the Korean War, he was activated and assigned to flight training in Pensacola, Fla.

In November 1954, Cmdr. Rennie received his wings and served aboard the carrier Shangri-La in the western Pacific. His next assignment took him to Moffett Field in the Bay Area, where he was attached to VA-26, a squadron that won the Kane Trophy in the 1957 Naval Air Weapons Meet.

Piloting an F9F-8 Cougar jet in the competition, Cmdr. Rennie earned the Herman Trophy as the individual air-to-ground champion.

He went on to serve in 1958 and 1959 as a flight instructor in Memphis, Tenn. In 1960, he was selected as a Blue Angel, flying solo and in formation on the flight demonstration squadron for two years.

As a Blue Angel, he took part in a television program that showcased the skills of an elite group of fliers.

Upon leaving the Blue Angels, Cmdr. Rennie was assigned as an aide to the deputy commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet in Honolulu. A series of aircraft carrier assignments followed from 1963 to 1971.

While in the Navy, Cmdr. Rennie prepared himself for a seamless transition to a civilian career by acquiring single-family dwellings. He earned a real estate sales license in 1968 and became a licensed broker in 1974.

In 1976, he began acquiring, syndicating and managing apartment buildings through his corporation, Sun And Air Properties. For the next several years, the partnership syndicated and managed up to 1,200 apartment units.

An accomplished woodworker, Cmdr. Rennie renovated many homes he bought and lived in throughout the county before reselling them. For 28 years, he maintained a second home in Bermuda Dunes, where he often played golf.

In 2002, Cmdr. Rennie designed a hangar at Gillespie Field for his Beechcraft Baron. It provided plenty of space for his collection of model trains, a hobby he started in 1989.

"His father worked for a railroad, and Bill always wanted to get involved with model trains," his wife said.

The hangar, which he named Spear Field, also housed regular meetings of the San Diego chapter of the Antique Airplane Association, which Cmdr. Rennie joined two years ago.

Last July, before brain cancer was detected, Cmdr. Rennie moved into a Coronado home that he restored as the general contractor.

Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Kimberly Ann Rettenwander of Key West, Fla.; a stepdaughter, Tobin Marie Osterberg of Southlake, Texas; a stepson, Brett Kimball Smith of Houston; and six grandchildren.

A private celebration of life is scheduled. A private burial is scheduled for Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

Donations are suggested to the Bill Rennie Scholarship Fund, Tailhook Educational Foundation, 9696 Business Park Ave., San Diego, CA 92131-1643 or the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation in memory of William B. Rennie, 1750 Bradford Blvd., Suite B, NAS Pensacola, FL 32508.