Bill C. Bainbridge Iii

Bill C. Bainbridge III, 71, died January 11, 2021 in Newton, Kansas.

He was born in Kansas City, Missouri on September 28, 1949, the son of William Bainbridge II and Evelyn (Holland) Bainbridge.

Bill was a pilot and inventor of aircraft engine accessories which led to him starting his own company over 40 years ago, B&C Specialty Products. Bill has three separate products on aircraft now displayed in the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC. He created products which flew on the historic Voyager flight, which flew non-stop, non-refueled around the world, and also Burt Rutan’s SpaceShipOne project, the first successful, private space flight.

Bill is survived by his sons, Nathan (Alisha) Bainbridge and William (Diana Castaños) Bainbridge; daughters, Sarah (Mike) Carter and Elizabeth (Peter) Van Kort; 9 grandchildren; brother, Mark Bainbridge; and sisters, Masha Carpenter and Jean Bainbridge. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Services will be 1:00 p.m. Friday at Petersen Funeral Home and the visitation will be 11 a.m. till service time Friday

Memorial contributions are suggested to EAA Young Eagles, EAA Aviation Foundation in care of Petersen Funeral Home.