William Arthur Black (18 August 1943 – 1 July 2020) was a New Zealand fixed-wing and helicopter pilot. He was one of the pioneers of live deer capture from helicopters in

Fiordland Fiordland (, "The Pit of Tattooing", and also translated as "the Shadowlands"), is a non-administrative geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western third of Southland. Most of F ...

in the 1960s, and was involved in over 500 search and rescue operations. In the 1977 Queen's Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours, he was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to search and rescue operations, and in 2014 he was awarded the Jean Batten Memorial Trophy by the

Honourable Company of Air Pilots The Honourable Company of Air Pilots, formerly the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN), is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company was founded in 1929, and became a Livery Company in 1956. Elizabeth II granted ...

for his contributions to New Zealand aviation. Black was born in

Owaka Owaka is a small town in the Clutha District of South Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest community in the rugged, forested The Catlins, Catlins area, close to the border with Southland Region, Southland, some south o ...

on 18 August 1943, and died in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

on 1 July 2020, aged 76 years.

References

1943 births 2020 deaths People from Owaka People from Te Anau New Zealand aviators Helicopter pilots New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire {{NewZealand-bio-stub