People : Spotlight on achievers : It’s a Point of Honor for Flying Enthusiast

The late William H. Walters, a leader in the city’s aviation community, has been honored with a point on an air approach map.

The point, an intersection in pilot jargon, officially has been named for Walters on widely distributed maps of the Fullerton airspace.

“For us in the aviation community, this designation is really something special,” said Fullerton Airport director Roland Elder.

Walters, a retired chief scientist for Hughes Aircraft Co., died in 1994 at age 68. The aviation enthusiast was credited with establishing a method of flying more quietly to reduce noise. City officials said he discovered about a decade ago that by reducing propeller revolutions per minute by 100 to 200, aircraft could reduce noise levels by about half.

Walters also had been vice president of the California Pilots Assn.

In addition to the point, the terminal at Fullerton Airport was named for Walters shortly after his death.