Bill Shortt (bottom) makes a pass over the Mackinac Bridge in his L-39 jet with another vintage aircraft during a practice run before an air show. His Michigan winged helmet is visible under the cockpit canopy.
The Flying Dentist: Dr. Bill Shortt is much more than a casual pilot Dr. Bill Shortt has mixed dentistry and aviation for most of his life, but his love of flying soared to a new level two years ago when he bought a vintage military jet and began performing in air shows. Shortt, 62, grew up in West Branch, Michigan, the son of a dentist who owned an airplane. He shared his father’s love of flying from an early age, earning his pilot’s license at age 17 and becoming a flight instructor at 21. He dreamed of being a military fighter pilot, but opted instead for a career in dentistry. Being a dentist has not kept him from being airborne. He and his wife Therese have 30 ALUMNI M Dentistry | Fall 2023
practiced dentistry in South Lyon, Michigan, since they graduated from U-M in 1987. From the start, Bill also worked part-time at his father’s dental office in West Branch. Two days a week, Bill would climb into his small plane and fly the 140 miles north to West Branch, then return that evening. Even after his father retired, he continued the aerial commute and has done so for 37 years, although he recently reduced his practice schedule to one day a week in West Branch and two in South Lyon. The commutes to West Branch are only part of Shortt’s extensive flying portfolio and certifications in many types of planes. He
has always owned a general aviation plane, upgrading to better models over the years, for the West Branch commute and family trips around the country. He also has nearly always owned a second plane, more for fun than utility, including a float plane and a T-28 Trojan, a 1950s-era military trainer aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Shortt took the second plane tradition to a much higher level two years ago when he purchased an Aero L-39 Albatross, which is a Czechoslovakian-produced, single-engine jet designed as a light-attack fighter plane. Several countries, primarily in Eastern Europe, still use the plane in their militaries
