Dynamic Aviation

When one owns the first Air Force One aircraft, you know something special is happening. That’s the way it is for the Stoltzfus family – special. Originally from the rolling hills of southeast Pennsylvania where family patriarch Christian “Airplane Chris” D. Stoltzfus staked a claim, this is a family whose aviation credentials go way back – back to the beginning of our industry in the United States.

Chris purchased his first airplane, a 37 HP Aeronca C-2, in 1936. He added J-3 Cubs and then entered the agricultural aviation business in 1944 with a Travel Air 4000 duster, which he operated until 1952. In 1947 he had broken a rod on the Wright J-5 engine of the Travel Air and made a forced landing in a nearby field. The Wright was replaced with a Continental W-670 at that time.

Also in 1947, Chris acquired 12 government surplus Boeing Stearmans, which were soon joined by other airplanes, all becoming the backbone of his agricultural aircraft fleet for many years. He operated as AERO CROP SERVICE in those days. By the late 1950’s the ever-evolving business saw advantages to replacing the 220-horsepower Continental and Lycoming engines with 450-horsepower Pratt & Whitney radials for its forest spraying.

Chris was in the aircraft parts business, alongside the agricultural operation. The company name was changed to Chris D. Stoltzfus & Associates in 1958 when his twin sons Karl and Ken became partners. The Stearmans were followed by Beechcraft BE-18s, Grumman TBM Avengers, Douglas C-47s, Chase YC-122s “Boxcars,” and a Boeing B-17, which later became EAA’s “Aluminum Overcast.”

The old Travel Air 4000 mentioned previously, N469N, had 1,755 hours when Chris sold it to another agricultural aviator in Conway, Arkansas. In 1976 that same airplane was restored with the original Wright engine and brought back to standard category designation. Finally, in 2013 N469N was purchased by Chris’ son Karl in Bridgewater, Virginia and put on display, along with the Continental W670 that Chris had installed in ‘47.

Around the age of 10, Karl Stoltzfus liked to go to the attic of his family’s Coatesville, Pennsylvania home with a scale model tucked under his arm. Once in the attic, his imagination could fully take over and he would “fly” the Beechcraft 18 twin-propeller airplane, doing loops and swoops all around the confined space. Little did he know that 70 years later he would be slicing through the skies in a true Beechcraft Model 18. “He flew a Beech 18 on his 80th birthday, and he probably bought and sold over 30 Beech 18’s throughout 50 years,” said Michael Stoltzfus, one of Karl’s sons. “Dad always, through to the end, had a deep, powerful passion for aviation.”

In 1967, Karl and Ken packed up their families and moved to the Shenandoah Valley to attend Eastern Mennonite College from which Karl graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business. To finance their education, Karl and Ken founded K & K Aircraft Inc., a small aircraft parts business and aluminum smelting operation. They also founded Avotek, a manufacturer of technical training aids for vocational-technical schools. Karl’s son Karl Jr. now owns and operates Avotek.

In 1973, Ken moved to Ohio to pursue a full-time role as a pastor. Two years later, Karl and his wife Barbara purchased Bridgewater Airpark and shortly after that moved K & K Aircraft and Avotek to the airport. In 1981 Karl began building a fleet of Beechcraft BE-18s, and Douglas DC-3s for wide-area aerial application missions.

As an avid pilot, Karl was passionate about all things aviation. His depth of knowledge regarding aircraft parts, maintenance, and modifications was unparalleled. He bought and sold many aircraft throughout the years, including the purchase of 124 non-pressurized King Air 90 aircraft from the U.S. Army in 1996, enabling K&K to broaden its scope of operations significantly. In 1997, K & K Aircraft became Dynamic Aviation and Karl’s son Michael became a partner in the business.

By the late 1990s, Dynamic Aviation expanded into supporting fire management customers with King Air lead planes. In addition, the business entered the airborne data acquisition (ADA) market by providing ADA services to government and commercial customers in over 30 countries.

2004 saw Dynamic outfitting its first aircraft for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, paving the way for its current reputation as a leader in that competitive market.

Through all the success and innovative initiatives, Karl was a voracious reader of both aviation and history, and he loved sharing what he learned with everyone he met. Karl demonstrated integrity and honesty and taught people to do the right thing and do it well. He received the Virginia Department of Aviation’s Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame. He left us in 2020 after 80 years of service to his family and the aviation industry. Karl is survived by his wife Barbara and children, Karl Jr., Michelle and Michael.

Before departing the pattern, Karl oversaw the purchase of the first Air Force One and led its restoration. From Brittanica.com: President Eisenhower’s first personal transport, starting in 1953, was a customized C-121, the military version of the Lockheed Constellation airliner. Designated VC-121A, it was christened the Columbine II – the columbine being the official flower of Colorado, the adopted home state of Mamie Eisenhower. (The Columbine I had been Dwight D. Eisenhower’s personal transport when he was a general in the army.) The call sign Air Force One was created by Gen Eisenhower’s pilot, Col Draper, as a result of a flight to Florida, when he was concerned that air traffic controllers might confuse the presidential plane’s call sign, Air Force 8610, with a similar call sign of a nearby commercial airliner.

Columbine II was replaced as the primary presidential plane in 1954 by Columbine III, a modified Super Constellation. Columbine II, the first Air Force One, now sits proudly in Bridgewater, Virginia, at Dynamic Aviation’s facility.

Today, Dynamic Aviation employs more than 650 enthusiastic aviators, owns over 140 aircraft, and operates from 18 locations in 11 countries across five continents. In 2020 the company announced plans to invest $47.9 million to expand its operation in Rockingham County in partnership with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. The employees at Dynamic Aviation will tell you this about their company: We are a band of brothers, sisters, and friends who stay reconciled, care for one another and live out our shared values, interests, and objectives together. Many of us are motorheads. We enjoy airplanes and all things mechanical. We like being in the environment and supporting, working on, and operating airplanes. We love to serve. We love saving and protecting lives, property, and the environment – and inspiring the next generation. We are motivated by knowing that what we do everyday matters. Our values are ownership, unity, the golden rule, urgency, and doing the right thing. We solve big problems with airplanes. We save and protect lives, property, and the environment; and we inspire the world.

If you take a quick look at the Dynamic Aviation website, you’ll find the following vast fleet lineup: 124 Beechcraft King Airs, 15 De Havilland Dash-8s, four Boeing 737s, and a fleet of 10 vintage aircraft, including “Miss Virginia,” the most pristine DC-3 in the world, and the aforementioned first Air Force One.

Karl’s son Michael Stoltzfus now owns Dynamic Aviation and has been its president and CEO since 2006. He has founded, co-founded, operated and co-created multiple businesses primarily in the aerospace and defense industry. Michael joined Dynamic Aviation in 1990 and has held various roles in flight operations and business development throughout his tenure. He holds an airline transport pilot rating, multiple type ratings (including the DC-3 and the Super DC-3), and has flown over 6,000 hours in over 10 countries. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization and Tiger 21 and has served on the boards and advisory councils of multiple non-profit organizations. Michael attended Eastern Mennonite University and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, through which he has completed multiple executive education programs, including HBS’s Owner-President Management course.

In the last couple of years, Michael, like many others, saw a need to bring young, enthusiastic aviation professionals into our industry. So, he developed a new program called NEXTGEN Aviators. Taking place at local airports, it introduces, informs, ignites, and inspires young adults about the world of the technical aviation workforce. Michael describes the program, “When you bring your students to a NEXTGEN Aviators event, they perform hands-on activities based on real-life applications. As we guide them through a series of experiences encompassing several aviation careers, students are intrigued by engineering and design. Some are fascinated by metalworking or electronics. The art of aeronautics will engage others as they fly the simulator or experience the exhilaration of flight for the first time.”

From “Airplane Chris” innovating in small-town Pennsylvania to Karl building a legacy in Virginia, we can only imagine where Michael is going to take the Stoltzfus family’s birthright. He has already taken Dynamic Aviation to places his dad and granddad never even dreamed of, and now his team is enriching the whole industry by awakening a new interest in aviation within young kids. We wish Dynamic Aviation, NEXTGEN Aviators and the Stoltzfus family continued success.