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Today, Dynamic Aviation employs more than 650 people, owns over 140 aircraft, and operates from 18 locations.
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 prob- ably 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, power- ful 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 gradu- ated with a bachelor’s degree in business. To fi- nance 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 short- ly 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 gov- ernment and commercial customers in over 30 countries.
Michael Stoltzfus
Karl Stoltzfus
2004 saw Dynamic out- fitting its first aircraft for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, paving the way for its current reputation as a leader in that com- petitive market.
Through all the suc- cess and innovative initia- tives, Karl was a voracious reader of both aviation and history, and he loved shar- ing 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.
July 2022 / TWIN & TURBINE • 21