Oh man. That’s terrible.
I only ever met Ken a few times, but although I never got to know him very well, one of those meetings had a major impact on my life.
In the few years just before and just after I graduated from college, before I could afford flight training (let alone think about owning or building an airplane), I did a lot of airshow photography and writing for aviation magazines and websites. It was in that context that I got to talk with Ken Fowler and Eric Hansen a few times, when they and I were at the same airshow.
(Some assorted pictures from Sonoma, Arlington, and Abbotsford over the years...)
One of those times, in 2007, Ken offered to take me up for a ride during the media day / practice day, the day before the airshow. This was my first ride in an “RV” (yeah, a Rocket, but y’know, close enough…). Think back to your first ride in an RV (even if it was in the back seat), to the first time you experienced the “RV grin”. As I’m sure you can imagine, I basically fell in love with the airplane.
(Image above by Nathan Havercroft)
Four years later, less than a year after I became a private pilot, I bought an RV. After I graduated from grad school, I bought another one. I have since been checked out to rent a third and to borrow a fourth. (I’ll build one someday…). As you know, RVs aren't just special because they're ridiculously fun, it’s also because Van’s offers terrific support, and because there is this amazing community of builders and owners.
Here is a photo from 2012, of me thanking Ken for introducing me (five years earlier) to our favorite series of airplanes:
In February of this year (before COVID really hit), I put in my two-weeks notice at Boeing and accepted a job offer at Van’s. I’m having tons of fun here… and I still credit Ken for opening the door for me into this exceptional community and these super fun little airplanes.
I'm glad that Ken's son Kyle will carry on his dad's traditions of flying airshows in an experimental homebuilt. Hopefully you guys saw the
recent Flight Chops episode, and this
cool stunt just a couple days ago...
Anyways, thank you Ken for intruducing me to the RV universe. It really did make a huge impact in my life, and I'll never forget it.