WNCAM Founding Father
Nov. 15, 1942 – May 19, 2024
Kennith Bryan Stubbs, Jr., 81 of Hendersonville, NC, passed away on May 19, 2024 at Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville. Ken was a devoted friend to many who never met a stranger. He passionately pursued his interests from beekeeping, fly fishing, and aviation. It was the last of these that had the greatest impact on his life.
Fascinated with aviation from a young age, he eventually became a lineman at Spartanburg Airport. It wasn’t long after that he became a pilot, flying his first solo at 16 years old, just a week before getting his driver’s license, then quickly learning to fly a crop duster. He would go on to tow banners at Myrtle Beach and fly commercial and corporate aircraft. He earned his Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanic’s certificates and became a licensed Airline Transport Pilot (ATP), the highest level of pilot certification in the United States. In addition, he was a member of the prestigious and highly secretive aviation club known as the Quiet Birdmen.
Ken co-founded the Western North Carolina Air Museum with two of his close friends and was the first president in 1989. In the decades since, he remained closely involved and supportive of the museum and its work.