Ken Fowler (Photo: Team Rocket Aerobatics on Facebook)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

mentor and student

Rocky Mountain House mourns pair killed in weekend plane crash

Sep 28, 2020 | 11:29 AM

The longtime manager of the Rocky Mountain House Airport who died in a plane crash over the weekend is being remembered for his involvement in the industry for over two decades.

Ken Fowler, who was 59, died Saturday afternoon when the Harmon Rocket sport plane he was piloting went down in a field northwest of Thorsby.

Hannalei Eder, who was 48, also died in the crash.

The Town of Rocky Mountain House released a statement Monday morning paying respect to Fowler, who managed the town’s airport for the last 22 years.

“He was an experienced pilot who was well-respected by the aerobatic, military and amateur flying communities alike,” the statement reads. “The Town of Rocky Mountain House extends its deepest condolences to the families of Mr. Fowler and his passenger. Town council and administration will support staff who are grieving the sudden loss of their colleague and friend.”

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Wayne Pedersen with the Rocky Mountain House Flying Club says he would cross paths with Fowler almost daily at the airport.

“He was very passionate about aviation and very knowledgeable and skilled when it came to building and repairing aircraft,” Pedersen shares. “He was a very talented pilot, and was very free with his knowledge and expertise to those around him, and he helped and mentored anybody he could, and was happy to do so.”

That includes mentoring Eder, who was also a pilot, he notes.

“Being a pilot, you’re in an interest group that’s fairly small, so you rely on each other, you feel each other’s joys and certainly each other’s pains. When something like this happens, it cuts deep into the flying community.”

Gavin Lee, who considered himself a brother to Fowler, says Rocky Mountain House has lost an icon, and believes the airport should dedicate a portion of its facility in his honour.

“Ken and I met in Comox, B.C. while he was in the military. We worked on 442 Squadron doing search and rescue,” says Lee. “I don’t know if the town of Rocky Mountain House knows this — hopefully they do, but it just lost a legend. Ken was known internationally, and he’s one of the best aircraft builders I know of.”

Lee says when he and Fowler would fly to airshows, other builders would come straight to Ken for advice on how to build their planes better and faster. Fowler flew in airshows from Abbotsford and Quesnel to Wisconsin and Mexico, he adds.

“He was insanely talented and was one of the best formation flyers in the world,” he says, noting Fowler’s partnership with Eric Hansen at Team Rocket Aerobatics. He also points out that it was Fowler who got the Rocky Mountain House Airshow off the ground.

“That show is kudos to Ken, his family and all the great volunteers in Rocky who put that together,” says Lee. “Ken and Eric were wanted all over the world, and they were one of the first teams to ever do a dual night show with fireworks off the ends of the wings. Ken was also Santa Claus in the flight over Rocky every year.”

The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.