Master Mechanic Charles Kennedy

Charles Kennedy of Fayetteville has been honored by the Federal Aviation Administration for having worked in aviation maintenance for more than 50 years. The award is named in honor of Charles Taylor (1868-1956), the first true aviation mechanic, working with the Wright brothers on their first successful powered flight. The award recognizes individuals who have exhibited professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise for at least 50 years in the aircraft maintenance profession, as “master mechanics.”

Col. Charles Kennedy, born in Webster Groves, Mo., began his aviation career with the U.S. Air Force at age 19. He completed basic training in aviation engine maintenance at Amarillo AFB in Texas, and was assigned to the 40th Bomb Wing at Forbes AFB, Topeka, Kan. Over four years he worked as an aircraft mechanic on the six-engine Boeing B-47 Stratojet, a cornerstone of the Strategic Air Command. He was honorable discharged in 1964.
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Charles enrolled in Airframe and Powerplant classes at Parks Aeronautical College in Cahokia, Ill., the first federally approved school of aeronautics, with Air Agency Certificate number 1. He was hired by Eastern Airlines and stationed in Miami, Fla., working on their fleet of turboprop and “Whisperjet” aircraft. After 21 years at Eastern, Charles moved to Northwest Airlines in Atlanta, where he worked another 14 years until his retirement in 2003. He joined the Dixie Wing and has served in many ways, including crew chief of the Douglas Dauntless SBD-5, and he has been heavily involved in the restoration of the P-63 King Cobra. With 55 years in aviation maintenance, Charles also holds a private pilot’s certificate, which he received in 1967. Read more here.