I only met him once. He was coming through Fairbanks on a tour bus. Somehow, he talked the bus driver into making a detour onto the east ramp of Fairbanks International Airport, the general aviation side. His motive was to visit the maintenance outfits that he was selling products to and meet folks.
I drove to the airport to check on a plane that was undergoing maintenance. I wondered why a tour bus was parked on the east ramp, but.....
I went into the shop and there was Mr. Stits, telling stories and having a great time. He was a big guy, and he was having a great time.
After a while, the bus driver came in and told him that the other tourists in the bus were getting a little peeved, and wanted to move on. Ray just waved him off, told another story, then said "Gotta go!".
The Stits fabric covering process is one of the most commonly used aircraft fabric covering processes in use today. That is primarily because Ray Stits worked hard to support the product. He gave a lot to aviation.
He also designed and built experimental airplanes, and was an avid supporter of EAA and its programs.
A great loss indeed, but he made general aviation better while he was with us.
MTV
