He graduated from Pleasantville (N.Y.) High School. At Princeton he majored in mechanical engineering, played varsity football and baseball, and was a member of Cap and Gown.

After graduation he served as a pilot in the Air Force. He then spent several years with Minneapolis Honeywell as an engineering test pilot before joining the Radio Corporation of America. He also was a Wycliffe Bible translator and worked for Wycliffe in Alaska.

In 1963 he became a captain and flight instructor for United Airlines. He retired in 1983 and began his second life as a gentleman farmer outside Berthoud, Colo., a town of about 8,000 on the state’s northern border. There he became active in community affairs and enjoyed the fishing and hunting the area offered. He was known by friends as a conservative and a man of great faith.

Karl is survived by his wife, Jan; six children; two stepchildren; 10 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.