Nick Clutton of Mount Pleasant Farm, Chalvington died on September 28 after a short battle with cancer. He was 77.
His funeral will be held on Friday, October 30 at St John the Baptist Church, Ripe.
Nick studied geology at the University of Birmingham before training as an RAF pilot at Cranwell in Lincolnshire.
From 1975 he flew Vulcans with 45 Squadron, the long range bombers deployed to remain airborne with nuclear weapons at the height of the Cold War. Another Vulcan pilot explained that, should they have to drop their payload over an enemy city, there would have been no airfield left intact where they could land.
The Vulcan was the aircraft charged with the job of bombing the runway, rendering it unusable for Argentinian aircraft at Port Stanley at the height of the Falklands War. Because the distance exceeded its range, it was fuelled mid-air.
Nick then enjoyed a lengthy civil aviation career, piloting Boeing 767, 757 and 737s across Europe, Asia and Africa.
He later turned to training, risk and safety management. In his spare time he was passionate about sailing, canoeing and riding.
Anthony Sealey took to social media to commend his former captain. "He was one of a kind, my primary instructor on the Jet Provost, 35 years ago. I was 19. He always looked to the good and found ways to challenge and give me the confidence I needed to succeed. He was a mentor to many a young aspiring pilot at RAF Linford on Ouse, he always had time for students and was an all-round top bloke to share a beer with at the bar."
Lee Carslake said: "Nick was one of the commanders on the Boeing 737 fleet. He will be missed in the aviation community. He was a nice guy." Dai Whittingham agreed, saying: "He was a real gentleman and passionate about making things better for other people."
Roger Ware explained he had been a junior first officer 37 years ago and shared the flight deck with Nick many times. "He was always generous with his time, experience and knowledge."