If the companies we’ve been chronicling the last few months have anything in common, it’s that they were aviation pioneers in various geographical regions in the United States, and they were born from a vision established shortly after the Wright brothers flew their first heavier than air flight. When the parents of Claud Holbert, themselves from a Tennessee family who’d migrated west to Texas in the 1800s, relocated to the hills of Arkansas, little did they know their son and grandsons would go on to establish Little Rock, Arkansas as a world leader in aviation.
Claud Holbert, born in 1910, didn’t wait a day longer than legally necessary to earn his privilege to fly. He joined the Arkansas Air National Guard at 16. His dad had moved the family to Little Rock from Texas a few years earlier to open an auto parts and repair service, and it was there Claud gained a healthy respect for hard work and motoring. Soloing at 17, Claud also began his higher education and was pinned with officer’s wings in the 154th Observation Squadron of the AANG. He soon saw and then realized a business opportunity – teaching others to fly.
The world in the late 1930s was eerily similar to what we’re experiencing these days. A European aggressor was invading peaceful neighbors, and the U.S. was doing everything it could not to send young people into a foreign conflict. Claud started Central Flying Service in 1939 with a single financed Taylorcraft. He was awarded a contract with the federal government as a civilian pilot training center, or CPT, a program initiated by then-president Franklin Roosevelt to address the growing need for pilots in the United States. After World War I, people in the U.S. began to look skyward in new ways. Dreams of flying were becoming realized, and the government wanted to support the wave of growth in aviation interest. But as the looming threat of military aggression hit home in the U.S., Central transitioned into a war pilot training center. And in just a few years Central Flying Service became a full-fledged advanced war pilot training center designated by the U.S. government in support of the military, with 65 aircraft and 30 instructors.
The 1940s were a time of explosive growth. Due to WWII, an extraordinary number of aircraft were being built and lots of pilots were being trained, many by Claud in Little Rock. By that time, his methods of instruction were becoming well-known around the country. In 1944 Central acquired a Ford Tri-Motor and began Arkansas’ first commercial air service. A few years later, in 1948, Claud took delivery of Beechcraft Bonanza serial number 23 and became The Natural State’s first Beechcraft dealer.
The Arkansas River, a major tributary of the Mississippi, slices Little Rock in half. During much of the 1950s Claud actually operated two airports, the main one on the south side of the river and an auxiliary airport in North Little Rock. The main one on the south side was initially called the Little Rock Intermediate Air Depot. It opened in 1917 and was used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps. The Arkansas National Guard started using it for its 154th Observation Squadron in 1926; the same outfit Claud was later a part of. And by 1931, the citizens of Little Rock purchased the site and commercial air service from American Airways began. For many years it was called Adams Field, named after Captain George Geyer Adams of the 154th. He died in the line of duty after years of service in the Squadron and on the Little Rock City Council. He was instrumental in promoting the growth of aviation and the airport. Nowadays, it’s officially known as Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field. It became home to Central Flying Service in 1939.
The little airport on the north side of the river, known then as Central Airport, was required by the Civilian Pilot Training Program, started in 1938 by President Roosevelt, and later the War Training Service program training military pilots until 1956. Thousands were taught to fly at Central Airport, many by Claud himself.
Under Claud’s leadership, Central continued to grow during the 1950s and 60s. It developed its own maintenance facilities and eventually added paint, interior and refurbishment shops. Claud amassed an incredible 50,000 flight hours at the helm of his instruction aircraft and charter fleets. He served as the personal pilot for Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, the grandson of Standard Oil’s John D. Rockefeller of New York. This work was the catalyst for becoming well known as an aviation hub in the area, especially due to few airlines operating in central Arkansas.
Central would later become the first jet charter service in the state. And politics would continue to play a vital role with the company. During one occasion, when Central needed a pilot for Rockefeller, Dick was tasked with the duty. He wasn’t the usual pilot, his dad was, but he took the opportunity to fly to Washington D.C. He got Potomac fever while visiting the capitol, but since he was soon starting law school at the University of Arkansas, he knew he couldn’t stay. However, while on that same trip and seeing some friends who were working with a Senator there, Dick was asked if he’d work for William Fulbright’s campaign, and they’d pay for him to attend Georgetown law school. It was an unbelievable opportunity that he took advantage of. After finishing law school, he became an officer in the U.S. Army.
Beechcraft recognized Central for its outstanding sales accomplishments in 1964. It had become the first independent dealer to exceed one million dollars in sales. And in 1968, Don Holbert came home after a distinguished deployment for almost seven years in Vietnam with the U.S. Army. Don was a gunship helicopter pilot who had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for Valor and many other medals. Central welcomed him home and made him vice president at the company. Dick would leave the military in 1972.
Claud completed his career as the FAA’s senior pilot examiner. He turned Central Flying Service over to his sons in 1975 and left us a few years later at the age of 72. The Chairman of the Arkansas State Aeronautics Commission, Eddie Holland, remarked: “Claud always said it wasn’t work. It was what he enjoyed.” He would go on to fly and instruct until passing in 1983. Don took over as president, and his brother Dick assumed executive vice president duties. They talk fondly about how their dad “retired” a few times but he kept on working until the day he died. The company states: It must have been hard for a man who lied about his age so he could join the Arkansas Air National Guard in 1926 to walk away from something he’d dedicated himself to wholeheartedly for over 50 years. And by all accounts, Claud Holbert never actually left. His vision, leadership, and integrity are the foundation of Central Flying Service. We carry his passion and commitment to excellence in general aviation with us today. Claud loved to fly. Many who knew him fondly recount that he spent more time in the air and logged more flight hours than anyone else on earth. It isn’t hard to imagine. His contribution to aviation in the state of Arkansas is without equal.
Central Flying Service then entered its second era. Claud’s sons Don and Richard had acquired their dad’s enthusiasm, not just for aviation but also for the family company. Aviation, politics, and the military dominated their lives.
By 1980, Central was awarded by Beechcraft again. This time, Central’s parts department became the first independent Beechcraft dealer to exceed one million dollars in sales. A year later, Don would move to the board as chairman and Dick would take the reins as president of Central Flying Service. Claud was inducted into Arkansas’ Aviation Hall of Fame in 1982 before he passed away, and Central continued to amass awards and recognition. It was at this time that “The Greatest Cheeseburger in Aviation History” moniker was bestowed upon Central’s newest facility, the Flight Deck restaurant at Adams Field.
However, as we entered the 1990s, changes at Beechcraft were happening. By 1994 Beech was in the process of taking aircraft sales in-house, and as an independent dealer, Central would no longer have that source of pride and revenue. It joined with several other independent dealers and founded the Pinnacle Air Network to speak to Beechcraft with a unified voice and continue to have aircraft sales operations. It was successful, and to this day, many of the Pinnacle members, like Central, are Beechcraft Service Centers.
After Central’s acquisition of Midcoast Aviation in 2002, it became the world’s largest FBO, with more square footage than any other on earth. Four years later, Don and Dick were both inducted into Arkansas’ Aviation Hall of Fame, just like their dad. Don passed away in 2015 at 75 years old. By 2017, the Central Flight Training School logged over 475,000 flight hours.
By the time you read this article, we will know about the next phase of Central’s journey. Early in 2022, Dick announced that he had a buyer for Central. It wasn’t really up for sale, but an offer came to him that made sense – an offer from someone who understands the history, the legacy and the family. As I am writing, we expect to hear about the purchase and the new owners by the end of March or early April. The intent is for Central to keep its name, its employees and for some of the Holbert family members to say on board, while Dick remains as an adviser, at least for a while. We wish much success to Central in the future.
