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Claud Holbert won numerous industry awards, including from Beechcraft, the FAA, and the State of Arkansas.
lots of pilots were being trained, many by Claud in Little Rock. By that time, his meth- ods of instruction were becoming well-known around the country. In 1944 Central acquired a Ford Tri-Motor and began Arkansas’ first com- mercial 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.
and later the War Training Service program training mili- tary pilots until 1956. Thousands were taught to fly at Central Airport, many by Claud himself.
Under Claud’s leadership, Central continued to grow dur- ing the 1950s and 60s. It developed its own maintenance facilities and eventually added paint, interior and refurbish- ment 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, es- pecially due to few airlines operating in central Arkansas.
Central would later become the first jet charter ser- vice 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
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 citi-
zens of Little Rock purchased the site and com-
mercial 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,
Brothers Dick and Don Holbert.
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
April 2022 / TWIN & TURBINE • 21