The Arkansas Aviation historical Society inducted Gerald Loyd into the 2022 AAHS Hall of Fame at the Cals Ron Robinson Theater in Little Rock November 10, 2022.
Gerald Loyd has been a resident of Arkansas his entire life. His childhood interest in aviation spawned an endeavor of flight, both military and civilian, that has spanned 58 years since he first received his private pilot certificate. Since then he’s amassed 8,000 flight hours, 1,432 of which were combat hours over Vietnam. He acquired a commercial pilot certificate with Single & Multi engine, instrument and rotary wing ratings with formation flying card and flight lead cards.
In 1967, at the age of 19, Gerald applied for helicopter training program with the U. S. Army. He arrived at Ft. Walters in Mineral Wells, TX for Primary flight training in Hughs TH-55s. He then transferred to Ft. Rucker, AL in January 1968 for advanced training. He graduated in the top 10% of the class and received Gun Ship training. He graduated in May of 1968 as a W-1 Warrant Officer and received his Commercial Helicopter Pilot License. When he left Vietnam he had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, 24 Air Medals, two Air Medals with “V” device for Valor, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and other awards. When his time in the Army concluded, he returned home to Dumas.
As a member of a group call Mid-South RVators, His formation flying got noticed and he was asked to do fly overs at regional fly-ins. Eventually Gerald formed the Bulldog Flight Formation Team with some of the pilots he had trained. Gerald has spent 58 years helping others get their dreams in the air.
Bill Miles, of Stuttgart and Colonel Hank Wilson, of Little Rock was also inducted into the hall of fame.
The Arkansas Aviation Historical Society is a non-profit organization promoting aviation. It created the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame in 1980, and recently created college scholarships in hopes of encouraging young people to pursue aviation careers. The Aviation Hall of Fame honors individuals who played a great role in aviation and aerospace history on the national or Arkansas scene. Records are hosted by Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Arkansas Studies Institute, Central Arkansas Library System, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Members to the Hall of Fame have been inducted annually from 1980 to 2010, and again in 2015 to 2019. The Hall of Fame records are located at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Arkansas Studies Institute. In 2015, the society awarded its first two scholarships, while expressing the need for aviators to support the dreams of potential young pilots. The Scholarship program has grown each year; in 2018 the society awarded ten scholarships in the amount of $3,000 each to recipients at Henderson State University and Ozarka College.
