Gerdes Celebrates 80th Birthday With Ride In Wright B Flyer
Conrad Gerdes turned 80 yesterday, April 21, but celebrated the occasion this past weekend surrounded by family and a couple of surprises that added a full-circle element to his nearly 50-year history in flight. Gerdes, a longtime pilot and avid aviation enthusiast, was treated to a ride in the Wright B Flyer Saturday at his birthday party at the Dayton General South Airport, a surprise from his children, who also shocked their father by inviting Medway resident Al Butterfield, who originally taught Gerdes how to fly helicopters.
Colleen Harris of Tipp City said she and her brother decided to surprise their father with a trip in the Wright B Flyer because it was the only aircraft he had not flown in throughout his career.
Harris said her father was born April 21, 1935 in Dayton to Ralph and Jane Gerdes, and he was the oldest of three children. They lived in Lewisburg, where his father farmed and delivered milk. Harris said her father knew at an early age that he wanted to take to the air, and began piloting at the age of 15. He bought his first airplane at age 16 and cleared some land from the family farm to construct a runway, which he would use to fly to surrounding farms and work the fields for extra money. Gerdes came to develop a love of all flying machines throughout his life, receiving flight ratings from single-engine planes to big jets and having flown gliders, hot air balloons, and helicopters as well.
After graduating high school in 1953, Gerdes went to engineering school and got hired in the research department at GM, but still assisted his father on the family farm. In 1960, Gerdes was hired by the Price Brothers company as their chief pilot, and worked there for 13 years. During this time, he also started his own company, Gerdes Products, Inc., which manufactured aircraft parts at the Rasor Airport in Brookville.
Harris said as a flight instructor, her father taught the art of flying to hundreds of students, including herself and her mother and brothers.
“While growing up in an aviation family, we were all taught to fly by my dad,” said Harris. “My mom received her pilot’s license in the 60s. My oldest brother soloed at age 16 and currently is a captain for American Airlines. My youngest brother also soloed on his sixteenth birthday and currently is the corporate pilot for NCR. Myself, well I just like to fly around locally, but haven’t flown since I sold my airplane in 1995,” she added.
Harris said it was a treat to surprise her father Saturday with his former helicopter instructor Al Butterfield, who will turn 101 this summer. She said Butterfield, who can often be found enjoying coffee at the Mel-O-Dee Restaurant, has an accomplished career in flight as well. She said he was Dayton’s first helicopter pilot, and flew for Phil Donahue at one time, as well as flying traffic watches. She noted that he also once met Howard Hughes.
Harris said her father and his wife Dottie now live in Indiana, where they work together refurbishing Model As, having restored more than 44 to-date.
