LEONARD PRATT PILOT GSW DFW DEN LEONARD V PRATT HEBER SPRINGS AR Age 89 -US Search (3/3/04) Pratt, L V 718 Stony Ridge Rd, Heber Springs, AR 72543-7822 (501)362-6905 -Switchboard.com (3/3/04) Your recollection made me think of the first time I saw Emmett. I thought you may want me to share it with y'all... Not long after the merger in 1967, I was sitting on a B-727 jumpseat waiting to commute to SLC. We were parked in front of the DEN crew room door. In those days our terminal (A) was under the old control tower. It was late in the afternoon, dusk as I recall, when the crew room door opened. An old captain unfamiliar to me appeared. He was very noticeable however, as he looked like he could barely walk. With a captain's hat on his head, and a bag in each hand, he trudged outside. The light from the crew room cast an eerie glow around his silhouette. I asked the captain, Leonard Pratt, "who-is-that?" Pratt said: "why that's ol' Emmett!" Captain Pratt then turned on his nose wheel light spotlighting this decrepit looking old captain. Suddenly, Emmett stopped - slowly bent his knees - and placed his bags at his feet. Then, he slowly removed his hat and carefully placed it on top of his flight bag. All of a sudden he does the liveliest soft shoe dance you can imagine. This goes on a minute or so when Captain Pratt reached up and extinguished the nose wheel light. Just as suddenly Emmett stopped, then ever so slowly retrieved his hat and carefully placed it upon his head. Then, he gently bent his knees and grasped his bags. I didn't see him slowly trudge off to his waiting Convair. I was on the floor with my sides aching from the hilarity of what I had just witnessed. Yup, that was my first memory of Emmett. I reckon my memory of him is similar to that of many folks. There is no doubt that Captain Emmett Spinks was someone we will never forget - someone we will think of often - someone who always makes us smile. What a wonderful legacy! Blue Skies & Tailwinds Emmett... -Billy Walker (7/20/04) Leonard Pratt is a story too. I've got several clippings of his exploits in sailplanes. I'm attaching one from the August 1963 CN Skywriter. He's hanging in there at age 89 across the state from me in Heber Springs, last I heard. -Jake Lamkins (7/20/04) Likely Leonard won't remember me or even the instance about Emmett. However, next time you see him please pass along our warmest regards and well wishes. As with Emmett, Leonard is legendary. Blue Skies & Tailwinds... -Billy Walker (7/20/04) I don’t remember if I mentioned it to you, but Leonard is now 88 and in frail health. He has alzheimer’s and has spent some time in a rest home before coming back to his home and Betty. Don’t know any more, but he was a great guy to fly with, and he had a great mind with total recall. L. V. Pratt 718 Stony Ridge Rd. Heber Springs, AR 72543-7822 (501) 362-6905 Clyde Hart (8/19/04) Captain Leonard Pratt pass away at 2pm 9/11/04. The memorial will be held at 4 pm Friday (17 Sept) at the Olmstead Funeral Home (501-362-2422) Heber Springs, Ark. The obituary will be posted on their web site. www.olmstead.cc -Jim Ford (9/14/04) Just received word that Leonard passed away. Definitely one of the greatest/best pilots I ever flew with. We had many lay-overs together. They’re flying west quite rapidly now, but Leonard (although being somewhat controversial at times), was an excellent pilot and friend. -Clyde Hart (9/14/04) Posted at the FL Club Pilot Leonard Pratt has died Jim Ford emailed: "Captain Leonard Pratt pass away at 2pm 9/11/04. The memorial will be held at 4pm Friday (17 Sept) at the Olmstead Funeral Home (501-362-2422) Heber Springs, Ark. The obituary will be posted on their web site. www.olmstead.cc" More info as I get it. -Jake Lamkins (9/14/04) Certainly sorry to hear of Leonard Pratt's passing. He was one of the good pilots. I am sure everyone of the old FL gang has a story about Leonard. -Ken Stewart (9/14/04) Leonard's obit also in Arkansas Democrat today 9-16-04. I also would like to add that he was one of the nicest people I ever met. In several years of knowing him, he always seemed the same. -Buddy Griffin (9/16/04) Leonard was one of the original heroes of flying and I guess he really did it all. A wonderful human being and a great friend - I loved being around him. He was/is a legend to some of us oldtimers. Leonard had lived at Heber Springs for years Rusty told me at the Picnic that Emmett had passed away. The stories that could be told on those guys would produce two best sellers. They were both American Originals. Never again will aviation see, or be, as it was in their day. Thank god I was a little part of it and got to know the main players. The ones who lived it and made it happen. It was our life: We lived it and loved it. -Jack Chambers, Cabot AR (9/25/04) I talked to Betty Pratt for a long time this week. She was happy that someone still had good memories of Leonard. She doesn't get the newsletter and not aware of all the olf folks at FL keeping in touch. (The newsletter was sent for almost a year when it was first started but Leonard never subscribed.) I tolh her you might do a story on Leonard in a future issue. She said she was honored and would be happy to pass any info you might need about his life. They never got to make the secondworld tour like he planned. But I'm sure she has tons of pics and information. You can contact her at Betty Pratt 718 Stony Ridge Road Heber Springs, AR 72543 Fone: 501-362-6905 -Jack Chambers (11/16/04) Re: Adventures of Leonard Pratt in FL NEWS, Winter 2005 An excellently written story. I enjoyed flying with Leonard from my first year with Central Airlines in 1964 until his retirement a few short years after the FAL merger. He was an outstanding pilot, with an outstanding intellect. Many considered Leonard as somewhat of a maverick, but I believe that’s because they didn’t take the time to try to understand him. His mind was always active and challenging some already accepted practices. I remember one time after a DC-3 check ride with Del Booth and the FAA inspector, Wayne Butters, that Leonard got so incensed at the FAA that he ran upstairs in the Central hangar and asked Owen Cook if he could whip Butters. Owen remarked that it was OK as long as he didn’t hurt the aircraft. Delbert told me that he came down the hangar stairs with fire in his eyes as Butters disappeared around the corner into the parking lot. A little short in stature, he made up for it with his superior flying ability, determination and intelligence. I will always remember and miss Leonard Pratt…….. one of my aviation heroes. -Clyde Hart (1/19/05