Wayne Louis Pratt

Wayne Pratt was a life-long aviator. In fact, as a 4-year-old growing up in Topeka, KS, he gave flight instruction to an imaginary friend he called “Erdy”

            Over the next eight decades he and others would define him in many other ways — internationally-known electrical and mechanical engineer; inventor; adventurer; loving husband, father, and grandfather; fun-loving. Still, his passion for flying marked his course in life like the compasses in the aircrafts he flew.

            Wayne was born January 9, 1940, the son of Marion Pratt and Eldora Flae (Dieter) Pratt. It was there in the basement of the Pratt’s Topeka home that he began building model airplanes — both free-flight gliders and gasoline-powered planes — with a construction crew that included his younger brother, Gary, and his best friend, David. Eventually the boys even built a wind tunnel to test their model airplanes to assure the best performance.

            Hard work, experimentation and the lessons of occasional crashes eventually led to victories in competitions at various model airplane meets as well as trips to national competitions in Chicago and California. In California, he won a championship free-flight trophy, which included as a prize a “date” with movie star Sandra Dee.

            After high school graduation in 1958 he was off to Kansas University in Lawrence, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical and mechanical engineering. And with a $300 loan from his grandmother, he began flight training at Erhart Flying Service. He quickly earned advanced ratings that allowed him to give flight instruction. With that income, he paid back the loan and covered much of the cost of his college education. During that time, and ever since, he has flown anything he could get his hands on.  While working at the airfield he flew different models of Cessna’s, Aeronca’s, Piper’s, Stinson’s and Schweizer gliders.  Some other notables include a Beechcraft C-45, Fairchild PT-23, and one of his favorites to talk about… a Ford Tri-Motor.  However, the income and flight opportunities weren’t the best part of becoming a flight instructor. 

One of his students was a pretty blond named Cindy Erhart, the daughter of the owner of the airfield. They began to date and were married February 4,1967.

            Wayne pursued his engineering career with companies in Massachusetts and Texas, eventually settling in Arizona. While in Texas he and Cindy grew their family by two with the births of a son, Derek, and a daughter, Katy. One day each would bring three grandchildren into the family.

            In spite of a heavy work schedule and work-related travel, Wayne loved being a husband, father and grandfather. His adventurous nature was shared with the children who will always remember him as loving, playful and fun.

            As an engineer, Wayne displayed the same sort of curiosity, imagination and creativity that motivated his days as a child building model airplanes in the family basement. He eventually held patents on a number of devices he invented and developed. Notable among the inventions was a special adaption of a Coriolis Meter’s fuel flow consumption monitor, as well as temperature control monitoring systems for aeronautical and marine use.

            These inventions and other expertise led to international travel for consultation on installations, with trips and extensive stays throughout Latin America and Europe and with stops in Hungary, Oman, Yemen, Iceland, Greenland, China, Romania, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Throughout this travel he established lasting friendships

            His work experience also enabled Wayne and Cindy to live in England where they integrated into the local culture and further enlarged their circle of international friendships. While in England he put his soaring skills to use as he enjoyed outings at the Cotswold Gliding Club.

            Wayne died January 31, 2025, at his Scottsdale home, surrounded by Cindy, Derek and Katy. He had been under treatment for metastatic prostate cancer for two years. Typical of Wayne, he had continued to live as normal a life as possible throughout his declining health.

            Just a few weeks earlier he had gone on a flight with his grandson, Jack, who is working on his commercial license. He also went on family vacations and visited family in Kansas.

            As he approached the end of his life, one of Wayne’s last comments reflected the spunk and engineering analysis that so much steered his journey: “Out of airspeed, altitude and ideas.”

            Wayne was a member of the Paradise Valley United Methodist Church; Theta Tau engineering fraternity; Soaring Society of America; Academy of Model Aeronautics; and the Kansas University Alumni Association. His most recent honor in aviation was the 2020 Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.

            Surviving are his wife, Cindy, of nearly 58 years; children, Derek Pratt and wife Robin of Seattle, WA., and their three daughters, Helen, June and Laura; Kathryn (Katy) Flosi and husband David of Washington, DC, and their daughters, Hannah and Bella and their son, Jack.

            Also surviving is his brother, Gary, of Parker, CO, and his wife, Kelly, along with numerous nieces and nephews of both Wayne and Cindy.

            There will be no immediate calling or a service. A gathering for family and friends is being planned for a later time.

In memory of Wayne, the family suggests donations be made to one of the following

PVUMC                                  or   Angel Flight West

4455 E. Lincoln Drive                    https://angelflightwest.org/

Paradise Valley, AZ 85253