Billie Howard ("Dirty Bird") Miles

Billie Howard Miles, affectionately known as Dirty Bird, was born in Lodges Corner, Arkansas on September 27, 1930 right outside of Stuttgart. He was the oldest child of farmer Howard and Elizabeth Miles. He was the big brother to Bobbie Gene Miles, deceased at 18, Leona Miles Waddell, and Peggy Miles Waddell who he called Pud.

Billie wanted to fly. He often skipped school and rode his bike to the J.O. Dockery Airport in Stuttgart and just hung on the fence watching the planes. No one ever said to him, “Hey little boy, want to take a ride around the patch in the plane”. After he started flying, he never passed up what he called ‘the little boy on the fence’. He ensured his daughter and son did the same after they started flying.

When Billie was 16 years old, he sold a pig. And without his parents’ knowledge, he started taking flying lessons. When it was time for him to do a solo, his instructor informed him that he needed a medical exam. Billie then went to Little Rock to get one. After the doctor gave him the exam and took his money, he informed Billie that he needed his parents’ signatures. When Billie went home to ask, his parents refused because his mother started crying that her baby was going to get killed. Sadly, his flying was put to a halt for years.

Billie met Doris Beatrice Patrucio and started dating after Billie’s Mom warned him that if he didn’t ask her out, they would for him. He was incredibly shy and hard-headed. Their first date was in the winter in a convertible car that he had built out of airplane parts. Billie gave Doris a blanket, and she held on for the ride.

At the age of 20, Billie joined the United States Air Force with hopes of flying, but his eyesight didn’t allow it. So, he was a left gunner on a B-29 based in Arizona during the Korean Conflict.  After a while, he wrote Doris and asked her to come out. She packed up and bought a bus ticket.

Billie and Doris married in Tucson, Arizona on April 8, 1953. They were married for 69 ½ years. To this union, they had two children: daughter Rhonda “Toot” Miles (husband Bob Hilpert) and son Kevin “Ked” Miles, deceased. Their grandsons are Jacob Aaron Miles, deceased, and Jeremy Miles Hubbell (wife Jamie). Their great grandchildren are Jacey Hubbell and Jaden Hubbell. Billie instilled the love of aviation into his family. In fact, when Rhonda and Keven were growing up, they were required to solo an airplane before they could drive a car. Rhonda soloed at age 16, followed by her brother the next year.

They returned to Arkansas from Arizona in the mid 1950s. Billie worked as assistant manager at Grider Field Airport in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He wanted to fly so bad that he had to be around them. Billie ended up with multiple instructors and paid for his flying by washing airplanes and changing oil for flight time. As soon as he had 250 hours, Myhand and Deam Cropdusting Services came calling. He flew for them in Cut-back Cubs and after a few years, he took a job with Ag-Air Inc, moving up in planes….Cubs,  CallAirs and then the Thrush. After a few years, he managed the second location in Grady, Arkansas, and that is where he stayed. In 1978, Billy purchased the second operation from Ag-Air, and his company Dirty Bird, Inc. was born. His wife Doris ran the office, and his son Kevin eventually became a mechanic. His daughter Rhonda also worked there a few years. Billie flew until they sold it, and he flew part time for others instead of retirement. He became known as ‘Dirty Bird’ or ‘Ole Dirty’. During the mid 1980s with the PIK years and farmers weren’t planting, he taught them to fly. Never charging. Just having fun. Billie instructed many students who became crop dusters, airline pilots, air show performers and military pilots. People still talk about the “Granny Act” at the Pine Bluff airshows. He also was the announcer for the show for some time.

After 46 years as a crop-duster pilot, Billie sold his business and retired in 1992. He was 72 years old and had logged over 40,000 hours in the air, the majority of which was below the tops of telephone poles.

In his later years, Billy and Doris moved to Tennessee with their very accomplished aviator daughter, Rhonda, and her husband, who all share a love for aviation.  

Billie and Doris were known as 'good Samaritans', always eager to help those in need, whether they knew them or not. They extended their generosity widely, adopting individuals from diverse backgrounds, such as a bicyclist from the Netherlands they met on the interstate, people from Siberia, pilots from England and South Africa, just to name a few. Many benefited from Billie’s free flying lessons and the use of their airplanes on loan. Their primary motivation was to see people thrive in every aspect of life, but their greatest impact was through their unwavering faith and love for God.

In 2022, he was inducted into the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame. He knew about it, but unfortunately, he passed before the induction. He was very honored. Billie transitioned on September 27, 2022.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Billie Howard ("Dirty Bird") Miles, please visit our floral store.