Frank R. (Mike) Guididas, 72-year veteran of Delaware aviation, started his career in 1928 at age 16 as a mechanic at Bellanca Aircraft in New Castle. He won his wings in 1930. A year or so later, the manager of DuPont Airport at Rte. 141 and Lancaster Pike signed Mike on as mechanic and pilot. He also instructed aerobatics and cross-country flying in the Thirties.
During World War II, Mike worked for All American Engineering at DuPont Airport as a quality control inspector, and later flew as a factory test pilot of military planes at St. Louis and Trenton, including more than 800 Grumman torpedo bombers built by General Motors.
After the war, he helped establish the flight department of Atlantic Aviation, which became a distributor for Fairchild, Beech, Piper and Republic aircraft manufacturers. In 1947 he personally took delivery of the first Beech Bonanza from Walter Beech in Wichita.
In 1960 when Atlantic became the global sales agency for the Grumman Gulfstream, Guididas was chief sales pilot here and abroad. He was also the first American rated in the Hawker-Siddley DeHavilland 125 jet and logged 2,500 pilot hours in sales demonstrations in the United States.
In 1952, the DuPont Company established its Aviation department, contracted its operation to Atlantic Aviation, and named Guididas its first director of aviation and chief pilot.
Mike has flown well over 25,000 pilot hours, all accident-free. (Friend and co-honoree Eddie Edwards scoffs at the number: "He's flown over 30 thousand; he just quit keeping track after 25.")
Mike lives near Kennett Square, Pa. He and his wife Marjory, who died in 1991, are parents of a son, Frank R. II of Sarasota, Fla, and daughters Mrs. Marjorie Ventresca of Wilmington and Mrs. Shirley Farquhar who lives near their father.
