During the summer of 2021, 90-year-old retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Richard “G.P.” Erb bonded with his grandson, U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Nicholas Erb, who stayed at his home in Alexandria, Virginia. While driving Nicholas to his internship at the Pentagon, he opened up about his own Air Force career. “All I knew growing up was that my grandpa was an engineer and that he worked on the F-15 Eagle fighter,” Nicholas, now a captain, said. “Then, that summer, he started sharing all these stories.”
Erb joined the Air Force in 1950 and spent almost 30 years as an aeronautical engineer and pilot, helping design aircraft such as the A-7 Corsair II, the A-10 Thunderbolt and the F-15 Eagle. He also flew the C-130 Hercules transport in Vietnam, where he earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for coming under enemy fire while airlifting Marines out of a combat zone.
Nicholas recalled his grandfather beaming with pride when he followed him into the Air Force, telling him that someday he would surpass his own career. “I told him ‘I don’t think so, Grandpa,’” Nicholas said. When he dropped Nicholas off at his internship, he would reminisce about designing the F-15 at the Pentagon. He also showed Nicholas YouTube videos of the F-15 in action, asking him “Isn’t that a sweet bird?”
Nicholas was one of 11 grandchildren. Erb married Barbara Stanz in 1952, and they had five children: John, Jody, Jim, Jeff and Jason. Nicholas is the son of Jeff, a pilot for Delta Airlines. When Barbara passed away in 1987, Erb had her buried in Section 8 of Arlington National Cemetery. After she passed, Nicholas asked his grandfather if he would ever see his wife again. “He told me, ‘I hope so.’”
When Erb passed away and was laid to rest with Barbara on Dec. 3, 2025, Nicholas helped ensure that his wing, the 37th Flying Training Squadron based out of Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, flew the missing-man formation over the funeral service. As more than 100 family and friends gathered, four T-6 Texan II aircraft soared passed over the Air Force Memorial and the cemetery. As they reached Section 8, one aircraft pulled out of the formation, a perfect tribute to Erb legacy.
U.S. Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Joshua Zarzana told the mourners that Erb lived for 95 years “with curiosity, kindness and a pilot’s instinct.” Everyone who knew him, Zarzana added, “knew always that they were in the presence of a man who made life warmer, funnier and adventurous.” A ripple of laugher ran though crowd as Zarzana reminded them how Erb filled attics, sheds and a bedroom with his collected treasures, “which became a source of stories and teasing that were filled with beautiful humor.” He also said that Erb left his fingerprints on several aircraft designs “that protected generations of airmen.”
While flying may have been Erb’s passion, Nicholas said that his grandfather really loved his family. “He was so proud of all of his grandkids,” he explained. “He would keep in touch with all of us.” And although Erb went by many callsigns and nicknames throughout his Air Force career, his favorite was G.P., which stood for “Grandpa.”
