Aeronautics
Doyle Vaughan, Daniel Hawkins inducted into Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame for 2020 By John R. Waggener, Archivist, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The first inductions occurred in 1995, when Ralph Johnson, Harold Slim Lewis, Dillard Pic Walker and Samuel Phillips were inducted. Since the inaugural 1995 induction, only one individual is inducted each year. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame, the board decided to select two individuals to be inducted into the hall of fame, Doyle Vaughan, of Jackson, and Daniel Hawkins, of Greybull. Daniel J. Hawkins operated highly specialized aerial services, including mountain flying, firefighting, search and rescue, surveying and hauling. An experienced fixed wing pilot, Hawkins also was a highly experienced helicopter pilot who used helicopters in a variety of applications. He was co-owner of Hawkins & Powers Aviation Inc., and co-owned several fixed-base operations in northern Wyoming, including Sky Aviation in Worland, Powell Aviation and Big Horn Airways in Sheridan. Hawkins began working for Greybull-based Avery Aviation in 1964. He became co-manager in December 1965, with Gene Powers. In 1969, they purchased the company, changing the name to Hawkins & Powers. At the height of operations, H&P had approximately 200 employees. Known for its innovations in aerial firefighting techniques and slurry delivery systems, Hawkins & Powers operated for more than 35 years before closing in 2005. Hawkins was a pioneer in the use of helicopters in mountain flying, search and rescue, the energy industry, agricultural and rangeland and wildlife applications. In 2000, he received the Helicopter Association International’s prestigious Robert E. Trimble Memorial Award for his mountain flying accomplishments and innovations and, in 2006, the Meritorious Service Award for his outstanding service to the civil helicopter community. Hawkins had numerous memorable moments in a helicopter, including placing a bison monument on top of Cedar Mountain, west of Cody, to mark the site where Buffalo Bill Cody wished to be buried. He also appeared as the helicopter pilot in the 1968 John Wayne movie, Hellfighters, filmed near Casper. Hawkins was born on May 25, 1927 in Pierre, South Dakota. At the age of 15, he began taking flight lessons. In 1944, he enrolled in Rapid City Aircraft Mechanic Vocation School. He then became a mechanic for the U.S. Army Air Corps at Rapid City Army Airbase (Ellsworth Air Force Base) where he worked on the B-17. Late in 1945, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany. After his discharge, he returned to Rapid
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November 2020
Photo: Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame
Daniel Hawkins
Daniel Hawkins
City and joined Rushmore Flying Service as a mechanic. He earned his private pilot’s license in 1948 and joined the South Dakota National Guard. He then attended the Army Aviation School, where he completed fixed wing and helicopter training in 1956. Later, he was hired by Mississippi Valley Helicopters and worked out of the Rapid City operation where he provided helicopter support for the construction of the Minuteman Missile sites, and he patrolled power lines for Black Hills Power and Light. He married Jean Olson in 1949, and they had three children. Their son, Bob, became a pilot for his father’s company. Hawkins logged more than 30,000 flight hours in his 60 years of flying. He passed away on June 28, 2006.
