More Than 60 Vintage and Firefighting Aircraft On The
Block
Great American Group has
begun conducting a complete liquidation of one of the nation's
oldest and leading aerial firefighting and vintage aircraft
operators.
More than 60 vintage planes and aerial firefighting aircraft
belonging to Hawkins & Powers Aviation, Inc., of Greybull, WY,
are up for sale by Great American.
Among the millions of dollars in assets are fixed wing aircraft
(including Lockheed C130As, Boeing KC-97s, Consolidated PB-4Ys,
Fairchild C119s, a Fairchild C82 and a Fairchild F27, one Lockheed
L-18, one Douglas A-26, and a Cessna T210, a Cessna 310 and a
Cessna 340A), rotor-wing aircraft (including Bell Helicopter models
206 and UH-1B, a Kaman M43 and a Lama SA315B), and assorted aerial
firefighting and ground support equipment such as fuel trucks,
maintenance equipment and retardant tanks.
Complete hanger facilities also are for sale.
A large inventory of B25 and other spare parts, avionics, and
aircraft repair and inspection equipment, including tools, engines,
cylinders, propellers and radio equipment, also is available. The
engines for sale range from VO-435 and Pratt & Whitney R4360
models to Allison T-56 models. Included are many sizes, such as
Pratt & Whitney models 985, 1340, 2800 and 4360, and Curtis
Wright models 1820, 2600 and 3350.
Since World War II, aerial fire bombing has been proven
successful in the field and can be credited with saving millions of
dollars' worth of homes and property as well as thousands of lives,
both in the initial attack role and in close-in protection work.
This is on top of the usefulness of such aircraft in supporting and
protecting ground-based fire crews.
A pioneer in aerial
firefighting, Hawkins & Powers was founded in 1969 by co-owners
Dan Hawkins and Gene Powers. Over the years, the company has grown
to become one of the nation's leading providers of firefighting
services, aircraft and equipment to the USDA Forest Service and
other federal and state agencies as well as local municipalities in
combating brush and wildfires. They have conducted thousands of
aerial missions over the years both in the United States and
abroad, including crop dusting, seeding and various other
operations.
The company's aircraft and the business of aerial firefighting,
in fact, were featured in the film, "Always," starring Richard
Dreyfuss. Another Hawkins & Powers aircraft was featured in the
film (pictured below), "Flight of the Phoenix," starring Dennis
Quaid.
Due to a variety of factors, however, earlier this year the
co-owners decided to liquidate the company. The assets to be
liquidated were sold to Great American Group and subsequently put
up for orderly liquidation.
"Hawkins & Powers has one of the largest fleets of
firefighting and vintage aircraft and equipment in our industry,
and it has earned an excellent reputation for its work," said
Powers.
"Many of the items on sale will be of interest to other
firefighting companies that are looking to expand their fleets and
service capabilities, as well as to private vintage plane
collectors. Museums and aviation organizations dedicated to
preserving such aircraft also will be most impressed with the
collection that is available."
"We are very proud of our accomplishments and the legacy that we
are leaving," Hawkins added. "We've had a terrific run these past
35 years and look back fondly on the many friends we've made."
"We are delighted to have been selected to handle this
liquidation project, and we are enthused by the response we've
received so far from prospective buyers," said Mark Weitz,
president of the Wholesale and Industrial Services division of
Great American Group.
"The acquisition of these assets from Hawkins & Powers also
opens up a new industry segment to us -- aviation," Weitz added.
"With so much happening today in that industry, including mergers,
closures and the downsizing of fleets, we anticipate it becoming a
greater market for our appraisal, liquidation and auction services
as we move forward."