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."

FMI: www.greatamerican.com