Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame

2025 Hall of Fame Inductee Announced - Dwight France

The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame, in conjunction with the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission, has named Dwight H. France the 2025 inductee into the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame. France is recognized for his nearly 40 years of providing flying services in south-central Wyoming and for his dedication to the wildlife biology community through his aerial survey flights across the state.

Dwight France began flying with his father in his youth. In 1967, his official flight instruction began when he was studying business administration at the University of Wyoming. While at UW, he was a member of the Laramie Flying Club and received instruction from several pilots, including Donald Veal, an atmospheric science professor who established the university’s flight facility and acquired its first aircraft. France soloed on April 7, 1967. After graduating from UW in 1970, he returned home to Rawlins and worked for his father at Rawlins National Bank. Soon after, he purchased a Cessna 210 and obtained a charter certificate and began flying passengers.

In 1975, he left banking and established France Flying Service – a full-service flying operation and was the fixed-base operator at Rawlins. Services included aircraft maintenance, charter flights, wildlife tracking and telemetry, aerial photography, air ambulance service, aircraft rental, fire reconnaissance, and search and rescue. His fleet of aircraft included a Super Cub and Cessna models 180, 182, 206, 210, 340, and 421. France was the manager of the Rawlins Airport from 1981 until 2011. As a pilot, he logged nearly 40,000 accident-free hours prior to retiring in 2011. He was a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and was commemorated for being a member for 50 years.

France helped pioneer numerous wildlife monitoring techniques, including the aerial line transect that the Wyoming Game and Fish Department developed for estimating pronghorn numbers. He also had a native insight for weather prediction, which was critical at a time when detailed weather forecasts were not yet available. France was among the first pilots to offer aerial radio-tracking services.

Wildlife biologist Rich Guenzel, in a nomination letter for France, wrote: “Flying aerial surveys is considered the most hazardous duty and the leading cause of on-the-job deaths for wildlife biologists. Flying low-level surveys in Wyoming requires great skill, situational awareness, and knowing what the biologists need to best fly the plane to obtain reliable data. It is a testament to Dwight’s skill that he flew so many mission hours at low-level safely. Our strong winds, rugged terrain, and density altitude add a level of difficulty to conducting such surveys compared to other parts of the country.”

Frank Blomquist, a retired wildlife biologist for the Bureau of Land Management, submitted a letter of support and said of France, “I believe that every biologist that had ever flown with Dwight over the years would all agree that Dwight was an essential part of the wildlife community and an important part of getting our work completed.” In 2011, France received the Citizen of the Year award from the Wyoming Chapter of the Wildlife Society for his professional efforts that directly benefited wildlife.

Dwight Homer France was born in Rawlins on April 3, 1947. After graduating from high school in 1965, he attended the University of Wyoming, Laramie, where he earned a degree in business administration in 1970. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He married Candace Carroll in Encampment in 1984. Dwight and Candy had one daughter, Jane, who inherited the family’s 1956 Cessna 180, which was purchased new by her grandfather. France also was active with multiple fire departments, including in Rawlins and Encampment and was the Carbon County Fire Warden for seventeen years. He passed away on March 22, 2022.

The family will be hosting an induction ceremony in Laramie on November 1, 2025.

 The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame was founded in 1995 as a non-profit, publicly supported, tax-exempt organization dedicated to honoring individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the establishment, development, or advancement of aviation in Wyoming.

The organization comprises a board of directors and operates in conjunction with the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission. Board members include Kent Nelson, retired USAF colonel and former Wyoming Aeronautics Commissioner; Dean McClain, who operates an aerial spraying business in Torrington and who is a current Aeronautics commissioner; and John Waggener, the University of Wyoming Archivist and Historian and a Wyoming transportation historian.

For more information about the WAHF, to nominate an individual, or to make a financial contribution to support the organization, please call WAHF President John Waggener (307-766-2563)

 

Photos courtesy of WAHF

Top left: Dwight France at the Controls, 1993. 

Bottom right: Dwight France with his father John standing with the family’s 1956 Cessna 180 that was purchased new by John. Dwight’s daughter Jane, of Cheyenne, now owns the aircraft.

 

 

 

                                                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame

The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame is a nonprofit, publicly supported, tax-exempt organization dedicated to honoring individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the establishment, development, and/or advancement of aviation in Wyoming. The organization comprises a board of directors and operates in conjunction with the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission.

The Hall of Fame was established in 1995 through efforts of R.R. "Red" Kelso, a veteran Wyoming pilot. Those who assisted in forming the hall of fame include Gerald Adams, who was a retired USAF colonel from Cheyenne; Toni Brown, of Gillette, who was the secretary of the Wyoming Pilot’s Association; Curt Kaiser, who had an investment firm in Cheyenne; Kristi Feusner, who was assistant manager of the Cheyenne Airport, and Dick Spaeth, who was the State Aeronautics Director.

The initial selection of inductees was made by the Wyoming Aeronautics Commissioners, which included Ray Hunkins, of Wheatland; Carol Lewis and Brad Mead, of Jackson; Bill Hallam, Lander; Gene Bannister, Gillette; and Mike Vase, of Rock Springs. The first four honorees, who were inducted during a ceremony in Cheyenne on August 11, 1995, were Ralph Johnson, Dillard “Pic” Walker, Harold “Slim” Lewis, and Samuel Phillips. Since the inaugural 1995 induction, the number of inductees is limited to one to enhance the honor of being selected. Breaking from that tradition, in 2020, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame, the board selected two individuals for induction into the hall of fame, Doyle Vaughan, of Jackson, and Daniel Hawkins, from Greybull.

The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame also collects aviation historical artifacts for display to educate the public on Wyoming's significant role in aviation's early days. The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame also maintains an archive, which includes nominee biographies. The archive is available for researchers in Laramie at the University of Wyoming’s American Heritage Center.

Current board members include Kent Nelson, retired USAF colonel and former Wyoming Aeronautics Commissioner; Dean McClain, who operates an ag flying business in Torrington; and John Waggener, a University of Wyoming archivist and transportation historian.

The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame is dependent upon individual contributions to finance its operations. Charitable, tax-deductible donations can be sent to the president at the address below.  Anyone wishing to submit a nomination can contact John Waggener, president of the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame.

Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame
Attn: John Waggener
1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY 82071
Telephone: (307) 766-2563

 

 

 

 

Fueling a Ford Tri Motor in Casper in 1928.  Courtesy Herman C. Bretschneider Collection, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.  

Pages of Interest

Good Aviation & Veterans Museum, Casper, WY 

CallAir Museum, Afton, WY

Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting, Greybull, WY