Contributed by John Waggener. WAHF President / University of Wyoming Archivist and Historian

Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame, in conjunction with the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission, has named Ray and John Elgin as the 2026 co-inductees into the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame. The brothers are recognized for their dedicated flight operations in the Big Horn Basin for many decades.

In 1963, Ray Elgin established Aero-Flite Inc. in Cody. The fleet included B-17s and C-54s, in addition to smaller aircraft. The company specialized in aerial spraying and air tanker services. In 1965, he and his brother John established Elgin Flying Service, which was an authorized Cessna and Champion Citabria dealership and the first to offer new aircraft sales in the area. In addition to aircraft sales and rental, a wide variety of services were offered, including wildlife tracking and surveys, scenic flights, charter service, air ambulance, search and rescue, and flight instruction. In 1966, the Elgin’s transported 3,200 pounds of home baked cookies to Cheyenne as part of “Operation Cookies,” where the cookies were then flown to Vietnam and delivered to a Navy Seabee unit. Citizens of Park County adopted the Seabees, and the cookies were a morale booster.

Ray Elgin was born in Belton, South Carolina, on January 17, 1918. He first came to Wyoming in the 1930s where he worked on the Kershner Ranch near Greybull before serving in the Marine Corps during World War II. He then settled in Florida and learned to fly and then opened a flying service. In 1957, he became part-owner of an air tanker operation with Harold Kolb in Spearfish, South Dakota, known as Black Hills Aviation. He moved to the Cody area in 1958 where he purchased a ranch on the North Fork. His business interests returned to aviation in 1963, when he established Aero-Flite Inc.

Ray was actively involved in improving aerial fire suppression efforts. One B-17 was refitted with more powerful turboprop powerplants that came from a retired United Airlines Vickers Viscount in 1969. The conversion was completed in early 1970 by Aviation Ventures in Twin Falls, Idaho. After test flights with Ray at the controls, the Federal Aviation Administration approved its use as a tanker. Sadly, Ray and his copilot John Bastian were killed on August 18, 1970, in the Wind River Range near Dubois when their aircraft crashed while fighting a fire. The investigation revealed the cause of the crash was due to strong downdrafts.

John W. Elgin was born in Belton, South Carolina, on February 13, 1932, the ninth of 10 children. He served in the Navy during the Korean War. After his military service he lived in North Carolina where he operated an ESSO filling station and learned to fly. In 1965, he and the family moved to Cody where John joined his brother in creating Elgin Flying Service.

John held a CFII, MEI, A&P, and was an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner. He offered flight instruction to many residents of the Cody area. After his brother Ray’s death in 1970, John continued to operate the businesses. Elgin Flying Service continued to grow into a highly successful company that averaged 4,000 flight hours per year. In 1979, he sold the flying service to Mike McCue who had worked for Elgin Flying Service from 1966 to 1972 and later became a pilot for Husky Oil. John continued to operate Aero-Flite until 1986. The operation’s B-17 eventually was donated to the 390th Memorial Museum located at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Arizona where the aircraft is on display. Aero-Flite was sold to Matt Ziomek in 1986 and eventually relocated to Spokane, Washington, where the company remained in operation.

Ray was survived by his wife Vivian. He was active in the Cody community, including serving on the hospital board. Though he had no children, he was committed to helping the community’s youth, especially the underprivileged. After Ray’s death, the community established a memorial fund, and the proceeds were donated to the Yellowstone Boys Club where the lounge in the new lodge was named in his honor.

John passed away at the age of 93 on February 23, 2025. He was preceded in death by his daughter Stephanie, wife Joan, who passed away in 1988, and later by his wife Carolyn who passed away in 2023. He was survived by his son Michael and stepson David.

An induction ceremony for the Elgin brothers took place on August 20, 2026, at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody.

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 or email WAHF President John Waggener (307-766-2563). 

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Above photo: John and Ray Elgin, (center and right, respectively), loading cookies into a B-17. Around 3,200 pounds of homemade cookies were flown from Cheyenne to Vietnam in 1966 as a morale booster for troops. Courtesy 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.