Frank Hawks

Biography

Frank Monroe Hawks was born March 28, 1897, in Marshalltown, Iowa. He was an early aviation enthusiast and racing pilot. He served in the U.S. Army Air Service in WWI, attaining the rank of captain, and was a flight instructor at Love Field in Dallas, Texas. After the war, he was a professional pilot, setting speed records in experimental and often dangerous new aircraft. He held many city-to-city speed records in the 1930s, and set new transcontinental speed records in 1929 and 1930. Hawks' most famous plane was the Texaco No. 13 Travel Air Mystery Ship. Travel Air built five of these sleek racing planes to secret specifications. Texaco No. 13 was the fourth of five to be built and was purchased by the Texas Oil Company and piloted by Hawks in many races and record setting flights. It differed from the other models in having special instrumentation for long distance flights. Texaco No. 13 now hangs in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Hawks was the childhood hero of many an air-minded youth and supplemented his pilot's pay with all sorts of merchandising and commercial endorsements. He was a paid spokesman for the Marmon Automobile Company. There were at least two fan clubs for Hawks: Frank Hawks' Air Hawks Club sponsored by Post Bran Flakes and Capt. Hawks Sky Patrol sponsored by a radio network in conjunction with Hawks radio show. Club membership pins in the form of a set of wings with Hawks' likeness at the center, are hot memorabilia items. In addition to his radio program, Hawks was featured on gum trading cards and in Big Little Books. In Hollywood, Hawks was cast in a supporting role (as a pilot, of course) in the 1932 feature film Klondike and starred in a 15-chapter serial The Mysterious Pilot in 1937. Ironically, Hawks was killed Aug. 23, 1938, while flying a slow and safe Gwin Aircar.