05 LC 21 8501

Senate Resolution 4 EX

By: Senator Hooks of the 14th

A RESOLUTION

Commending Hill Aircraft on its 50th anniversary; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, Hill Aircraft, Fixed Base Operator at Fulton County Brown Field, will celebrate its 50th anniversary on October 12, 2005, an outstanding achievement in a high-risk business known for short longevity; and

WHEREAS, the business was started by Guy Hill, legendary pilot and aviation pioneer who was once pronounced dead after a military training crash, only to be resuscitated and recommence training three months later and go on to become a decorated Navy pilot during the Second World War; and

WHEREAS, after the war, Mr. Hill leased a small airport near Fairburn, working on air craft and performing stunts and giving passenger rides on weekends, and he was operating at Fulton County Airport when the opportunity to purchase the fixed base operator business arose, and with his life savings and a loan from his mother he made the purchase and never looked back; and

WHEREAS, he added services and saw the business grow steadily, and during the 1960's he introduced his son, Guy, Jr., to aviation at the tender age of six months, always hoping to keep the business in the family; and

WHEREAS, Guy Hill, Jr., followed his love of aviation by beginning work with Hill Aircraft in 1988, two days after he graduated from Auburn University, and along with his brother-in-law, Larry Westbrook, he runs the company today and has updated and modernized operations, joking that Hill Aircraft remodels every 50 years whether it needs to or not; and

WHEREAS, Guy Hill, Sr., died in 2004 shortly before he was inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame, an honor he once humbly rejected because, in his mind, that honor should be reserved for generals and admirals and "important people" but which he was persuaded to accept before his death; and

WHEREAS, the dream of Guy Hill, Sr., lives and continues to grow, and he would be most pleased today to see how Hill Aircraft has grown and set its aim to the future.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body commend Hill Aircraft on the event of its 50th anniversary and express confidence in its future success.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Mr. Guy Hill, Jr.