This ABC cartoon series introduced the Sky Hawks – a team of aviation specialists who also happened to be family.
Mike “Cap” Wilson (voiced by Michael Rye) was the clan’s patriarch and the team leader, who had learned how to fly in World War II. His septuagenarian father, Pappy Wilson (Dick Curtis), had been an ace pilot in the First World War.
Mike had two 17-year-old twins, Steve (voiced by radio legend Casey Kasem) and Caroline (Iris Rainer), and two foster kids, 14-year-old Red (Dick Curtis) and 9-year-old Cynthia (Melinda Casey). Naturally, all were expert pilots.
Even Mike’s girlfriend, Maggie McNally (Joan Gerber), knew her way around a stick and rudder. Their chief mechanic was Joe Conway (also voiced by Casey Kasem).
The team – based at San Marcos Field – was always ready to assist in an emergency rescue, transport some air freight, or even run a secret mission for the government.
The team’s main rival was Buck Devlin (Bob Arbogast), who was not above taking foolish risks to get the job done – a practice the Sky Hawks definitely frowned upon.
Like Hot Wheels, Sky Hawks was based on a series of toys manufactured by Mattel.
While these shows only ran for two seasons, they were instrumental in creating a model for future relationships between toy manufacturers and cartoons.
Captain Mike Wilson Michael Rye
Steve Wilson
Casey Kasem
Joe Conway
Casey Kasem
Caroline Wilson
Iris Rainer
Pappy Wilson
Dick Curtis
Baron ‘Red’ Hughes
Dick Curtis
Cynthia ‘Mugs’ Hughes
Melinda Casey
Maggie McNally
Joan Gerber
Buck Devlin
Bob Arbogast
