Workaholic Is Added To The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame

The Wyoming Department Of Transportation has added a new name to the Wyoming Aviation Hall Of Fame. 

The Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame and the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission have named Thomas H. “Tim” Coleman the 2023 inductee into the Wyoming Aviation Hall of Fame. Awarded posthumously, Coleman is recognized for his many efforts to advance aviation in central Wyoming by providing vital air service to the area for nearly 50 years.

Coleman came to the Riverton area in 1948 after he was selected in a lottery for military veterans to receive a homestead settlement on Bureau of Reclamation Riverton Project land in the Hidden Valley north of Riverton.

Back in 1948, Coleman purchased his first Piper Super Cub and created an airstrip on his farm in Hidden Valley.

In 1957, he established Coleman Flying Service and operated from his airstrip.

Business was good and in 1959, he purchased a large hangar at the Riverton Airport and expanded his operation as a Fixed-base operator, known to aviators as an FBO.

His operation did it all: aircraft maintenance and mechanical, charter flights, crop spraying, aerial photography and surveying, air ambulance service, and search and rescue, including in the rugged terrain of the Wind River Range.

A guy with this kind of knowledge can teach, so he became a certified flight instructor.

But people can't fly unless they have airplanes, so he became an authorized Cessna aircraft dealer.

As an active member of the Flying Farmers and Ranchers Association Coleman held numerous positions with the Wyoming chapter, including being elected vice-president in 1957 and president in 1959.

Did this guy ever sleep?

Coleman also managed the Lander airport from 1961 to 1962.

Nope, guess he never slept.

His aerial spraying included crop spraying for area farmers as well as mosquito spraying for the local municipalities.

Coleman was actively involved in predator control throughout his flying career in several counties, including Fremont, Natrona, and Sweetwater.

After selling his Flying Service business in August 1971, he continued to fly on contract with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wyoming Game & Fish Department, and for Fremont County Predator Control, which, in 1994, awarded him for 43 years of dedicated flying for the organization. (WYDOT).

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, and/or advancement of aviation in Wyoming. Biographies of the inductees can be found on the WYDOT website.