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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Leader

Honored by:
Keoni Hutton

Kimo Alexander Hutton soared into a career in aviation in 1971 when he joined Honolulu's Continental Airlines freight department; however, it was years earlier that initiated his trajectory towards a career in aviation.

As a young boy, Kimo's flights of fancy inspired an ascent to the roof of his family home where, clad in his Superman cape, he nearly showed his mother his ability, or inability, to fly. After his mother?€™s elevated heart rate and blood pressure normalized, it became clear that this kid had a passion for aviation. He and his best friend Earl, used to make their own makeshift airplanes using a long board and a wagon, with one pushing the other down the street until the day when they clipped the end of their "wing" on the hill in a neighbor's yard, and crashed their plane. Kimo still carries a scar on his leg from one of those crashes and always shared that story with his family and friends over the years.

Kimo dreamed of one day flying for the military, and was heartsick when he was medically disqualified to serve. There was just one little problem; his stomach tended to take flight along with the spiraling lift of a plane taking off and he didn?€™t feel well whenever he was on a flight. Though his feet would have to remain firmly attached to the ground, his heart was with the machines that allowed humans to defy gravity, and he decided to pursue a career of aircraft maintenance. Kimo graduated from Honolulu Community College with an Associates in Science degree, he then pursued his Airframe and Powerplant license from the FAA in 1971. As he wished and waited to be hired by a commercial airline, Kimo volunteered for the Civil Air Patrol, gaining experience as he worked on their planes. Kimo was hired by Continental Airlines' Air Micronesia and worked in Guam for a couple of years.

He was then hired by Continental's maintenance department where he worked as a mechanic in Honolulu until 1980. Changes in the industry forced him and his new wife to relocate to Los Angeles in 1980, and eight months later he transferred to Denver. During a downturn in the aviation industry in 1983, Kimo was laid off from Continental but found a position with Frontier Horizon for two years. In 1985, Continental came knocking on his door and he was offered the position as Supervisor of Aircraft Maintenance in Denver, a position he held for 27 years. Kimo was well loved and respected by his mechanics and after 41 years of service dedicated to the safe travel of millions of passengers, he retired in 2012. Kimo is father to two sons who love him dearly and hope his story inspires others to follow their passions.