The 500 plus member South Carolina Aviation Association board presented its prestigious Spirit of Aviation Award to Jim Hamilton February 10 at the annual Airports Conference in Myrtle Beach. The award has been given to only three others in the 28–year history of the association.

The previous recipients are Senator Phil Leventis, Sumter; Representative Bob Walker, Landrum; and former Representative Mark Kelley, Myrtle Beach. Jim Hamilton was also inducted into the SC Aviation Hall of Fame in 1993 and selected as the 1993 Aviator of The Year, for SC, by the Aviation Association.