St. John Hawke

St. John Hawke was the elder brother of Stringfellow Hawke, who saved Stringfellow from a boating accident that tragically killed their parents when Stringfellow was ten years old. Both brothers were later raised by their father figure, Dominic Santini. During the Vietnam War, St. John served as a helicopter pilot alongside Stringfellow. He was subsequently declared missing in action after their aircraft went down, while Stringfellow was rescued.

St. John's unresolved status as MIA became the central driving force for Stringfellow Hawke. Stringfellow refused to return the advanced helicopter Airwolf to "The Firm" (later "The Company") until they could locate and recover his brother, using the formidable aircraft as leverage for his personal quest. This quest for St. John underpinned many of the missions undertaken by Stringfellow and Dominic in the first three seasons of the series.

In the fourth season, St. John Hawke was dramatically revealed to be alive, having been held prisoner in Southeast Asia for many years. Initially portrayed in flashbacks and photographs by Christopher Connelly, the role was recast with Barry Van Dyke for his on-screen return. Following an explosion that critically injured Stringfellow and killed Dominic, St. John took over as the primary pilot of Airwolf, continuing the missions alongside a new crew. This narrative shift, which presented St. John as a deep undercover agent, marked a significant change in the show's direction and contradicted earlier characterisations.