Before returning to his home state of Montana, Professor Hargrove served 21 years as an Air Force pilot, and he had the unique privilege of commanding the crews that fly the President, Vice President, and members of the President's Cabinet for seven years at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

Professor Hargrove oversees all classroom instruction, flight training, and the overall development of the aviation program. He was a 'Distinguished Graduate' from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1982 and majored in physics. In the Air Force, he was an instructor pilot for four years in the supersonic T-38. He then flew the C-141 Starlifter cargo plane, carrying personnel and cargo all over the world. He was airdrop and air refueling qualified and flew numerous missions during the Gulf War in 1991.

Dan earned a master's degree from Montana State University and was a professor at the Air Force Academy teaching engineering mechanics, aeronautical engineering, and physics. He was also an instructor in primary flight training. Dan then was selected to fly Boeing 757 VIP aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., where he served for seven years. He was the Deputy Operations Group Commander over 700 people flying 37 aircraft. Their mission was to provide worldwide air transportation for the Vice President, the First Lady, the President's Cabinet, and members of Congress. He flew many Vice Presidential missions using the call sign "Air Force Two" and was flying the backup aircraft for the President on September 11, 2001.

Dan is an airline transport pilot and advanced ground instructor. He has over 5,000 flight hours, and of those hours, over 2,400 hours are as a flight instructor and evaluator pilot. Dan has taught at Rocky Mountain College since 2003, and he believes his role as a mentor is the most important part of his job.