Dominic

Dominic

Background

Dominic Santini owns Santini Air which he runs out of Van Nuys Airport and has a commercial pilot license for helicopters. He is a veteran of World War II and served alongside Stringfellow Hawke's father. Dominic is fluent in Italian. He had a friend named Milo when he was young.

During the events of Airwolf: Season 1 Episode 1-2 Shadow of the Hawke played by Ernest Borgnine

On the set of a movie, Dominic is arguing with Blaze and tells Mitch-Director that he won't let Blaze fly Dominic's helicopter by himself. Dominic and Hawke are fired from the movie set when Hawke embarrasses Blaze and Hawke tells Dominic he was offered a job with the FIRM. He asks Dominic to help him and to fly into Libya. Dominic and Hawke make plans for Libya and he takes Hawke to the Valley of the Gods and shows him a place inside of a mesa, where he can hide a large object. Dominic flies into Libya and Hawke and Dominic enter an airbase posing as Mirabelle Oil workers. They bluff their way past Libyan Officer #1 posing as Italians and see Airwolf. They steal the flight suits and helmets of Chuck Gordon and Co-Pilot-Mark and as they are walking to Airwolf, they are stopped by Major Kamal. Dominic gets into Airwolf, while Major Kamal orders Hawke to lift his visor. Hawke and Dominic use Airwolf to escape after killing a group of Libyan soldiers including Libyan Officer #1. They see tracks in the desert and are spotted by Dr. Moffet who drives in his jeep away. They find Gabrielle and land and Hawke runs to her. They get back into Airwolf and chase after Dr. Moffet. Dr. Moffet thinks Airwolf has been shot down by a missile and drives towards the explosion. Hawke then fires a missile at him, killing Dr. Moffet who pointed his revolver at the fuel intake. Dominic drops off Hawke and then flies away.

During the events of Airwolf: Season 1 Episode 3 Daddy's Gone a Hunt'n played by Ernest Borgnine

Dominic and Hawke fly Airwolf to try and learn more of its capabilities. He is recruited by Hawke and Michael Coldsmith Briggs III, code name Archangel to help identify a pilot that is planning on giving the Soviets a top secret plane. He goes undercover as a janitor at the airbase and is asked by Hawke to gather information on Nhi Truong. Hawke tells him to get Airwolf ready and Dominic pops smoke to let Maj. Sam Roper know where to land to drop off Hawke. They go to get Airwolf and then fly into Soviet territory. They attack a Soviet radar site and Dominic goes inside to get Ho Minh Truong. They then return back to the United States.

During the events of Airwolf: Season 1 Episode 4 Bite of the Jackal played by Ernest Borgnine

Dominic invites Hawke to come with him to Acapulco to make a delivery to Queenie May Shapiro, but Hawke declines. He leaves and eventually flies in one of his helicopters. As he is flying he sees a hand grabbing for his sandwich and finds Phoebe Danner stowed away in his chopper. She tells him she wanted to go to Acapulco to meet her father and then smoke starts to come from the engine. Dominic crash lands the helicopter and is knocked unconscious. He is woken up by Phoebe and they jump out of the helicopter. After he secures the helicopter and Phoebe brings him a tire that fell off, they see two helicopters on the horizon and Dominic fires a flare. The helicopters shoot at them and Mitchell Bruck tells them that they must stay within a perimeter he has made or they will be shot. They see Hawke trying to save them, but he is forced to fly off after Airwolf is hit with a rocket. At night, Phoebe asks Dominic if he thinks they will be shot and then she shows him a photo of her parents and a dress she plans on wearing when she meets her father. Dominic repairs the engine of his helicopter and tells Phoebe his plan of escape. Airwolf returns and after blowing up Mitchell's helicopter and the other helicopter, Dominic and Phoebe leave in his helicopter. They return to Hawke's cabin and Phoebe tells Dominic she is afraid to meet her father in case he doesn't like her. Phoebe runs to meet her father and Laura Archer tells him how much it cost the FIRM to find Phoebe's father.

During the events of Airwolf: Season 1 Episode 5 Proof Through the Night played by Ernest Borgnine

Hawke tells Dominic the plan to rescue Vladimir Rostoff and his family Natalya and Tanya Rostoff without weapons, which Dominic doesn't like. They fly Airwolf into Europe and refuel on Tanker Plane Pilot's plane over the Baltic. They arrive at Vladimir's farm and land. Hawke follows Vladimir into his cabin, and Vladimir tells him they have to pick up his family in a different location, where he has also left the vial with the biological weapon he stole. They fly to Kirivitz and land Airwolf some distance away from the house where Tanya, Natalya and her brother, Ivan Turgyev are staying. They walk towards the house, but stop so Dominic can check inside where he finds 1st Russian Soldier and another soldier with Ivan and Vladimir's family. They wait until the morning when 1st Russian Soldier and the other soldier leave. They then go inside and Vladimir tells his family he is a spy for the Americans and they are leaving to America. A helicopter arrives and yells at Hawke who had run outside to get the vial back from Ivan. Dominic shoots at the helicopter and Hawke is able to run back inside. He then leaves again to get Airwolf, while Dominic stays with the family. Hawke returns to the house and uses the speed of Airwolf to cause the helicopter and a Soviet army vehicle to crash. He then picks up Vladimir and his family and they return to Hawke's cabin. Dominic has a dinner with Hawke, Archangel, Marella and Vladimir and his family while Dominic mentions the Russian food his friend's mom used to make.

During the events of Airwolf: Season 1 Episode 6 One Way Express played by Ernest Borgnine

Dominic asks Hawke to help him perform a stunt for a movie, but Hawke tells Dominic he thinks Dominic is too old to perform the stunt, which angers Dominic. Dominic meets with Simon Sayes and Phillip Maurice and promises that if he can't perform the stunt then he will pay the films production costs. Hawke goes to Dominic and tells him he will help him if he does the stunt instead of Dominic, but Dominic gets angry again and tells Hawke to leave. Simon tells Dominic that Hawke has taken his job as the stunt pilot and Dominic goes to Hawke's cabin and punches him for stealing his job. Hawke refuses to fight back and Dominic leaves. Hawke goes to Dominic's air pad and asks him to fly Airwolf while he flies the stunt helicopter. Dominic gets into Airwolf and flies it towards the stunt location. He sees Hawke flagging him down and then lands. They then fly towards where Vinnie and Phillip were flying. Hawke forces Vinnie to land and when Vinnie tries to escape, Hawke fires Airwolf's guns at him. Hawke then blows up the stunt helicopter and contacts Archangel. Later at his cabin, Hawke and Dominic saw a log together

During the events of Airwolf: Season 1 Episode 7 Echoes from the Past played by Ernest Borgnine

Dominic goes to the location where the helicopter he lent to Hawke was found. Archangel tells him the helicopter was found without any damage and then motions him inside of a building. Marella and Archangel tell him that an East Berlin spy ring was seen entering the United States and they think it may have something to do with Hawke's disappearance. Archangel then asks Dominic where Airwolf is hidden, but Dominic refuses to tell him. Dominic goes to Airwolf and hides inside. After Hawke flies Airwolf into the plane being used by the spy ring, Dominic sneaks outside and points a gun at "Saint John", while Hawke takes away the gun from Nurse Frida Simmons. After putting them in straight jackets, they leave in Airwolf with Susan Hill. They fly Airwolf away and avoid being blown up by MiG's while also causing the plane to be hit by a missile. Dominic then flies Archangel and Marella to Hawke's cabin.