A Project of the Coast Guard Aviation Association

The History of
Coast Guard Aviation

The Chronological History

The Chronological History of Coast Guard Aviation is a testimony to the evolution and achievements of Coast Guard Aviation in completing its first 100 years of service. This work is designed to actively contribute to the enlargement and perpetuation of the history of Coast Guard Aviation and the recognition thereof, both internally and in areas external to the service. It highlights the significant events and developments that shaped Coast Guard Aviation from 1915 through 2015.

Honoring Our Past

The history of Coast Guard Aviation as told by the aviators themselves. These narratives are presented in the form of recorded voices, written essays, documents, media, and tall tales.

Search and Rescue

The Search and Rescue mission defines Coast Guard Aviation. The aircrews have known the fist of fear and a mouth so dry it was hard to talk. They also have experienced the elation that comes with the knowledge that they have saved a person’s life. They take justifiable pride in what they are able to accomplish and are humbled by what they could not.

Historical Narratives

A collection of documents giving compelling accounts of significant events and the biographies of pioneers in Coast Guard Aviation.

Aircraft Used for Coast Guard Aviation

This is a listing of Coast Guard aircraft. It begins with the initial efforts to establish Coast Guard Aviation and continues chronologically to the present.

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Hangar Flying

Aviators always precede an actual tale with “True Story”.  As CDR F. J. Wight once put it:  a story most likely to have occurred without too much embellishing in the telling. It can be an imaginative narrative of a search and rescue story or just a humorous look at the day in the life of a Coast Guard Aviator.

Oral History

A collection of interviews and other media documenting experiences of serving as a Coast Guard Aviator.

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