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By Lieutenant Rudy T. Holm, U.S. Coast Guard
Flor a number of good reasons, which include adjoining search-and-rescue (SAR) regions, numerous combined SAR efforts, and mutual SAR agreements, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Canadian Air Force (CAF) have had a helicopter-pilot exchange program since 1977.
formed a few days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 as a fighter squadron, flying Curtiss P-40s. Its first mission was the defense of Alaska, during which it deployed to Umnak to assist the U.S. forces opposing the Japanese attempt to occupy the western Aleutian Islands
(Although the Canadian Coast Guard has helicopters, their primary mission is lighthouse support.) My posting has been on the west coast of Canada at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Comox, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. There are three permanent squadrons at CFB Comox: 407 Squadron, which flies CP-140 Aurora patrol planes (a P-3 look-alike) on antisubmarine and fishery patrols; VU-33, which flies T-33 Silverstars on various utility missions; and 442 Squadron, which conducts transport and SAR missions. A detachment of CF-18s from 441 Squadron is also based at Comox, for quick-response intercepts.
The 442 Squadron has a remarkable history, being
of Kiska and Attu. Its next campaign in 1943 involved both a transfer to Europe and a switch to Spitfires. After World War II and various reorganizations and postings, the squadron found a home in British Columbia, and in 1968 its mission became SAR.
The squadron is tasked operationally through the Air Transport Group for transport missions, and the Rescue
The Lab looks like the U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 because it is an amphibious version of the CH-46.
Coordination Center (RCC) in Victoria, British Columbia, for SAR. There are four search-and-rescue regions (SRRs) in Canada, controlled by RCCs in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Trenton, Ontario; Edmonton, Alberta; and Victoria, British Columbia. Although the Victoria-based region is the smallest in area, it still covers 366,000 square miles of mountainous terrain, and another 310,000 square miles of ocean. The coastline alone is estimated to be 18,000 miles long. The mountainous landscape, the unforgiving shoreline, and the challenging weather patterns combine to keep even the most experienced aircraft commanders on their toes.
The Victoria SRR is also the busiest region in Canada. In the first ten months of 1991, for example, the region
logged 2,306 SAR incidents: 1,839 marine, 189 air, 217 humanitarian, and 61 civil aid calls. The 442 Squadron averages more than 300 cases a year. Its most noteworthy case was a joint U.S.-Canadian evacuation of 510 people from the cruise ship Prinsendam which sank in rough seas off Alaska in October 1980.
The squadron currently flies four CH-113A (HV-11) Labrador helicopters and four CC-115 (DHC-5) Dehav- jlland Buffalo. Manufactured by Boeing Vertol, the “Lab” Is a rescue version of the U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight. It is an amphibious, twin-engine, tandem-rotor aircraft fitted with extended range fuel tanks. It has a maximum gross weight of 21,400 pounds, cruises from 110 to 125 knots, and has a range of about 600 miles. It is equipped with an Omega navigation system, weather radar, two hoists (a rescue hoist and a backup winch), a cargo hook for slinging, a Stokes litter, a Billy Pugh net, and some impressive medical equipment. However, it does not have an altitude hold—and that means a lot of work for the pilot during offshore and night rescues. It also lacks a de-icing capability, so flying into any known icing condition is prohibited. The CAF is currently planning to replace the Lab with the Westland/Augusta EH-101.
The Buffalo is an excellent search platform with a remarkable 1,500 foot short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) capability. The “Buffs” maximum gross weight is 45,000 Pounds. It has a payload capacity of 9,000 pounds and cruises at 220 knots, with a range of 1,350 miles. Its rearloading capability and adjustable ramp allows rapid loading of cargo, and it is often used to parachute Canadian search-and-rescue technicians (SARTechs) into remote locations. The Buff frequently escorts the Lab on offshore missions, conducts electronic and visual searches, and drops parachute flares for nocturnal operations. Together, the Lab and the Buff form a perfect team to operate in a rugged environment.
At present, 442 Squadron has a separate training flight for the Labrador helicopter, and, in late 1992, will perform the initial training for the Buffalo as well. Some notable operational differences between the U.S. Coast Guard and the Canadian Air Force are:
- Duty Standing. Contrary to the 30-minute, day-or-night SAR response time in the U.S. Coast Guard, from 1600 to 0800, the CAF is on a two-hour response time. (Duty crews man electronic pagers at home.) Another significant difference is the CAF’s 72-hour weekend duty cycle against the 24-hour U.S. Coast Guard cycle. Also, CAF crews are allowed to fly 12 hours a day, far more than U.S. Coast Guard operational restrictions allow.
- SARTechs. SARTechs are similar to the U.S. Coast Guard’s rescue swimmers, but beyond being hoisted from helicopters into confined areas, they are also trained in parachuting from various fixed-wing aircraft into remote crash sites (a task covered by the U.S. Air Force’s pararescue teams), and are scuba-qualified, in order to search overturned vessels for survivors (a very hotly debated topic in the U.S. Coast Guard). They also get far more medical training than the U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers, and are authorized to administer drugs such as morphine by syringe.
- Pilot Training. Completion of a mountain-flying course, run by Canadian Helicopter, Incorporated, is a prerequisite to becoming a helicopter commander at 442 Squadron. Although the course is expensive—around $12,000 per student—the benefits are immeasurable, as an impressive safety record makes clear. Unfortunately, there is no Labrador simulator in Canada, so pilots and flight engineers must go to the United States every few years to fly the U.S. Marine Corps’ simulators at Tustin, California or New River, North Carolina. Another course available to check pilots is the instrument check pilot (ICP) course, which prepares them to administer annual instrument checkrides and to grade exams.
- Rescue Equipment. Here the Canadians could learn some lessons from the Coast Guard and vice-versa. The CAF does not use a rescue basket at present, preferring instead to lower a SARTech to stabilize an injured victim, and then picking up the patient in a litter or by doubling-up using a horse collar. In order to extract a patient from a wildly pitching boat in rough seas, a SARTech must be lowered by hoist. If the CAF adopted the rescue basket, they would have an option instead of being limited to inserting SARTech into a potentially dangerous situation. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard is having great success with the ANVIS-6 night vision device, and the CAF should consider a blue light system and total crew concept instead of only issuing night vision goggles to spotters in the back of the aircraft.
Conversely, the Canadians have three pieces of equipment that are too useful for the U.S. Coast Guard to ignore. To assist in search and rescue, CAF aircraft have bubble windows that allow a wider field of vision. The SARTechs have been issued hand-held global-positioning system (GPS) sets to aid in SAR operations and to determine crash site locations more accurately. It would make an excellent addition to the equipment of U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers and small boat crews. The CAF’s VHF- FM Wulfsberg radio is also configured with British Columbia Telephone’s mobile telephone network—a handy feature when normal communications are inadequate.
- Deployments. The squadron will deploy several crews in the spring to follow the herring roe fishing fleet for about six weeks, moving locations occasionally to remain close enough for a SAR response. Also, 442 Squadron occasionally conducts a full-scale search, sending any available helicopters, a mix of fixed-wing resources, and accompanying maintenance crews (flown in by the Buffalo) to search for overdue ships or aircraft for several weeks at a time. This differs significantly from the U.S. Coast Guard’s normal procedure of searching for three days, then suspending operations pending further developments. A final note: The Squadron celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, a proud time indeed for the equally proud men and women who have served Canada so well.
Lieutenant Holm is a Direct Commission Aviator from the U.S. Marine Corps. His Coast Guard duty stations have included Clearwater, Florida, and Sitka, Alaska.