BOSTON — Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod is celebrating 100 years of Coast Guard aviation Friday by unveiling its yellow-painted MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter.
The Jayhawk helicopter arrived in Cape Cod Wednesday and is one of six specially painted Coast Guard MH-60s donning the chrome yellow paint scheme that Coast Guard and Navy helicopters used in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
“As you keep your eyes to the Boston and Cape Cod skies in search of the yellow-painted helicopter this summer, remember all those aviators and shipmates who sacrificed in service to the American public, and established Coast Guard aviation as a world class aerospace organization," said Chief Warrant Officer Chris Hatch, maintenance officer at Air Station Cape Cod.
The Jayhawk was delivered from Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and will operate out of Air Station Cape Cod for the next four years, which is the only Coast Guard Aviation facility in the northeast and is responsible for the waters from New Jersey to the Canadian border.
Altogether, three different Coast Guard aircraft types, 16 in total, including the Jayhawk and Dolphin helicopters as well as the HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane, are receiving historic paint schemes representing various eras of Coast Guard aviation.
Coast Guard aviation officially began April 1, 1916 when 3rd Lt. Elmer Stone reported to flight training in Pensacola, Florida. The Coast Guard is celebrating the centennial of Coast Guard aviation throughout 2016, with a variety of activities honoring the accomplishments and sacrifices of the men and women throughout the past 100 years.
Media interested in going to the air station Friday to see the retro helicopter are requested to RSVP to the D1 External Affairs office at 617-717-9609 no later than Thursday at 4 p.m.