A Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon helicopter taxis past a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City MH-65D Dolphin helicopter after joint training operations in Barrie, Ontario, May 4, 2015.
RCAF and USCG crews work closely together both in training and during actual emergencies.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Air Station Traverse City)
A Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon helicopter sits on the tarmac during a joint training exercise with the U.S. Coast Guard in Barrie, Ontario, May 7, 2015.
The RCAF and USCG work and train together often due to their proximity in the Great Lakes.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City)
A Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon helicopter conducts hoist evolutions during joint training operations with the U.S. Coast Guard in Barrie, Ontario, May 5, 2015.
The RCAF and USCG crews conducted the joint training to share search-and-rescue and other training techniques.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Air Station Traverse City)
A Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130 Hercules is inspected prior to flight by a crew member before taking part in joint training operations in Barrie, Ontario, May 5, 2015.
The RCAF aircraft participated in the joint exercise with crews from the U.S. Coast Guard.
(U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Air Station Traverse City)
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - The crew of Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City is hosting an international joint search-and-rescue exercise with members of the Royal Canadian Air Force beginning Tuesday in and around the Traverse City area.The Royal Canadian Air Force's 424th Transport and Rescue Squadron based at CFB Trenton, Ontario, will be flying a CC-130 Hercules aircraft and a CH-146 Griffon helicopter during the search-and-rescue exercises taking place from October 13 to October 15th.
U.S. Coast Guard units participating include MH-65D Dolphin helicopters from Air Station Traverse City and vessels from Coast Guard Stations Charlevoix, Michigan, and Manistee, Michigan.Training operations will start Tuesday when Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard rescue crews will begin classroom and ground-rescue briefings. Aircraft and vessels will then showcase search-and-rescue skills operationally during a number of mock rescue scenarios.Crews from the RCAF and U.S. Coast Guard routinely work together on search-and-rescue incidents across the Great Lakes. Canadian CC-130 aircraft are often requested by U.S. Coast Guard search planners as long-range search platforms in U.S. waters, capable of covering large search areas with more than 8-10 hours of unrefueled flight time. U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 helicopters are routinely requested by the Canadian Joint Rescue Coordination Center Trenton as rescue aircraft during Canadian search-and-rescues cases in Lake Superior and Lake Erie.The public can expect to see an increase in air traffic including Canadian parachute operations & over-water boat-helicopter hoist operations in the vicinity of Manistee, Charlevoix and Grand Traverse Bay.U.S. Coast Guard and RCAF crews work together across the Great Lakes responding to search-and-rescue incidents throughout the nearly 95,000 square miles and 10,000 mile shoreline, the largest surface area of fresh water in the world.Questions regarding the joint search-and-rescue training exercises can be directed to Lt. Cmdr. Pablo Smith at 231-922-8273.