A Royal Canadian Air Force CH-149 Cormorant takes off for a day of SAR training in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The CH-149 can transport up to 12 casualties and is purpose-built to handle extreme weather for both mountain and maritime rescue missions across Canada.
Photo: Jacob M. Lawrence
This vintage photo of a Sikorsky HOS-1 was taken in 1947. The “Gander Express” was so named because it was one of two USCG helicopters that rescued 18 injured passengers from a crashed Sabena Airlines DC-4 airliner in Gander, Newfoundland, in 1946. The single-rotor aircraft established helicopters as rescue vehicles and cemented a place for helicopters in the USCG inventory. This helicopter is currently being restored by the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy of: National Naval Aviation Museum