Aviation Photojournal Celebrating 100 Years of Coast Guard Aviation | Page 22

In March of 1917, Stone and Sugden both

graduated from training at NAS Pensacola and

emerged as Coast Guard aviators numbers 1 and 2

respectively. To this day, Coast Guard aviators still

learn to fly alongside their colleagues from the

Navy and Marine Corps.

Stone, later a Commander, flew a Navy NC-4

across the Atlantic Ocean in 1918, become the

first in history to accomplish that feat. The flight,

eight years before Lindbergh’s solo non-stop

flight, took 23 days and 6 stops. For his

accomplishment, Stone was awarded the British

Air Force Cross, the Navy Cross and the

Congressional Medal of Achievement.

Not content to leave his already substantial mark on aviation history as is, Stone also played a role in the development of catapults and arresting gear for the fledgling US Navy aircraft carrier fleet.

Putting his skills and innovations to practice, Stone made an open-ocean landing in rough seas on

April 5, 1933 to rescue the only 3 survivors of the crash of the USS Akron, a US Navy dirigible.

For good measure, Stone also set the world seaplane speed record achieving 191mph. Perhaps

fittingly, Stone passed away while on duty and inspecting new aircraft. His mark on the aviation

world, and Coast Guard aviation in particular, is celebrated to this day. Much has changed since

Stone’s pioneering days, and yet the same sense of duty, dedication and diligence in saving and

protecting lives is evident in each and every aircrew, maintainer and others at any USCG air

station.

Seaplanes, as demonstrated by Stone and others, were of obvious maritime utility and were the

mainstay of early Coast Guard aviation. This became especially important during World War II as

the USCG rescued 1,000s of survivors from torpedoed ships and downed aircraft. It seemed that

the seaplane and its unique ability to support the Coast Guard mission would have a long reign in

the service’s toolbox. That is, until another aviation pioneer changed the search and rescue

landscape forever.

Not content to leave his already substantial mark on aviation history as is, Stone also played a role in the development of catapults and arresting gear for the fledgling US Navy aircraft carrier fleet.

Putting his skills and innovations to practice, Stone made an open-ocean landing in rough seas on April 5, 1933 to rescue the only 3 survivors of the crash of the USS Akron, a US Navy dirigible. For good measure, Stone also set the world seaplane speed record achieving 191mph. Perhaps fittingly, Stone passed away while on duty and inspecting new aircraft. His mark on the aviation world, and Coast Guard aviation in particular, is celebrated to this day. Much has changed since Stone’s pioneering days, and yet the same sense of duty, dedication and diligence in saving and protecting lives is evident in each and every aircrew, maintainer and others at any USCG air station.

The idea for helicopters and less than

successful prototypes had been around for

years before, but it was Dr. Igor Sikorsky

who made practical flight with rotorcraft a

reality. When Sikorsky first demonstrated

his VS-300 helicopter, two Coast Guard

officers saw the future of Coast Guard

aviation. Lieutenant Frank Erickson and

Captain William Kossler. Both saw the early

promise that helicopters held for the Coast

Guard mission and Erickson, as an

innovative aviator, and Kossler, as head of

Coast Guard aircraft engineering, worked to

bring Sikorsky’s innovation to fruition.

A Vought UO-4 seaplane, one of the first five aircraft purchased for the Coast Guard in 1926. Photo: USCG

Above: A PBY-5A Catalina makes a jet-assisted take off. The iconic WW2 flying boat soldiered on in USCG service into the 1950s. Photo: USCG

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