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
22