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Navy Dedicated SAR Squadrons

xmid

Registered User
pilot
Contributor
SAR Helo flying is lots of fun until you have to pluck a dead bloated body from a waterfall. (#trueStory)

There was a sim instructor at HSC-2 when I went through that was part of a land based HSC-84 detachment in South America. One day while flying over some body of water they spotted a body. Thinking it was the right thing to do, they sent a swimmer down to pick it up. Evidently the body was in bad shape and had been in the water a long time. When they flew back to local airport to deliver the body to a coroner they were quarantined for hours on the flight line. He said they wouldn't even give them fuel during the quarantine period, so they had to shut down the APU/AC. In the summer. In South America.
 

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
There was a sim instructor at HSC-2 when I went through that was part of a land based HSC-84 detachment in South America. One day while flying over some body of water they spotted a body. Thinking it was the right thing to do, they sent a swimmer down to pick it up. Evidently the body was in bad shape and had been in the water a long time. When they flew back to local airport to deliver the body to a coroner they were quarantined for hours on the flight line. He said they wouldn't even give them fuel during the quarantine period, so they had to shut down the APU/AC. In the summer. In South America.
Yummy
 

Raymero

Member
Been scouring the internet all afternoon but can't seem to find an answer.
There's a Navy guy on TikTok named @ghelojumper that seems like he's in a dedicated Search and Rescue Squadron based somewhere with a lot of mountains. Looks a lot like Alaska. In one of the video comments he said he's AIRR.

My question is, how many of these types of squadrons does the Navy operate? I understand that SAR is a mission that you will inevitably encounter in the fleet as a rotary wing aviator. (Aircraft paint job was White and Orange/Red) But what confused me was that this seemed like a unit explicitly dedicated to Mountain SAR, which I didn't think the Navy did. He does a lot of training like rappelling down to mountain slopes, down into ice crevasses, and other Mountain SAR stuff.

The tail code on the Aircraft was FW, but after looking at several lists of Naval Aviation Tail Codes, I couldn't find FW listed anywhere.

Does anyone know what unit this is? Seems like a dream posting if you ask me.
Maybe that's just me though. I love snow, skiing, mountains etc.
NAS Whidbey has a SAR group. When I was with them 1973-76 and 1980-82 they were a branch of the Operations Dept. There was a Dedicated SAR (Helos) and a fixed wing support branch. I was with the fixed wing guys. My profile names the aircraft we operated at that time. They currently operate SH-60's. I will be attending a reunion in September.
 

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Raymero

Member
You're probably looking at Whidbey SAR. There are a few others - El Centro, Fallon, Pax River, Key West, Leemoore. They are small detachments of helicopters that technically belong to the base and are not independent squadrons. As a pilot, do not plan on getting these, but outside of Key West and Whidbey, none of them are particularly competitive to get, just need to have the right timing and the basic quals as a helo pilot.
Fallon has disbanded and transferred it's aircraft to , I believe the Top Gun unit on base. Got this word from a friend, civilian, that was working with this outfit.
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Fallon has disbanded and transferred it's aircraft to , I believe the Top Gun unit on base. Got this word from a friend, civilian, that was working with this outfit.
Not TOPGUN, but NAWDC (TOPGUN’s parent command), which runs the helo weapons school.
 

Meyerkord

Well-Known Member
pilot
Not TOPGUN, but NAWDC (TOPGUN’s parent command), which runs the helo weapons school.
Do you know if the unit was dissolved completely or just transferred to the new command? I’m interested in doing Station SAR as a shore tour and I’m wondering if this will still be an option to select.
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
Do you know if the unit was dissolved completely or just transferred to the new command? I’m interested in doing Station SAR as a shore tour and I’m wondering if this will still be an option to select.

Do yourself a favor and take a shore tour that will help you after you get out, or just take a DCA transfer to the Coast Guard and actually do SAR.
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Do you know if the unit was dissolved completely or just transferred to the new command? I’m interested in doing Station SAR as a shore tour and I’m wondering if this will still be an option to select.
It wasn’t a unit, so much as it was part of the base, so nothing got dissolved as a command, if that’s what you’re asking. They made NAWDC the model manager for SAR, and since they also teach the mountain flying school, the flags thought that was the best fit. Aircraft and personnel transferred to NAWDC. Same contract Mx as before.
 

HSMPBR

Not a misfit toy
pilot
Do yourself a favor and take a shore tour that will help you after you get out, or just take a DCA transfer to the Coast Guard and actually do SAR.
Navy won’t cut someone loose for first shore tour mostly because they need them for that second sea tour!

If you want to do SAR for the navy, then Whidbey gives you a unit with both overwater and overland rescues that is well-integrated in the national SAR plan that’s in a beautiful place. Key West may not get you many saves, but you could continue your tropical duty station theme. The Oasis of Nevada, and I do love Fallon, is probably better than SAR Lemoore and has its own charms.

None of those places will give you FW PIC (turbine?) time if you’re into that.
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
Navy won’t cut someone loose for first shore tour mostly because they need them for that second sea tour!

If you want to do SAR for the navy, then Whidbey gives you a unit with both overwater and overland rescues that is well-integrated in the national SAR plan that’s in a beautiful place. Key West may not get you many saves, but you could continue your tropical duty station theme. The Oasis of Nevada, and I do love Fallon, is probably better than SAR Lemoore and has its own charms.

None of those places will give you FW PIC (turbine?) time if you’re into that.
There are many unprepared hikers in the Cascades and so those Whidbey SAR guys are flying over my house all the time.
 

Meyerkord

Well-Known Member
pilot
If you want to do SAR for the navy, then Whidbey gives you a unit with both overwater and overland rescues that is well-integrated in the national SAR plan that’s in a beautiful place. Key West may not get you many saves, but you could continue your tropical duty station theme. The Oasis of Nevada, and I do love Fallon, is probably better than SAR Lemoore and has its own charms.

None of those places will give you FW PIC (turbine?) time if you’re into that.
I’m indifferent about FW time. Considering an airline career but I’m not basing my time in the Navy around that.

Whidbey and Key West sound great, and honestly I wouldn’t be disappointed with any of them if they’re available. I’ve talked with a DH about his prior time at Whidbey and it sounds like he had a great time.
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Which is where PMRF comes in... and we're hiring... plus, despite what you've heard, the guy in charge is pretty chill. ?

An anecdote...

A JO at -37 was very interested in staying in HI and was all in to go to PMRF. However, while he said he was willing to do it, he didn't tell everyone (that mattered) that it was his ultimate goal. His timing worked out and the Navy asked if he'd accept those orders. However, it is (or was, anyway) a hardship tour akin to a second sea tour, so he asked the detailer to put that in writing and acknowledge that he's volunteering for a hardship tour, which PERS did.

Off he went, getting the exact shore tour he wanted, but with paper that did something for him after the fact (from my understanding). I think he then went to either South America or Europe for his next good deal tour.

Why do I mention this? Just be careful telegraphing intentions too early when it's not an "on-track" job, even if doing that job will ultimately make you happy and be fulfilling.
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
Navy won’t cut someone loose for first shore tour mostly because they need them for that second sea tour!

If you want to do SAR for the navy, then Whidbey gives you a unit with both overwater and overland rescues that is well-integrated in the national SAR plan that’s in a beautiful place. Key West may not get you many saves, but you could continue your tropical duty station theme. The Oasis of Nevada, and I do love Fallon, is probably better than SAR Lemoore and has its own charms.

None of those places will give you FW PIC (turbine?) time if you’re into that.

I get it! It's not awesome!

I guess I'd say a couple of points. One, Station SAR sounds cool so a lot of JOPA who are not loving the fleet think it would be a good deal (and it is), and come here and ask questions. The problem is that it's a super small amount of people in the grand scheme of things. As in total combined units are a large Exped squadron worth of pilots. Two, sadly, the odds are higher that you'll take yourself out of the running for anything flying in the process because some Helo COs are weird like that.

I'm not saying don't, just have eyes wide open when you go down this road.
 
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