Honolulu Coast Guard Receives New MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter

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Honolulu Coast Guard Receives New MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter By Eddy Metcalf

		April 13, 2011 - Coast Guard aircrews at Air Station Barbers Point, Honolulu received the second of four new multi-mission helicopters Saturday. The MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, closely resembling an HH-65 Dolphin, includes a multitude of new equipment to further enhance mission capabilities. The new aircraft are replacing the four Dolphins currently in service at the air station. The MH-65 adds new communications systems to an already capable platform. Such improvements include satellite communication capability and the ability for an aircrew to communicate with federal, state and local law enforcement and emergency services.

These upgrades greatly increase the Coast Guard?s ability to cooperate with local agencies throughout the Hawaiian Islands in the event of an emergency. The MH-65 can accommodate a pilot?s head-up display and night vision optics to enhance the aircrew?s ability to operate around the clock. ?The MH-65 is really going to enhance the way we operate throughout the Hawaiian Islands,? said Lt. j.g. Jason Gross, an MH-65 pilot stationed at Air Station Barbers Point. ?We will now be able to much more easily communicate when we are working with our partner agencies, whether they be local law enforcement, fire departments, or military. Overall, I believe this helicopter is a great asset and will help us do great things here in Hawaii.? Additionally, the new and enhanced DF-430 adds the capability of the helicopter to direction find on 406 MHZ Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon signals, allowing quicker location of distressed mariners. Two more MH-65?s are scheduled to arrive in May, making Air Station Barbers Point?s helicopter fleet a complete MH unit. The Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin is a twin-engine, single main rotor, MEDEVAC-capable Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). It is a variant of the French-built Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin. The SA366 G1 Dauphin version was selected by the United States Coast Guard in 1979 as its new short range recovery (SRR) air-sea rescue helicopter, replacing the Sikorsky HH-52A Sea Guard.

In total 99 helicopters, optimized for the USCG's search and rescue role tasks and given the designation HH-65A Dolphin, were acquired. The HH-65A is not able to perform water landings. The HH-65 normally carries a crew of four: Pilot, Copilot, Flight Mechanic and Rescue Swimmer.

		The Dolphin was manufactured by Aerospatiale Helicopter Corporation (now American Eurocopter) in Grand Prairie, Texas. Textron Lycoming (now Honeywell) built the Dolphin's LTS101-750B-2 turbo shaft engines in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and Rockwell Collins manufactured the HH-65's electronic systems in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Other News Stories (For the latest news please checkout our home page) Eurocopter Attends LAAD 2011 Defense Show To Expand Presence In Latin America FAA Announces Barbados Does Not Comply With ICAO Safety Standards UAE Air Force Receives First Airbus Military A330 MRTT Grading The Guardians, NORAD Evaluations A Vital Requirement So You Think You Can Fly? Virgin Galactic Is Hiring Pilot Astronauts MAF Donor Matches Gift To Fund Two New KODIAK Aircraft Union Negotiates With US Airways To Bring Jobs Back To The U.S DOT?s OIG To Audit The FAA?s Contract Tower Program Beechcraft Sees Aircraft Financing Becoming Increasingly Available U.S. Visa System Can Discourage Visitors From Coming To The U.S Airshow Extends Scholarship Program Application Deadline FAA's Aviation Safety Inspector And Analyst Staffing Under Review DOT Fines Flythere4less For Violation Of Code Share Disclosure Rules NTSB Initial Assessment OF United Airlines Flight 497, Smoke In The Cockpit SOFIA Completes First Flight Of German Science Instrument Bombardier Prepares For Final Assembly Of Flight Test CSeries Aircraft Southwest Airlines Has History Of Not Inspecting Aircraft For Cracks Heroin Smugglers Arrested At Dulles International Airport UPS To Install Emergency Vision Assurance System On Its Aircraft US Airways Pilots Outrage Over Data Theft By US Airways Management Lean, Green Flying Machines Closer To Reality Raytheon To Modernize Largest FAA Terminal Air Traffic Control Facilities First Polish Pilot Achieves BLACK HAWK Helicopter Rating UAE Releases Preliminary Report On A U.S Registered G-21 Plane Crash U.S. Marine Corps Challenges With The CH-53K Helicopter Program Cessna Aircraft Picks Up 30 Aircraft Orders At 2011 Sun ?n Fun Smoke In The Cockpit United Flight 497 Makes A Challenging Landing Aurora To Design And Fabricate The S-97 RAIDERTM Prototype Airframe FAA Mandates Inspections On Early Models Of The Boeing 737 Aircraft French Authorities Release Photos Of Air France Flight 447 Crash Site Lufthansa Selects PurePower PW1100G Engines For Airbus A320 New CEO?s Appointed To Sabre Airline Solutions And Travelocity Puppy's Birth Signals Milestone For Explosives Detection Canine Program