The Coast Guard will be represented by the 1426 in perhaps the best possible location for reaching a national audience interested in aviation history, hosting more than 1.4 million visitors so far in 2015 alone. The helicopter is scheduled to become a permanent exhibit at the museum in the spring of 2016 – a highly-anticipated event for both the Coast Guard and the Smithsonian, which coincides with the centennial anniversary of Coast Guard aviation.
“The big driver for this happening is Coast Guard aviation’s 100th anniversary coming up this spring,” said Cmdr. Michael Frawley, systems management chief for the office of aeronautical engineering at Coast Guard Headquarters. “This was the time to make this happen.”
HH-52s, the first amphibious helicopters, were last flown by the Coast Guard Sept. 12, 1989. The legendary helicopters’ success made rotary-wing aircraft central to Coast Guard aviation missions during the airframe’s 26 years of service. In all, Coast Guard HH-52A crews saved more than 15,000 lives.
“The arrival of the 1426 and its subsequent display in the museum presents not only an opportunity to demonstrate the importance of Coast Guard aviation to American life, but to illustrate the role of the helicopter and what it can do for humanity in general,” said Roger Connor, museum specialist and curator of the vertical flight collection.
Retired Rear Adm. Robert Johanson stands before HH-52A Seaguard helicopter tail number 1426, at Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Friday, Dec. 11, 2015. Johanson and others worked for a decade to ensure the helicopter will go on permanent display at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, the companion facility to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nate Littlejohn
HH-52s, the first amphibious helicopters, were last flown by the Coast Guard Sept. 12, 1989. The legendary helicopters’ success made rotary-wing aircraft central to Coast Guard aviation missions during the airframe’s 26 years of service. In all, Coast Guard HH-52A crews saved more than 15,000 lives.
The driving force behind placing one of these magnificent machines in the Smithsonian is a collection of dedicated Coast Guard aviators, many whose careers involved flying one. These dedicated people worked tirelessly behind the scenes over the past decade, giving generously their time and resources.
The Coast Guard Aviation Association (CGAA), known also as the Ancient Order of the Pterodactyl, is dedicated to preserving U.S. Coast Guard aviation history, as well as camaraderie among the former and current Coast Guard aviators who make up its majority. In 2005, then CGAA president, retired Capt. George Krietmeyer initiated the idea to locate, acquire and restore an HH-52A Seaguard helicopter for display in the Smithsonian. The resulting effort was later named “Project Phoenix” by retired Capt. Tom King — a metaphor comparing the helicopter to the once beautiful bird rising from ashes and obtaining new life.
The project involved numerous CGAA volunteers and active-duty Coast Guard leaders who are quick to credit others for the project’s success, including retired Rear Adm. Robert Johanson. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you he’s been the backbone of the initiative from its conception. Reluctant to accept recognition, Johanson has a sense of humor on par with his drive for making things happen.
“I’m just glad to know there’s a Coast Guard helicopter going into the Smithsonian while I’m still on the right side of the grass,” he joked.
Locating a structurally-sound Seaguard helicopter suitable for museum-quality restoration was the first necessary step in what would become a decade-long project.