Coast Guard air crew has their “Flying Day”

Monday, August 23, 2010

Posted by: LT Connie Braesch

Post written by: Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Eggers

It’s hard to say if propelling yourself off a 30-foot high ramp in a homemade flying machine is a good idea or not. Most people might not think it is. But a few people, a very select group, think it’s a great way to spend a Saturday.

Team Coast Guard performs

Team Coast Guard performs somersaults in their skit while in the background an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter moves into hoist position during the 2010 Red Bull Flugtag held in Long Beach, Calif. U.S. Coast Guard photo by PA3 Joe Pulice.

Displaying the spirit and ingenuity of the original flight pioneers, a crew from Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles participated in the 2010 Red Bull Flugtag in Long Beach, Calif.

If you’ve seen the event before you may think it’s all fun and games, but you’d be wrong … sort of.

“It was a lot of work, but we all really enjoyed it,” said AST3 Gabe Humphrey.

“Once we got this thing started, everyone at the air station wanted to chip in and help build or donate money for the materials. It was a truly Team Coast Guard effort,” AET1 Damon Miller said.

Flugtag, meaning “flying day” in German, allowed this group of Coast Guardsmen the opportunity to not only test their creativity and engineering skills but also a chance to pay tribute to those aviators who came before them.

“Kind of like it was for the Wright brothers, we went through a ton of design changes. We went through a bunch of trials and errors,” said LTJG Josh Murphy, a pilot at the air station.

Flying machine takes off

Team Coast Guard watches their "flying machine" fly off the flight deck during the 2010 Red Bull Flugtag. U.S. Coast Guard photo by PA2 Matt Schofield.

While Team Coast Guard didn’t quite enjoy the flying success of the Wright brothers, they definitely left their unique mark on the event. After the Coast Guard crew entertained the crowd and took the plunge on their paper mache helicopter, the captivated crowd of 105,000 people went wild as they performed an over flight and rescue demonstration with the real MH-65 Dolphin helicopter.

The fun event was also a huge chance to build community relations and educate the public on Coast Guard mission execution.

“This has been awesome. We’ve done so many interviews and taken pictures with hundreds of people, shy little kids and even a few veterans. It’s been a blast,” said Murphy, sopping wet after his flight but obviously proud of his team.

Team Coast Guard included LTJG Josh Murphy, AET1 Damon Miller, AST1 Stephen Nicoll, AET3 Dal Blocker and AET3 Corey Mason.

Flugtag video

Click through to see a video of Team Coast Guard in action!

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  • JOE COASTIE

    way to go team Coast Guard.
    with all the Helo’s that have crashed in the last 11 months do you think this was a good idea? our prayers go out to the lost Coasties and their families.

  • LTJG Stephanie Young

    Joe Coastie,

    Flugtag is a global event held in cities across the world to recognize pioneering aviation history. Several Coast Guard units, and almost every branch of the Armed Forces, have participated in the events throughout the years.

    The crowd-pleasing events provide an opportunity for the Coast Guard to conduct public outreach and education about its missions and people. The Long Beach Flugtag did just that as more than 100,000 people watched a search and rescue demonstration and had the chance to informally engage with service members.

    Very Respectfully,
    LTJG S. M. Young
    Coast Guard Public Affairs

  • essayess

    I believe Joe Coastie was referring to the choice of a helicopter as the vehicle and the sensitivity that might be out there in the public because of the recent helicopter crashes.

  • Another Joe Coastie

    My (limited) experience with the Coast Guard aviation community has shown me that USCG Aviators are of the highest standard. They consistently demonstrate an unbelievable dedication to training, maintenance, and professionalism. They are using the best equipment and tactics available to successfully complete all required missions, day in and day out, in some of the worst possible conditions.

    These exemplary men and women deserve the opportunity to participate in a little morale from time to time. In this case, the visibility that the event provided was exceptional. The light that the Coast Guard was shown in was overwhelmingly positive, as it regularly is with CG aviation.

    The true discredit to the lost Coasties and their families is to commently negatively on how they choose to conduct themselves off duty, especially from another Coastie.

    I apologize on behalf of Joe Coastie for discrediting the lost Coasties and their families by making such disrespectful comments to the aviation community.