Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles

Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles is a United States Coast Guard air station located at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Playa del Rey, California.

Missions
Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles (CGAS Los Angeles) missions include search and rescue, homeland security, and environmental protection.

U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles provides a search and rescue helicopter that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. About 200 search and rescue missions are flown from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles each year.

Homeland security is also an important mission of U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles. U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles helicopters patrol the west coast of the United States from Dana Point, California to Morro Bay, California. The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach lie within U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles’s patrol area. U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles also patrols the over water approach and departure corridors for the Los Angeles International Airport.

U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles aircraft protect the environment by patrolling the ecologically rich California coast. The air stations patrol area includes the waters surrounding the Channel Islands National Park.

Operations


U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles is based at the Los Angeles International Airport.

History
U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles was founded in August 1962 through the combined efforts of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Senator Thomas Kuchel, and U.S. Representative James Roosevelt. An Air Detachment with one Sikorsky HO4S helicopter was transferred from Coast Guard Air Station San Diego. The Air Station was officially commissioned on November 15, 1962 with two HO4S helicopters, nine officers and 20 enlisted personnel.

In May 1963, the unit switched to three HH-52A "Sea Guard" helicopters. These helicopters were flown for 24 years. In July 1984, these helicopters were used during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The complement of HH-52 helicopters nearly doubled at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles during the Olympic Games.

In a 1972 TV drama series Emergency! the episode entitled "Trainee" when a man fell off a cliff in Palos Verdes that CG 1375 helicopter has medicvac the injured man to Rampart General Hospital.

These helicopters were replaced in November 1987 with four MH-65C. Fifteen officers and 45 enlisted personnel currently staff U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles.

On November 15, 2002 - the U.S. Coast Guard celebrated the 40th Anniversary of commissioning the air station at LAX.

Facilities
U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles is located within a small area at Los Angeles International Airport west of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

CGAS Los Angeles is in the boundary of Battalion 4 & Fire Station #51 of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Helicopters
U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles's HH-65 Dolphin helicopter can land on helipads at the Point Vicente Lighthouse in Palos Verdes, California or at the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Northern Sectional Lifeguard Headquarters at Zuma Beach in Malibu, California.

The U.S. Coast Guard's helicopters provide medical evacuation transport for injured divers, medical emergencies in the water, and requesting calls for search & rescue by Los Angeles County Lifeguards.

U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles's helicopters have been used in several television series. The air station’s proximity to several Hollywood production studios has led to the inclusion of the air stations helicopters in several television series. This activity increases the public awareness of the United States Coast Guard's mission.

Special events
Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles has participated in public events throughout the Los Angeles area. Examples include:
 * The American Heroes Air Show held yearly in July at the Hansen Dam Recreation & Sports Complex located in Lake View Terrace, Los Angeles, California.
 * In May 2009, CG 6590 a Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles HH-65 Dolphin helicopter performed a flyover at the 50th annual Armed Forces Day parade in Torrance, California.
 * By November 2012, CGAS Los Angeles will celebrate the 50th Golden Anniversary of service by inviting elected officials, including the Mayor of Los Angeles, members of U.S. Congress representing the State of California and representatives from L.A. City & County Fire Departments.