Coast Guard HU-25 Guardian Landing at Air Station Miami

I got to catch a ride with some fellow Coastie pilots. LT. Derrick Hendrickson is arguably the best USCG pilot!

This is the Hu-25 Guardian (a Falcon Jet) landing on Runway 09L at Coast Guard Air Station Miami (Opa-Locka Airport). "The HU-25 Falcon Jet is a medium-range surveillance fixed-wing aircraft. The HU-25 (A), HU-25 (B), and HU-25 (C) are three variants of the HU-25; the primary difference is in the installed sensor package (uscg.mil)."

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• coast
• guard
• hu-25
• guardian
• falcon
• jet
• aviation
• military
• landing
• miami
• opa
• locka
• florida
• flying
• airport
• boeing
• cessna

[19Pilot]

Nice vid! Saw a previous comment you had on another video and saw that you were training to be a pilot for fixed wing. How'd that go for ya? Otherwise what all did you do to get the flight slot? Just wondering. Thanks.

[pilotboy17]

@19Pilot Hey, I am currently in Aviation Preflight Indoc (API) at NAS Pensacola and graduate on Wednesday. From there, I'll go on to fly the Beechcraft T-34for Primary training. When I finish that, I will be selected to go to Corpus Christi, TX for fixed training or stay in Florida for helos (hopefully fixed though!).

[pilotboy17]

@19Pilot For the flight slot, I applied when the message came out. I was a marine inspector at my last unit. I didn't get flight school out of Officer Candidate School b/c my vision was bad at the time, but I had PRK surgery (paid for by the military) and now have better than 20/20. I also hold civilian flight instructor licenses and have an Aviation Science degree, so that helped along with command endorsement and hard work at my last unit. Any other questions, let me know.

[19Pilot]

@pilotboy17 well congrats on that and good luck. But deff try and go fixed haha Thanks for the info and I currently got all my ratings except for CFI and ATP but I am working on CFI now so hopefully that helps. Would like to see some vids on the T-34 lol Have fun in training thanks.

[pilotboy17]

@19Pilot Thank you! Keep working on that CFI. You'll get it! I remember when the FAA examiner did mine, he made me do all the maneuvers without looking in the cockpit. I probably busted some of the mins but I passed. I'll try to get some videos in T-34, but I think Navy regs may prohibit it unless you get approval.

Btw, are you in the Coast Guard right now?

[slapshot121212]

This video is a flashback. I was stationed at USCG Airsta Miami from 91-97 as an AE3 (now AMT) and an HU-25 dropmaster. It was fun, but I don't miss the HU-25's at all. They are a maintenance nightmare.

[pilotboy17]

@slapshot121212: You know what...too bad now wasn't then, because they are finally starting to replace the HU-25s with the Casa! One of my friend's is flying the HU-25 and will be making the transition soon.

[19Pilot]

@pilotboy17 lol i know what you mean, the FAA examiner I go to is like that. I am not in the Coast Guard I am a senior in College working on my Bachelor's degree in Flight Technoloy and Operations. I am hoping to get accepted into the OCS program and then apply for a flight slot.

[slapshot121212]

I've seen the HC-144 and think it is a vast improvement. They had one at Airsta Clearwater. I remember the HU-26C radar and flir being high tech at the time (early 90's). The new avionics on the 144 look great!! Finally a system that seems to work well together.

The Falcon 20 is a great plane. It just wasn't designed for the mission the CG used it for and some of the system were not wise choices (CSM electrical and ATF-3 engines come to mind).

[Atlantisfan119]

Enlisted men cannot be pilots, only officers.