@ Chantilly, VA
August 2018
Hanging high above in the massive hangar that is the Smithsonian Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, is this Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard. This helicopter was the first Coast Guard aircraft to be added to the Smithsonian collection, back in 2016. The USCG operated 99 Seaguards, entering Coast Guard service in 1962 and retired all in 1989 in favor of nonamphibious rotorcraft like the Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin. The Seaguard was the first amphibious Sikorsky helicopter to fly, nearly a year earlier than the larger U.S. Navy SH-3 Sea King.
