Airbus Helicopters Inc. (AHI) held a special fly-in on Nov. 14 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first MH-65 Dolphin delivery to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).
The first delivery — on Nov. 14, 1984 — took place at AHI’s headquarters in Grand Prairie, Texas, which continues to service and support the fleetwide maintenance for the type for the USCG today, as well as providing upgrades over the years.
Last week’s fly-in saw a crew from Air Station Houston arriving in an MH-65 to meet the Airbus team responsible for the type’s ongoing support.
The USCG has a fleet of almost 100 MH-65s, which have accumulated more than 1.8 million flight hours over the last 40 years. The service operates the type across 26 states and in various locations around the world, and estimates it has saved over 26,000 lives with the Dolphin.
