As the longest and largest island in the contiguous United States, Long Island supports the missions of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) on and below our waters, as well as above them. AUXAIR is a USCG Auxiliary operational program, designed to support and enhance USCG aviation and surface operations.
AUXAIR is active in every Coast Guard District. AUXAIR aviators have varied backgrounds; many have significant military and commercial flight experience. Just as surface operators volunteer their boats for Auxiliary facilities, these aviators volunteer their aircraft. All Auxiliary aircraft and aircrew meet strict USCG and Federal Aviation Administration requirements; pilots, observers and aircrews receive similar training to active duty USCG pilots and aircrew in emergency egress, swimming, crew resource management, spatial disorientation, and search and rescue. Aircrafts are inspected regularly, as flight safety is the USCG's number one priority.
Long Island's AUXAIR patrols fly out of Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip and Republic Airport in Farmingdale (they also fly from airports in northern New Jersey, Westchester County, and Connecticut). Weather permitting, there are daily patrols around the Long Island Sound and the entire length of the south shore, complementing vessel safety patrols on the water and acting as an extra set of eyes around Long Island.
Having a centrally located AUXAIR resource is important, as being able to
get around Long Island and other areas quickly is critical to the variety of missions in which AUXAIR assists the USCG, including:
- Search and rescue call outs for those in distress,
- Aviation support of USCG law enforcement,
- Air support for Marine Environmental Protection,
- Surveying navigation aids, particularly after storms,
- Winter ice patrol operations,
- Transportation of personnel, and
- Training personnel involved in AUXAIR operations.
Auxiliarsts Dan Berry, Commander Peter Jensen, and Sherrye Dobrin, pose with AuxAir "83 Juliet", a Piper Cherokee 180
In addition to flying safety patrols, local AUXAIR crews fly ice patrols, particularly over the Hudson River and Lake Champlain to the Canadian border. These trained individuals scan the sky and the water surface, looking for the unusual, just as Auxiliary patrols do on the water. They also assist with coordination of surface units, including USCG icebreakers, to keep the Hudson River commercial corridor clear for the tugs and barges that navigate the river, as well as for safety, flood control, and security reasons.
AUXAIR volunteers perform other vital functions as well. Recently, aviators photographed the inlet to Eaton's Neck Basin at low tide to document shoaling conditions. This information will help alert mariners to hazardous shifting bottom conditions as well as to plan future dredging operations.
Two commercial tugs southbound leading an empty fuel barge under the Rip van Winkle Bridge along the icy Hudson River.
By Captain Rande Wilson
Photos courtesy of the USCG Auxiliary.