A Brace of Ducks

A trio of snappily-dressed chappies pose before a Coast Guard JF-2 at Boeing Field.

A trio of snappily-dressed chappies pose before a Coast Guard JF-2 at Boeing Field.

JF-2 from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles in Washington state does some sight seeing over the Olympic mountains.

JF-2 from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles in Washington state does some sight seeing over the Olympic mountains.

Open house at CGAS St. Petersburg

Above: B-18’s of the 32nd Bomb Squadron have flown cross-country from there home at March Field Ca. The B-18 would become a familiar sight to locals when MacDill Field opens nearby in 1941.

Douglas O-25

Classy mom and dad. The hangar still stands, and the base is still in use today, but is no longer an air station; it is now USCG Sector St. Petersburg.

Grumman Albatross from Coast Guard Air Station, Port Angeles, in the early 60’s

Grumman Goose of the Coast Guard

A Coast Guard JF-2 “Duck” (V144)

This crew prepares to engage in what obviously involves some aerial photography. I say “crew”, but the man on the right looks like a civilian. He’s wearing a necktie, glasses, and a pretty nice pair of wingtip shoes. On the “Duck”, note the tube protruding below the numbers. This was used for dropping flares and smoke pots.

Grumman UF-2G Albatross

Based at CGAS Port Angeles, this UF-2G (7236) of the Coast Guard is seen while on a visit to Boeing Field in the late 1950’s. Later renamed the HU-16, this “bird” is now displayed at the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola.

Grumman HU-16B Albatross (7243) from CGAS Port Angeles

It wasn’t a long flight from Port Angeles for this Albatross to make an appearance at the NAS Whidbey Island open house. Behind it, an F-102 of the 190th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Idaho Air Guard. This Albatross had a long life. Sold to the civilian market, it was written-off after a crash in 2009.

Coast Guard R8V-1G from CGAS San Francisco

You thought I was going to say HC-130, but when this photo was taken, the (ahem) “Tri-Service aircraft designation system” had yet to implemented. Serial number of this R8V-1G was 60-0311.

Looks like a B-17, but it’s a Coast Guard PB-1G