NEW ORLEANS (Aug. 29, 2005) - Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Huerta hoists two children into a Coast Guard rescue helicopter here today. The Coast Guard has begun damage assessment overflights as well as search and rescue operations following Hurricane Katrina. Huerta, 34, of Tampa, Fla., is an aviation maintenance technician stationed at Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala.
17 helicopters. 1500 flying hours. 7 days. On average, each of those helicopters was in the air 12.6 hours per day. Add the time to offload evacuees each sortie, time to refuel when needed, and probably some time for maintenance. This is outstanding mission performance.