The Sea Knight is the oldest type / model / series helicopter currently flying in front-line U.S. military service. Yet it remains capable and reliable.

The H-46 Sea Knight has enjoyed nearly 35 years of Marine Corps service. From Vietnam to Desert Storm the "Frog" has been the Marine's front line medium-lift assault helicopter and will continue in service until replaced by the V-22 in 2015.

In addition to the Marine Corps' combat assault mission, the H-46 Sea Knight is used by the Navy and Marine Corps for search and rescue, and by the Navy for vertical replenishment at sea and for Special Warfare. Today the Marines operate 232 H-46Es and 9 H-46Ds.

The most recent large scale operation for the Pedro crews was the search and rescue role during flood relief efforts following Hurricane Floyd. During a four--day period, Pedro crews flew 50 sorties, logged 62.8 flight hours, delivered 14,655 lbs. of cargo and rescued 399 people from flood stricken areas.

"I think the main factor contributing to the difficulty of the rescues we did was the level of urgency that existed," said Capt. Shane Hill, VMR-1 pilot. "All of the recoveries we dealt with involved swift water and the overall conditions demanded a short time frame for us to complete the rescues in. That, combined with the amount of time we actually spent in the air really wore on the pilots and crew in general."

Hill reported that during one day of flood relief, his aircraft spent nearly 11 hours in the air. This was typical for the Pedro crews during the four days they spent providing relief and at several points, more than one of the HH-46D helicopters was in action at the same time.