303d Rescue Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 303d Rescue Squadron (303 RQS) is part of the 939th Air Refueling Wing
939th Air Refueling Wing
The 939th Air Refueling Wing was a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Portland Air Reserve Station, Oregon. It was an Air Force Reserve Command flying unit operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command...

 based at Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...

, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. It operates HC-130 Hercules aircraft conducting search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...

 missions.

History

The 303d performed search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...

 (SAR), as well as medical evacuation
Aeromedical evacuation
Aeromedical Evacuation usually refers to specialized medical transportation units in the United States Air Force. Within the U.S. Air Force, AE is coordinated by Air Mobility Command located at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois...

 missions, in the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...

 and occasionally into Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

 from, 1956-1985. During this period the squadron also performed escort missions for aircraft deploying to the Pacific. Its mission changed to airlift
Airlift
Airlift is the act of transporting people or cargo from point to point using aircraft.Airlift may also refer to:*Airlift , a suction device for moving sand and silt underwater-See also:...

 in 1985 in addition to also providing fire-fighting support to the U.S. Forest Service in the Western U.S. from, 1985-1993. Beginning in 1997 the 303d once again trained for combat search and rescue and SAR and helicopter aerial refueling
Aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling , air-to-air refueling or tanking, is the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight....

 missions primarily in the Northwestern United States
Northwestern United States
The Northwestern United States comprise the northwestern states up to the western Great Plains regions of the United States, and consistently include the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, to which part of southeast Alaska is also sometimes included...

.

Lineage

  • 303d Air Rescue Squadron (1952–1966)
  • 303d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (1966–1985)
  • 303d Tactical Airlift Squadron (1985–1992)
  • 303d Airlift Squadron (1992–1997)
  • 303d Rescue Squadron (1997–Present)

Assignments

  • 2347th Air Reserve Flying Center (1956–1958)
  • 2350th Air Reserve Flying Center (1958–1960)
  • 4th Air Force (1960)
  • 6th Air Force Reserve Region (1960–1969)
  • Western Air Force Reserve Region (1969–1976)
  • 403d Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing (1976–1985)
  • 943d Airlift Group (1985–1993)
  • 939th Air Refueling Wing
    939th Air Refueling Wing
    The 939th Air Refueling Wing was a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Portland Air Reserve Station, Oregon. It was an Air Force Reserve Command flying unit operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command...

     (1997–Present)

Bases stationed

  • Long Beach Municipal Airport
    Long Beach Municipal Airport
    Long Beach Airport , also known as Daugherty Field, is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of the City of Long Beach, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It serves Los Angeles and Orange Counties...

    , California
    California
    California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

     (1956–1960)
  • March Air Force Base, California (1960–1993)
  • Portland International Airport
    Portland International Airport
    Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...

    , Oregon (1997–Present)

Aircraft Operated

  • HU-16 Albatross
    HU-16 Albatross
    The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large twin-radial engine amphibious flying boat that was utilized by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, primarily as a search and rescue and combat search and rescue aircraft...

     (1956–1965)
  • HC-97 Stratofreighter
    C-97 Stratofreighter
    The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was a long range heavy military cargo aircraft based on the B-29 bomber. Design work began in 1942, with the prototype's first flight being on 9 November 1944, and the first production aircraft entered service in 1947. Between 1947 and 1958, 888 C-97s in several...

     (1965–1972)
  • KC-97 Stratotanker
    KC-97 Stratotanker
    The Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker was a United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.-Design and development:...

     (1965–1966)
  • HC-130 Hercules (1972–1985, 1997–Present)
  • C-130 Hercules
    C-130 Hercules
    The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...

    (1984–1993)
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