History

Coast Guard Air Station (CGAS) New Orleans currently occupies a small corner of the large Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, located along the Mississippi River in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. The CGAS was established in 1955 and originally located at the Naval Air Station on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain, with a detachment of two Sikorsky HO3S-1G helicopters. The primary mission at that time was search-and-rescue (SAR) along the southern coast from the Florida panhandle to the Texas border, with assistance aimed at the fishing and oil industries, the growing pleasure boat community, and hurricane victims. The SAR capabilities of the station were significantly upgraded when the HO3S-1G helicopters were replaced by Sikorsky HO4S (H19 Chickasaw) helicopters. The new aircraft were specifically designed for the Coast Guard and were the first helicopters equipped for IFR and night operations.

Naval Air Station New Orleans moved to its present home in 1957, and the CGAS moved with it. A new hangar was opened in 1968, with attached maintenance facilities and administrative offices. A separate operations and administration building was erected in 1986. The Sikorsky HO4S was replaced by the last piston-powered Coast Guard helicopter, the Sikorsky HU-S1 Seahorse, and this in turn was replaced by the amphibious, turbine-powered Sikorski HH-52 Seaguard. The station then operated the Sikorsky HH-3F Pelican, before returning to the Seaguard in 1980. In 1986, CGAS New Orleans became the first Coast Guard air station to operate the Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin. Finally, in 2022 New Orleans received the first of three Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters to be assigned to the Air Station (CGNR 6041).

CGAS New Orleans remains highly active in SAR actions. The Coast Guard reports that more than 5600 lives have been saved over the history of the station. During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, crews from air stations in Mobile, Houston, and New Orleans saved 3,689 lives. More than 115 Coast Guard personnel received awards for their heroic actions during the hurricane. At this point the mission of the New Orleans Air Station has expanded to include Homeland Security duties such as coastal and port security flights.

The Air Station as constructed for MSFS 2024

I have created the Air Station hangar to match what I could find in photographs and videos. There is a static Jayhawk with New Orleans markings in the hangar, being serviced and readied for flight (CGNR 6041). I have added a parking space (space 28) inside the hangar where you can spawn and fly Jayhawk 6037 (or any other helicopter or small plane). You can complete the walk-around inspection and mission briefing while in the hangar where you are safe from the elements, and then have the aircraft towed by tug outside the hangar for start-up. (I like to use the free Toolbar Pushback add-on from AmbitiousPilots. You can find it here.

The station has both interior and exterior lighting, and the taxiway leading to the ramp from taxiway Kilo is also lighted. I have added two parking spots outside the hangar. Spots 29 and 30 are available to spawn into, while another spot is occupied by a Jayhawk from the Clearwater, Florida CGAS. The last spot (with the large circle marking) is open and available to park in (but not to spawn into). I have also added a helipad (space H0) at the intersections of taxiways Kilo and Mike, as shown on airport diagrams and overhead views, and have improved its markings. The auto-generated buildings around the hangar have been replaced with stock buildings, and I have added the lighted basketball court and roller hockey arena. Finally, I added the trailer storage area, a lighted windsock, and numerous other small embellishments.

Note that the Jayhawks will only appear if you have the Miltech/Blackbird MH60 installed in your community folder. You can download the liveries for New Orleans Jayhawks 6037 and 6041 here. Thanks to Mpalmer for providing these liveries to the community.

UPDATE: A MSFS 2020 version of this scenery is now available here.

UPDATE Version 1.1: I have added a briefing room as requested by a user. You can visit the room in walk-around mode by entering through the open door near the main entrance to the hangar (see new screen shot). There is a gulf coast sectional on the wall, and the New Orleans sectional on the table. Also, there is a computer available for weather briefings and for filing a flight plan. See the last four screen shots.

Notes

To install the scenery, merely unzip and place the folder titled “mulberrywing-airport-knbg-new-orleans” in your MS 2024 community folder.