Pedro

I think I answered my own question, it was the call sign for rescue helicopters in the Atlantic, all units....
True?

Joe Reed;26844 wrote: I've heard the term Pedro used for the Cherry Point Rescue birds for several years. The inception of the program was, I believe, after my RAD in early 1970. Can anyone tell me what PEDRO stands for? Is it an acronym for something?? I've always been curious and now a friend went to the Cherry Point Air Show this past weekend and saw the Pedro birds and asked me what it meant and I couldn't tell him! No joy on the search feature, although it did show some threads where the term was used.
Thanks to all!

My brain cells got "tickled" a little as I thought that the older fire fighter fighter helos were the HO2Ks " widow makers" and also called "pedro" as a fire fighter bird.?!!:D

Pedro

I got rescued by an Air Force helo one night. Call sign was Pedro. He came from Da Nang Air Base. It was a funny looking thing, probably what you refer to as a HOS2. I recall that the Air Force crew chief tackled me and brought me to the ground thereby saving me from walking into the rotors.

Ray Norton;26870 wrote: I got rescued by an Air Force helo one night. Call sign was Pedro. He came from Da Nang Air Base. It was a funny looking thing, probably what you refer to as a HOS2. I recall that the Air Force crew chief tackled me and brought me to the ground thereby saving me from walking into the rotors.

The aircraft that were at LTA in early 1960 were, I thought, HO2K (the K signifying Kamen aircraft), an S would probably signify "sikorsky" which didn't make this aircraft. At LTA, its' nickname was either "widow maker" or "Hookey - Dookey" and you had to approach it from the front.:D

When I was with HMX the HOK's where in the hanger as we where with the HR2S
Those thinhs cared me to death just to near one and I,m fearless. The squadron lost 2 of them while I was there the HU1E replaced them. SF

Pedro

When MCB Hawaii at Kaneohe was MCAS Kaneohe Bay and there were both fixed wing and many helicopter squadrons as tenants, the Air Station provided SAR with HH-46 birds; Call sign was PEDRO. I was led to believe that Pedro is the USMC SAR call sign for all Air Stations that provide the service.

pedro

I am currently stationed at Cherry Point with Pedro. I think I have your answer to you question.

PEDRO comes out of the NWP3-225-SAR-TAC (SAR TAC AID)
It is a brevity code (call sign) for Rescue Helicoptors.
It is used for Marine and Navy aircraft.

SSgt Croley

The aircraft that were at LTA in early 1960 were, I thought, HO2K (the K signifying Kamen aircraft), an S would probably signify "sikorsky" which didn't make this aircraft. At LTA, its' nickname was either "widow maker" or "Hookey - Dookey" and you had to approach it from the front.

Those would have been HOK/HUKs. They were redesignated OH/UH-43D in 1962. Kaman never made a HO2K.

More Pedro

SSgt Croley said:

PEDRO comes out of the NWP3-225-SAR-TAC (SAR TAC AID)
It is a brevity code (call sign) for Rescue Helicoptors.
It is used for Marine and Navy aircraft.

Thanks Sarge! You guys do good work!

When I was viting one of my 262 friends in Florida we went to the Tampa airshow and one of the birds from Cherry Point was on static display. I looked at the Bu nimber and told Otais that we had our squadron picture taken in front of that AC while we aboard ship in 1967. At first he said I was wrong because it was 151948 and was a D model . The crew chief told him a lot of A.s where upgraded to D's then the Crew Chief and Big O started looking for patches and they found a few. SF

A's to D's

Walt,
Correct again, Sir, as usual. I posted on another thread, the last D's being retired (they were Pedro Birds from Cherry Point) and one was 151912, clearlya converted "A" model.