79th Rescue Squadron HC-130J Combat King II flies injured sailors to California

At around 12:30 p.m. (Local) today, six U.S. Air Force Guardian Angel personnel from the 48th Rescue Squadron (RQS), and the two injured fishermen they were stabilizing, were hoisted off of a Venezuelan skiff more than 600 nautical miles off the Pacific coast of Mexico.

The two HH-60G Pavehawk helicopters from the 55th RQS and a HC-130J Combat King II from the 79th RQS flew for nine hours over the Pacific Ocean to recover the GA personnel and patients, and conducted four refueling operations on the roundtrip flight from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The pararescuemen provided lifesaving medical care to the patients and stabilized them for transport to the University of California, San Diego, Regional Burn Unit in California.
more...