PelicanDriver?

What's a PelicanDriver? In U.S. military aviation parlance, a pilot is often referred to as a ____driver, as in "F-4 Driver" or "C-130 Driver." At a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station not terribly far away, at a time so long ago as to almost seem like another lifetime, I flew the USCG HH-3F helicopter. The HH-3F was designated the "Pelican" by the Coast Guard. Hence the nom de guerre PelicanDriver.

I flew the H-3 out of Coast Guard Air Station San Diego. As my tour and active duty commitments both were coming to an end, the Coast Guard was realigning its aviation assets. The H-3s were moved to Air Station San Francisco. My last flight as a Coast Guard Aviator was spent ferrying an H-3 to AirSta S.F., which concluded by flying under the Golden Gate bridge.

Here's one of my Pelicans.


This one I'm flying at the time.