Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco is a United States Coast Guard Air Station located 13 miles south of downtown San Francisco , California at the San Francisco International Airport in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County . The air station sits adjacent to the airport which consists of its own ramp , one hangar an administration building and several other support structures . Operations and missions . Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco ( CGAS ) located at the San Francisco International Airport is one of five air stations in the Eleventh Coast Guard District . Currently , Air Station San Francisco operates four MH65 Dolphin helicopters that provides its primary mission search and rescue . CGAS San Francisco also supports a wide range of other Coast Guard operations such as Maritime Law enforcement , port security , Aids to Navigation support and Marine Environmental Protection to approximately 300 miles of coastline from Point Conception to Fort Bragg 24 hours a day , 7 days a week , 365 days a year . History . Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco was completed on February 15 , 1941 , making it one of the longest tenured tenants at SFO . The air station operated a PBY - 5 Catalina and two RD - 4 Dolphins . On November 1 , 1941 the aircraft and personnel were placed under Navy command where they continued to conduct Search and Rescue and Coastal Patrols through the end of World War II . Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco was also tasked with aiding in the construction of the highly classified and secret Long Range Navigation ( LORAN ) stations in the North Pacific in 1943 . Proving an invaluable asset in this important mission , the San Francisco based PBY - 5 Catalina was instrumental in the completion of the Aleutian LORAN chain by transporting personnel , supplies and building materials . After World War II , the Air Station resumed normal operations under Coast Guard control after release from the Navy on June 30 , 1946 . The first helicopter stationed here in San Francisco was the HO3S - 1 Dragonfly in 1947 . In the early fifties the Grumman HU - 16E Albatross replaced the air stations aging WWII fixed wing inventory . This general purpose amphibian , affectionately known as the " Goat " , proved to be a highly adaptable platform for SAR and LE . Eventually , the Air Station received the HH - 52A Sea Guard helicopter in 1963 which was a significant improvement over its predecessor with its improved flight characteristics and capabilities . Also stationed at San Francisco were the C - 130s which when they were moved to the newly constructed Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento in 1978 , ended 37 years of Coast Guard fixed wing aviation in San Francisco . In 1991 , Air Station San Francisco received its first HH - 60 J - Hawk to replace the H - 3 Pelican as the medium range Search and Rescue Helicopter . Restructuring in Coast Guard Aviation lead to a short stay of the HH - 60 in San Francisco and in June 1996 , four HH - 65s were moved to San Francisco from San Diego . In the fall of 2001 , the Air Station transitioned to the HH - 65B , an upgrade in the avionics package . In the spring of 2006 , the HH65B was upgraded to the HH65C after the installation of Turbomeca Arriel 2C2 - CG engines . While the airframes have evolved , the primary mission of Air Station San Francisco has remained unchanged for six decades , maritime Search and Rescue along 300 miles of coastline from Point Conception to Fort Bragg . In addition to SAR , Air Station San Francisco has expanded its missions to include Homeland Security , Maritime Law Enforcement , Environmental Protection , Aids to Navigation , Logistics , and Cliff Rescue . See also . Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay