Outer Banks and Inner Banks Coast Guard personnel, as well as Coast Guard recruits from all over the nation, are very much familiar with the Coast Guard Air Station (CGAS) in Elizabeth City. This flagship station has been instrumental in leading the region in search and rescues missions, and is easily one of the largest and busiest Coast Guard air stations in the United States, embarking on East Coast airborne operations as far away as the Caribbean, the Azores, and Greenland. Serving dual purposes as a military base that assists with search and rescue, Maritime Law enforcement, and International Ice Patrol, as well as an institute where Aviation pros earn their wings, the station is a proud hallmark of the United Sates Coast Guard, and a distinctive point of pride for Elizabeth City and Albemarle region residents.
