The Coast Guard Aviation Association, formerly known as the Ancient Order of the

Pterodactyl Pterosaurs (; from Greek ''pteron'' and ''sauros'', meaning "wing lizard") is an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order, Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 to 6 ...

(AOP) is a fraternal association founded in 1977. The organization has the purpose of focusing on

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...

history. On 5 May 2007, the organization was renamed the Coast Guard Aviation Association. Membership is for former and present

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

and

enlisted personnel An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States mi ...

of the United States Coast Guard, and designated pilots of other military services and foreign governments who have piloted Coast Guard aircraft while involved in exchange programs between the Coast Guard and their respective service or government. Its goals include furthering and preserving the history of Coast Guard

and maintaining camaraderie between past and present Coast Guardsmen. The Coast Guard Aviation Association is headquartered in

Chantilly, Virginia Chantilly is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Fairfax County, Virginia, Fairfax County, Virginia. The population was 24,301 as of the 2020 census. Chantilly is named after an early-19th-century mansion and farm, which in turn took the ...

Activities

The Order hosts an annual gathering known as the "Roost". A Roost is normally anchored by a Coast Guard Air Station. List of past Roost locations: * 1977 Long Beach, CA * 1978 San Francisco, CA * 1979 San Francisco, CA * 1980 Mobile, AL * 1981 Elizabeth City, NC * 1982 Traverse City, MI * 1983 San Diego, CA * 1984 Mobile, AL * 1985 Washington, D.C. * 1986 Corpus Christi, TX * 1987 Port Angeles, WA * 1988 New Orleans, LA * 1989 Elizabeth City, NC * 1990 Oshkosh, WI * 1991 Pensacola, FL * 1992 Astoria, OR * 1993 Clearwater, FL * 1994 Traverse City, MI * 1995 San Diego, CA * 1996 Cape Cod, MA * 1997 NAS Pensacola, FL * 1998 Colorado Springs, CO * 1999 Atlantic City, NJ * 2000 Seattle, WA (Boeing Air Museum) * 2001 Miami, FL * 2002 Mobile, AL * 2003 Elizabeth City, NC * 2004 Sacramento, CA * 2005 Savannah, GA * 2006 Traverse City, MI * 2007 Washington, DC * 2008 Astoria, OR * 2009 Elizabeth City, NC * 2010 Jacksonville, FL * 2011 Mobile, AL * 2012 Sacramento, CA * 2013 Washington, DC * 2014 Cape Cod, MA * 2015 San Diego, CA * 2016 Mobile, AL * 2017 Atlantic City, NJ * 2018 Traverse City, MI

References

External links

* 1977 establishments in Virginia United States Coast Guard Aviation Service organizations based in the United States History of the United States Coast Guard Non-profit organizations based in Chantilly, Virginia United States military associations {{USCG-stub