WE ARE
We are the company you want to call when aerial firefighting is needed. The Department of the Interior does. Oregon, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Colorado, and Wisconsin do. The Oregon Department of Forestry awarded Coastal Air Strike the state’s first-ever exclusive contract for Single Engine Scoopers (SES). The Department of Interior calls us nationwide, including provisions for use in Alaska. We work for Florida’s Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve through our National On-Call contract. From coast to coast, we are a preferred contractor for the critical aerial support needed by on-the-ground firefighters.
OUR VISION
To be recognized as a model of safety and professionalism within the aerial firefighting industry.
OUR MISSION
To safely, efficiently, and effectively provide critical aerial firefighting support to ground forces engaged in the fight against wildfires.
HISTORY
Where we started.
Firmly grounded in aviation, Coastal Air Strike Founder and President Michael Hutchins has logged over 21,100 hours in the air since his first season flying as an agricultural pilot for Roe, Arkansas-based Custom Air in 1996. Purchasing that business 10 years later, Hutchins expanded the service line to include aerial firefighting, earning his accreditation as an aerial firefighting pilot and investing in aircraft with firefighting capabilities.
The acquisition in 2020 of Fletcher Flying Service added aircraft and operating premises in Florida. Strategic leasing agreements increased the company’s fleet total, which now is twelve aircraft, evenly split between Single Engine Scoopers (SES) and Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs). To emphasize the company’s commitment to nationwide aerial firefighting, Hutchins rebranded the enterprise as Coastal Air Strike.