San Diego’s high-powered firefighting helicopter, Copter 3, made an out-of-county run to Newport Beach last Monday to help search for 47-year-old Wesley Alan MacFarland, the son of retired San Diego fire chief Charles MacFarland. The Sikorsky S-70i FireHawk left San Diego as the department operates under a tight budget that has already trimmed air operations and staff this year. The chopper ultimately returned to Carlsbad that evening after MacFarland was located safe.
Search and outcome
The call came in after crews were alerted to a missing swimmer near Newport Harbor, prompting a multi-agency response that included the U.S. Coast Guard, Newport Beach Fire and other partners. The search effort wrapped up once MacFarland was found at his apartment later that evening, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. The outlet reported that crews were notified around 7:45 a.m., and noted that officials did not immediately release additional details about the circumstances of his disappearance.
Costs and staffing
City officials acknowledge the FireHawk is costly to fly, generally more than $11,000 an hour to operate, and they estimated the bill for the Newport Beach deployment at roughly $28,800, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. The department’s adopted 2026 budget eliminated dedicated staffing for the bomb squad and cut positions including a fire academy instructor, a recruitment and retention officer and a fire information officer. Union leaders say those reductions have scaled back air operations and pushed more work onto remaining members.
Officials defend the deployment
Deputy Fire Chief Dan Eddy said the decision to send Copter 3 did not leave San Diego exposed. “The deployment was managed while maintaining appropriate emergency coverage in San Diego,” he told The San Diego Union-Tribune, adding that the helicopter flew in support of the Coast Guard, Newport Beach Fire and other partner agencies. According to the paper, flight records show the aircraft departed Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport and later returned to McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad at about 7:40 p.m., with the crew and support team spending more than two hours in the air.
