The easiest way to set up a patrol is by using waypoints. Give the patrolling units a series of Move waypoints that mark the path you'd like them to follow, with the last waypoint being a Cycle waypoint placed almost on top of the first waypoint.
To get a squad into a chopper, again you can use waypoints. Give the chopper a Load waypoint. Give the squad a Get In waypoint located almost on top of the chopper's Load waypoint. Synchronize the two waypoints so that the chopper waits for the units. Of course, there are various tricks to get this process to work better, but that's the basic answer.