Black Hawk Helicopters In Action Over Capital Region This Week

If you look up in the sky today in the Capital Region you may see a rare sight. Black hawk helicopters will be hovering over the area for a very important reason.

Why Will We See Black Hawk Helicopters In The Skies?

The New York Army National Guard's black hawk helicopter crews are gearing up for some wildfire training drills. You may see them swooping along the Mohawk River. They will be training primarily between the Twin Bridges and the area of Route 9. The training will start today (Monday, April 15th) at noon and run until 4 pm.

They plan to continue these wildfire drills through Thursday if needed.

What Can We Expect To See?

The black hawk helicopter crews will be dropping enormous orange collapsible buckets into the Mohawk River. They will scoop up water from the river to mimic the real deal of battling wildfires.

Rangers from the Department of Environmental Conservation Forest will be conducting this training along with the New York Army National Guard. They are pros at guiding the Army National Guard helicopter crews straight to the center of the fires.

This Isn't The First Time These Brave Rescuers Were Put To Work

Back in August 2022, they came to the rescue during a fire at Minnewaska State Park Reserve near Ellenville. It was a team effort with two hundred firefighters, some even coming from Quebec, Canada. The fire, sparked by lightning on Aug. 26, eventually spread across two hundred seventy acres of land.

If you catch a glimpse of those helicopters hovering and training over the Capital Region, just know they're gearing up to keep us safe. Practicing today to protect us tomorrow.