Black Hawk aircraft coming to Worthington

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WORTHINGTON — Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane!

No, it’s a Black Hawk.

Pilot Bob Vetcher, a member of the Minnesota National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, will land a Black Hawk helicopter at the Worthington Municipal Airport on Tuesday afternoon, where it will sit for an hour or so.

The public is invited to come check out the helicopter, which will be in town in honor of National Night Out, a statewide event to pay homage to Neighborhood Watch groups.

Everyone is invited to come watch the Black Hawk land around 2:30 p.m. and take off approximately an hour later. In between, anyone can get a close-up look.

According to Wikipedia, the Black Hawk series of aircraft can perform a wide array of missions, including the tactical transport of troops, electronic warfare, and aeromedical evacuation. One version is used to transport important government officials, with the helicopter’s call sign of “Marine One” when transporting the President of the United States.

In air assault operations it can move a squad of 11 combat troops with equipment or reposition the 105 mm M102 howitzer with thirty rounds of 105 mm ammunition, and a four-man crew in a single lift. Alternatively, it can carry 2,600 lb (1,170 kg) of cargo or sling load 9,000 lb (4,050 kg) of cargo. The Black Hawk is equipped with advanced avionics and electronics for increased survivability and capability, such as the Global Positioning System.

Tags: news, worthington, airport, black, hawk