Saw an USAF MH-60 at Ft Drum NY yesterday, Tail # 26467 I didnt see any unit markings and didnt get a chance to talk to the crew but one of them had a shoulder patch that looked like an Alaska flag with a US flag superimposed on it. Anyone know if this bird could have come from alska or what unit it was? And what was it doin way the heck out there if it was?
Curiosity kills,
Mog
I’ll be damn! Hey Mog…you just saw my squadron commander and good buddy. They were ferrying one of our birds all the way down from Alaska to the East coast for Block 152/162 upgrades. My squadron is the 210th RQS and we’re an Alaska Air Guard unit. We’re kinda weird for an air guard unit in that we’re mostly full time AGR’s. It should have had “ALASKA AIR GUARD” across the lower edge of each rear door and “AK” on the vertical stab. 467 is a veteran of Afghanistan and both Iraq wars.
BTW, they’re all HH-60G’s in the USAF now, although there’s really not much difference between both the MH- and HH-. Just depended on who they were working for[;)] Now that AFSOC is taking over the CSAR mission from ACC they might go back to calling them MH’s again. But we’re a PACAF gained unit so… Doesn’t really matter. The H/MH-60G community in the USAF all do both CSAR and SOF support.
What a small world.
That bird was still here today. I saw it out on the ramp at a hover. Not sure if they had a prob or not. It was in hangar over at medevac on monday with an AGPU. Looked like one of the crew was checking blade angles. I got a decent look at it monday, but I dont remember any door markins or tail code. The tail code would have given it away for me, but I’ll take your word for it. The old painkillers might be affecting my memory. hehe. Anyway hope the get to where there going. I cant imagine them wanting to stay in a little garden spot we like to call “nothing in the middle of nowhere”
If I see it tommorow, Im going in there and tellin them you said I could get in and crawl around in there. [:D] Im serious. Sorta…
Mog
PS just force of habit, callin it an MH. Theres 4 kinds of hawks to us Army guys, Alphas, Limas, MH’s and DAPS. Anything else is abnormal [8] , and maybe even a flaw in the Sikorsky gene pool… [:D]
Don’t get me started Mog (heh heh). Yeah, the guys that originally took 467 down there are already back here at home station (in fact we have our PT test tomorrow). I’m thinking that it may be another crew trying to bring her back or even FCF’ing the bird. I’ll ask around tomorrow and find out who’s down there crewing her in your “garden spot”. If you’re not seeing the AK on the tail or Alaska Air Guard on the doors, she may have gotten a fresh coat of paint and they have yet to put our unit markings on her. Was she grey or is she still Euro I?
PS just a warning…I’m not sure how much weight mentioning my name will get ya but go ahead and give it a shot. If you simply tell them you’re a model helo buff, I’m sure that’s all you’ll need. But then again, I’m not sure who’s crewing her.[;)] You know how some sticks can be. Offer to show them a -60Q.
Shes in all grey now. I talked about how they keep the oil off of it. A new paint job would explain it.I knew I would surely have noticed a tail code or the keyword “Alaska” painted on the door. And it just so happens that there is a Q parked over there, and they may have already checked it out. Besides, unless you get inside, it really just looks like another medevac alpha. (except for the flir duckbill)
Speaking of UH-60Q’s I’d really like to see Cobra Co. do a 1/35 or even 148 UH-60Q conversion. Hell, I’m still going to try and have them do some skis like those on all Alaskan birds (UH-60, HH-60G, CH-47D).
A few of the AK ARNG -60 Lima’s have the FLIR duckbill and external hoist. They’re calling them rescue hawks, but are still having a rough time getting everything ironed out for the hoist employment. I think someone over at NGB is the hold up. Never-the-less, they’ve been using it operationally up here for real world SAR and since they’re the only Helo asset in Western Alaska, it’s a good thing.