Posted: 3/9/2025 8:00:49 PM EDT
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This is from an article on MUST READ ALASKA, Suzanne Downing. "A rarely performed landing of a Black Hawk helicopter on a railcar was successfully executed during the Special Operation Forces Artic Medic 2025 exercise near Fairbanks. Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 211th General Support Aviation Battalion successfully landed a Sikorsky HH-60M Black Hawk on the platform of an Alaska Railroad railcar, while the flatbed car was stopped on a bridge over the Chena River on Feb. 20. The HH-60 black Hawk has an empty weight of about 14,470 pounds, with gross weight of 21,400 pounds. The two-wheel touchdown on a rail car had never before been attempted by an Alaska Army National Guard aviator. Southcentral pilot JD Miller and Juneau-based pilot David Berg Nailed the landing. Unlike traditional landing on runways or open spaces, this landing presented unique challengers, including the importance of exact approach calculations to ensure a stable hove while ground crews unloaded medical equipment and supplies from the helicopter." |