Watch a livestream of the military parade in celebration of the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary on WTOP, Saturday, June 14.
On Thursday, the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division offered a sneak peek at what you’ll see when you look up on Saturday night.
Standing steps away from a massive double-rotor helicopter, the CH-47 Chinook, Master Sgt. Will Reinier, who heads up public affairs for the Army, said the 82nd Airborne Division will have 40 aircraft in all to take part in a fly over that will come during the parade. He said prepping for this is no easy task.
“Anytime you have a big formation like this, it takes a lot of people working together and just making sure that everyone knows what their job is and understanding how they fit into the overall operations,” he said.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Sugg will be at the helm of one of eight Chinook helicopters now parked at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland which will participate in the flyover. He said this helicopter is a strong lifter and is capable of carrying up to 50,000 pounds at takeoff.
But, according to Sugg, its bulk doesn’t get in the way of its maneuverability.
“We’re a big flying bus, but we maneuver more like a Lamborghini,” Sugg said.
Those along the parade route will be able to look up and also see 16 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, one of which will be piloted by Capt. Colton Curry, who said this much smaller helicopter is all about offering support for ground troops from above.
“It’s kind of like flying a sports car — very high performance, very stable, very capable aircraft,” Curry said. “It always looks good from every angle.”
Of course, this “sports car” has many weapons on board, including Hellfire missiles.
On Saturday night, there will be 16 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters flying in formation. The helicopters are not only the go-to for transporting troops but also can be used for evacuating those who are wounded from war zones.
“We can fly for about two and a half hours, and we can land to almost any landing zone out there,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Caleb Lindsay who will be in the cockpit of one of the Blackhawks.
Special moment for the crews taking part
For the aviators, which are based out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina, being selected for this mission is a special one for them, because only few were selected.
“I’m thrilled to be here,” Curry said.
What makes this mission even more thrilling for the crews is not every soldier gets the chance to follow a flight path over Washington’s monuments and important buildings.
“This is a very controlled airspace, and it’s awesome to be to fly over these historic locations and be a part of this big event,” Lindsay said.
For Sugg, he began to tear up as he talked about being chosen to represent the Army on its 250th anniversary. He said as he flies over D.C., he will think of his grandfather who served in World War II and his stepfather who served in the Air Force.
“Out of all the people we have across the services and all the people we have in the Army who could be here standing in my position, I got picked to do this, and I’m extremely excited,” Sugg said.
The crews that will be on the helicopters are not the only ones working to make sure the parade is a success; Sgt. Jennifer Zimmitti is among those who make sure the Apache helicopters are ready to fly.
“I think it’s a great once in a lifetime opportunity. Who gets to say they got to participate in the 250th Army birthday?” Zimmitti said.
Lot of preparation for this fly over
Curry, Sugg and Lindsay all admit this is the most aircraft they have flown at the same time.
“We’ve done a lot of preemptive training back at Fort Bragg, doing a lot of formation flights. Really the biggest thing here, outside of our normal training and practice, is the amount of aircraft that we’re bringing in. But we’re continuously training for multi-ship flights, hitting this time on targets,” Sugg said.
For many of the formations, he said you’ll see groups of helicopters with only a 30-second space between them.
Curry said the work to prepare continues, including up to showtime, because the weather could always throw a curve ball, since avoiding clouds and clear visibility are priorities.
“We want to make sure that in putting on a good show and representing the 82nd (Airborne Division) that we are safe at the same time,” Curry said.
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