Blackhawk Renowned

My brother was at the controls this afternoon as we entered downwind for the East/West runway as instructed by tower. To our surprise, a UH-60 Blackhawk crossed our path at the same altitude for a landing to the North. We altered course. It wasn't close but it would have been if we hadn't been scanning for traffic. The tower controller was new and let us know about the chopper after the fact. Always keep your head on a swivel in the pattern.

We tied down and headed over to the FBO for permission to approach the aircraft. Not only did I get the OK to snap some photos but Sergeant Niesen walked out with us to give a short guided tour which was much appreciated.

While the interior was not appointed like a Gulfstream, it was better than the UH-1 Huey brother-in-law Ted flew in Vietnam. The cockpit is complicated.

The men from the Wisconsin National Guard (147th Command Aviation Battalion, I think) were great. I told the colonel we enjoyed a close up view of his impressive machine at 1,600' MSL . He thanked us for not hitting it, which of course, we were happy to oblige. The guys even invited us to have a close look inside saying: "You paid for it". It would have been nice to take it for a spin but these soldiers needed to high tail it back to Madison after spending the day training.


My brother, (On right) is my twin and, as you can see, he's a great looking guy. (Sorry, never get tired of that line.)

Good men in the service of our country. I hope we run into them again.



On the ground.
PS: Sergeant Niesen motioned for me to run to the chopper as the tubines were winding up with everyone strapped inside to go. "What's the name of your blog" he shouted above the engine noise, rotors spinning . I scribbled the URL hastily on some scrap paper and he jammed it into his pocket. Thanks for showing us around Sergeant and e-mail me if you'd want the photos!