U.S. Army proposes helicopter training on Whiteface Mountain

http://www.pressrepublican.com/homepage/local_story_090000555.html


"WILMINGTON — The U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division has proposed temporary high-altitude helicopter training in April and May on top of Whiteface Mountain.

The deadline for public comment on the plan is Thursday.

Exercises would allow up to 22 total missions per week using four types of helicopters: the AH-64 Apache, the UH-60 Blackhawk, the CH-47 Chinook cargo and the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior."

BlackSpruce said:

http://www.pressrepublican.com/homepage/local_story_090000555.html


"WILMINGTON — The U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division has proposed temporary high-altitude helicopter training in April and May on top of Whiteface Mountain.

The deadline for public comment on the plan is Thursday.

Exercises would allow up to 22 total missions per week using four types of helicopters: the AH-64 Apache, the UH-60 Blackhawk, the CH-47 Chinook cargo and the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior."

Click to expand...

It does not seem to state if the summit will be closed to hikers...

I sent an email inquiring about this. Will post back if I get a response.

"It does not seem to state if the summit will be closed to hikers..."

Since the road is closed at that time of year, it's quite possible that hikers traffic was overlooked!

If the training is restricted to certain weekdays, there should be little conflict with hikers who want to go up there. We'll see.

..or perhaps that actually want hikers to be cannon fodder for the AH-64 Apaches...

Jay

BlackSpruce said:

http://www.pressrepublican.com/homepage/local_story_090000555.html


"WILMINGTON — The U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division has proposed temporary high-altitude helicopter training in April and May on top of Whiteface Mountain.

The deadline for public comment on the plan is Thursday.

Exercises would allow up to 22 total missions per week using four types of helicopters: the AH-64 Apache, the UH-60 Blackhawk, the CH-47 Chinook cargo and the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior."

Click to expand...

I hope they know the peak won't count.

"I hope they know the peak won't count. "

Rik, YOU tell them!

BlackSpruce said:

http://www.pressrepublican.com/homepage/local_story_090000555.html


"WILMINGTON — The U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division has proposed temporary high-altitude helicopter training in April and May on top of Whiteface Mountain.

The deadline for public comment on the plan is Thursday.

Exercises would allow up to 22 total missions per week using four types of helicopters: the AH-64 Apache, the UH-60 Blackhawk, the CH-47 Chinook cargo and the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior."

Click to expand...

Sigh. There goes my wilderness experience.

What about Bicknell's Thrush?

What about Bicknell's Thrush?

It did cross my mind that this is an April Fool Day article published by mistake March 31st!

BlackSpruce said:

What about Bicknell's Thrush?

It did cross my mind that this is an April Fool Day article published by mistake March 31st!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reminder; I usually get caught by something each April 1st...

Looks like they thought about the songbirds.

No long-term impacts
The final assessment said no long-term impacts were indicated.

"Neither the proposed action nor its alternatives would have significant adverse effects on the biological resources at Whiteface Mountain. The impact to these resources are minimized through conducting the missions from April to mid-May, when there is likely to still be snow and ice on the three landing sites identified and before the Bicknell's thrush arrive from their winter breeding areas to the Adirondacks," the Army proposal says.

Click to expand...

ALGonquin Bob said:

Thanks for the reminder; I usually get caught by something each April 1st...

Click to expand...

If it's a day early, that's an April Fool's Foul!

Yes, only 22 landing per week!

would rescues be free while this is going on?

They promised that they wouldn't use any live ammo...

As a retired Army NCO and one time member of the 10th Mountain Division (Fort Drum, NY) AND an avid hiker who has hiked in the Daks, I could easily see both sides of this issue. It's probably best that I leave it at that.

Just a view maybe from the other side of the coin. As an ex-cavalry Sergeant in the infantry and having done air-mobile operations I am surprised at what appears to be the lack of support for such an operation by the public here as a whole. Air-mobile operations are some of the most dangerous operations that combat operators can undertake especially at high altitude. Considering that these operations are to support air-mobile operations that I am certain are to eventually be undertaken in Afghanistan, I see this as a very small sacrifice to be made to try to improve the safety of difficult heli-borne operations at high altitudes.

Personally I have no issues with it and based upon the aircraft listed these are full blown air-mobile assault operations with air support probably to train new soldiers in operations in air assault and/or to keep these operators fresh in these types of operations. Pilots as well as the soldiers that are offloaded and extracted from those landing zones are trained in these types of operations.

Just my $.02
Keith

WhiteMTHike said:

As a retired Army NCO and one time member of the 10th Mountain Division (Fort Drum, NY) AND an avid hiker who has hiked in the Daks, I could easily see both sides of this issue. It's probably best that I leave it at that.

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What issue? All I see are light-hearted comments about the exercises, and not a word against it.

Closing the summit

Tom Rankin said:

It does not seem to state if the summit will be closed to hikers...

I sent an email inquiring about this. Will post back if I get a response.

Click to expand...

Well if they are landing and taking off, I suspect they might (should) close the summit. I have assisted in a few helicopter evacuations of injured hikers from Mt. Monadnock. These evacuations were flown by the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team working in coordination with the Park Rangers, the odd volunteer (definitely odd!) and sometimes NH Fish & Game and the Jaffrey Fire Department.

Based on these experiences I have the feeling that many hikers don't understand how dangerous these maneuvers are and the consequent need to maintain a safe perimeter. On one occasion that I wrote about in a previous trip report: Hordes and Helicopters on Mt. Monadnock we practically had to threaten people to stop them from walking through the landing zone as the landing was taking place.

- Monadnock Volunteer (aka Steve)

I think it's also important to remember that the summit of Whiteface isn't exactly wilderness... not only is there a road, parking lot, "castle," and summit observatory, it's zoned for "intensive use." It's one of two high peaks in the Adirondacks that are not within wilderness areas.