Working on garage doors as you can imagine puts you in some interesting places, you never know where you may end up. Last week Brian one of our technicians asked me if I would like to take a ride in a Blackhawk helicopter. I said of course no way I could turn down that opportunity. Sergeant Brian is a member of the National Guard. Every so often the ESRG has a function for employers to have a day with the National Guard and they get to ride in one of the aircraft. I guess to help give the employer a better understanding of what the employee does when he is away on duty. The ESRG is the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve a group established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve component members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee’s military commitment.
The NC National Guard is located in Morrisville North Carolina near the airport off Aviation Drive. They have thousands of active duty and part time employees. This location currently has 24 Apaches and several other aircraft. It is a large training area for Apache Pilots and you will often see them flying around the Raleigh Durham area day and night.
The day began with a short briefing on how the flight would go. A quick run down on the seat belt harness and away we went. I was surprised to find out we would fly with the side doors open and it really made for an incredible experience!
We left the RDU airport and flew around Downtown Raleigh, over to the Fairgrounds and NC Sate then back to the airport. It was about a twenty minute ride from start to finish and made for a great day!
My view and a perspective of my seating with the door open!
Here are some pictures of an Apache what an incredible machine!
Really can’t thank Brian and the National Guard enough. It was a once in a lifetime experience!