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Wednesday, March 7, 2018
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VOLUME 132 - NUMBER 9
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Brookfield Central School Girls Basketball Team at Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome on Thursday, March 1st
M A I L I N G
L A (l to r) Lily Vleer- Elliott (team manager), Grace Reilly (team manager), Samantha Jaeger, Courtney Townsend, Emmalyn Smith (team captain), Gwendolyn Kane, Jaelyn Vleer-Elliott, Lydia Walker, Karissa Dealing, Marissa Kupris, Madilyn Kupris, Jenna Bugbee, Chalee Wratten (team captain), Hailey Jordan. Getting ready to play in the Class D sectional championship game. This Brookfield CSD team was Seeded #1, with a 20-0 season! Brookfield is the smallest Section III school that plays girls basketball. More pictures page -12-.
BIG “Bird” Sightings on Saturday, March 3rd Whirling rotors were heard in the Richfield Springs area skies from helicopters flying north around 430 PM on Saturday, March 3. Pictures posted on Facebook by Fly Creek and Hartwick residents provided the explanation. The four helicopters were coming from exercises in Cooperstown and returning to Utica. The New York Army National Guard UH-60 helicopters arrived on the Clark Foundation estate across from the Clark Sports Center at 315 PM to conduct training in entering and exiting the aircraft with Uticabased US Army Reserve Soldiers. A public invitation to observe the training was announced March 2 commencing at 5 PM. Due to forecasted low-cloud cover,
By Tammy Graves
a last-minute schedule change to 315 PM, likely resulted in a less robust crowd than the realized 50 spectators. It took 28 minutes for the helicopters, assigned to the Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion 142nd Aviation, to fly from their base at Albany International Airport. Major Dan Crowell, a former Otsego County treasurer, was an organizer of the day’s maneuvers. While three “birds” were used by 45 soldiers in the US Army Reserve to do their “cold loading” training overseen by the helicopter’s air crew, one UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter was open to everyone for exploring! “We got to go in a Blackhawk helicopter,” says nine-year-old Alex Pernat of Fly Creek, "This might be the best experience of my life!" The helicopter was built in 1986, held 11 soldiers and requires two people to fly. The Army reserves get the retired, older models. It weights 22,000 pounds without people and equipment. “All ages were mesmerized by it. It had been in battle and all over the world,” says Cody Moore of Hartwick who was there with her husband and two sons. ”We saw
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the four choppers come up the INSIDE valley – right along the road – THIS and the soldiers unloaded. Kids EDITION and adults asked questions and climbed around the ‘bird’ as Obituaries Pg. 5 they called it.” Moore is grateful they saw New Advertiser the notice of the time change Pg. 3 as her four-year-old son Jase is Local Author New a real helicopter fan. “We have Book Pg. 6 to stop and wave to any heliIRS Scam Pg. 7 copter we see,” says Moore. “And my son Derek who is 14 Meet the Candidates Pg. 8 said ‘I’m so glad I came.’” Brookfield Girls The hour-long experience Basketball Pg. 12 ended with the aircrafts’ dramatic exit. “When they left at 4:15, we were on other side of the road for the take-off,” says Moore. “It was incredible to feel the wind, and see how fast they go from sitting to elevating straight up. The wind pressure at take-off would have made my eyes close if I hadn’t been using the phone to take a video. You had to brace your legs to stay standing.” The soldiers training were members of the United States Army Reserve's Charlie Company, 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion based in Utica..
Above l-r: Kyle, Jase and Derek Moore of Hartwick inside one of the 11-passenger, 1986 Blackhawk helicopter that weighs 22,000 pounds & has been in battle and all over the world. Three other helicopters were being used for entry/exit exercises across from the Clark Sports Center. Right: Snow cloud amidst the 1986 Blackhawk helicopter that was part of a four-aircraft fleet from Albany. The fleet landed in Cooperstown to execute Four NY Army National Guard UH-60 (Blackhawk) helicopters flying over Canadarago entry/exit maneuvers. Lake with Utica-based US Army reserve soldiers on board. The aircraft were coming Photos by Cody Moore from a training exercise conducted in Cooperstown. Photo by Brogan Graves