Our second graders recently went on a field trip to the Army Aviation Support Facility in Bangor. When they arrived they were met by Major Marcigliano and Sergeant First Class LeClair who showed them around the facility. They got to tour and climb inside UH-60 BlackHawks. Our students learned the difference between Air Assault and Medevac platforms. The first being an air assault aircraft is primarily used for passenger movements on and off the battlefield. This aircraft can hold 10 passengers with their gear as well as 4 aircrew members. The second aircraft is used for helping those who are injured, which is called a medevac helicopter and has a big red cross on the side. The medevac platform is set up very similar to that of an ambulance, and can carry a total of 4 patients, the helicopter is equipped with an external rescue hoist. The hoist gives the crew the ability to recover injured personnel that are not reachable by ground. With the external hoist, a flight paramedic can be lowered from altitudes up to 300ft by the crew chief to recover an injured person. Both UH-60s have a very different purpose within our state and are frequently called upon to assist state and local agencies with search and rescue efforts. One of our second graders said her favorite part of the field trip was getting to sit in the pilot seat of one of the aircrafts. Another second grader said he enjoyed watching all of the demonstrations!
