NEWS | US New York National Guard US Army Aviation

New York NG Chinooks in Parachute Competition

Two New York Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopters are in Rhode Island this weekend supporting the oldest and largest international military parachute competition in the world.





  • Two New York Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopters are in Rhode Island this weekend supporting the oldest and largest international military parachute competition in the world.

    Two New York Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopters are in Rhode Island this weekend supporting the oldest and largest international military parachute competition in the world.

  • Rochester National Guard helicopters head to Rhode Island for international parachute competition: Leapfest competition support improves pilot, crew training proficiency

US Army, July 31, 2015 - ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Two New York Army National Guard CH-47 helicopters from Rochester are in Rhode Island this weekend supporting the oldest and largest international military parachute competition in the world.

Eleven Soldiers from Detachment 1, Company B, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation, left this morning for Quonset Air National Guard Base in North Kingston, Rhode Island, to drop the competitor parachutists.

The two CH-47F Chinook helicopters took roughly three hours to fly to Rhode Island and then certify to support the static line parachutists. The New York Army National Guard aircrews will spend Saturday making turns dropping the paratroopers alongside two other aircraft from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard over the competition drop zone.

The support to the Leapfest competition builds crew proficiency and helps the unit train on one of the required tasks for pilots and crews, explained Chief Warrant Officer 5 Michael Zanghi, of Rochester, New York.

"We'll spend about four to six hours on Saturday putting jumpers out," Zanghi said. "We'll take on six teams of four jumpers each, and try to position ourselves so that each jump is from the same spot each time."

The newly-fielded CH-47F will assist the crews in that drop zone positioning with its upgraded navigation system, Zanghi said, explaining that consistency in placing the aircraft in the right spot for a drop is important for all the jump teams.

Leapfest is sponsored by the Rhode Island National Guard. The competitive aspect of the exercise builds camaraderie and esprit de corps among the U.S. and international community.

Competing teams in 2015 are from all over the world, including Canada, Germany, Italy, Britain, South Africa and others.

Teams consist of four jumpers and one alternate. The competition is for the jumpers to land as close to a big orange X in the middle of the drop zone. Judges time them from when they leave the aircraft to when they reach the X. Winners are based on the fastest individual time and the team with the best time combined.

The Rochester aircrews from the New York Army National Guard have support Leapfest as a way to improve their crew training and static line jump proficiency for the past six years.


  See also


US New York National Guard US Army Aviation
US Rhode Island National Guard US Army Aviation
CH-47F Chinook in US US Army Aviation




Win Air

HeliTSA

Viewpoint

entrol


az








Helicopters for sale
Accidents
Acronyms
Airshows
Future helicopters
Flying a helicopter
Helicopter stories
TV and movies

Helicopter books
Helicopter patches
Helicopter model kits


Win Air

HeliTSA

Viewpoint

entrol


az