A new, realistic aviation accident site is just one of the many training courses keeping Fort Indiantown Gap busy as fall approaches.
Fort Indiantown Gap, the nation’s largest National Guard training center, recently dropped a 1978 model UH-60 Blackhawk from 125 feet in the area (courtesy of a CH-47 Chinook) to create a mock helicopter crash site that will be used to train soldiers on investigating the causes of an accident and the assembling of accident reports.
According to a release, Fort Indiantown Gap is one of four sites in the country able to provide such training.
The first training on the Blackhawk took place August 19 – 23 as part of an Army Aviation Accident Investigation Course held at Fort Indiantown Gap. The Blackhawk exercise was the final in a series of five intensive accident investigation courses held by the 23 participating National Guard Soldiers, drawn from 10 different states.
This week the Gap also announced its demolition training schedule for September. Fort Indiantown Gap is the only live-fire, maneuver military facility in Pennsylvania
Demolitions training will be conducted September 1 – 3 and September 4 – 6. These training events will take place between the hours of 8am to 11pm.
Update 9/11: The Gap announced that additional demolitions training is scheduled for September 18-19.
The Gap notes that the training schedule is subject to change based on the military training mission. Individuals may call a community information line at 717-861-2007 to hear a recorded message with dates and times of training events.