Colorado National Guard to conduct Memorial Day helicopter flyover
BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (KRDO) -- This Memorial Day, the Colorado National Guard will honor the fallen with a helicopter flyover across the state, including a stop in Colorado Springs.
The flyover is expected to start at 9 a.m. and continue through 1 p.m., according to a release Sunday on the Guard's website.
“We are really excited that U.S. Army leadership has allowed us to focus some of our training hours to thank our veterans and the healthcare workers and first responders caring for them during these difficult times,” State Army Aviation Officer U.S. Army Col. William Gentle said in the release. “This Memorial Day is unique but no less important than any other in our nation’s history. We must never forget those who have sacrificed so much to keep this great nation free.”
The choppers will be keeping to an approximate schedule along three routes:
Route 1
08:30 am - Buckley AFB
08:45 am - Centennial Airport, Centennial
10:00 am - J.S Parker Cemetery, Parker
10:10 am - Highlands Ranch
10:15am - Ft Logan National Cemetery, Englewood
10:20am - Arvada
10:15am - Thornton
10:35am - Denver
10:45am - Centennial Airport
Route 2
10:55am - Centennial Airport
11:30am - Colorado Springs
12:00pm - Buckley AFB
Route 3
09:00am – HAATS
09:25am – Rifle
09:50am – Grand Junction
10:15am – Montrose/ Fuel
11:30am – Depart Montrose
12:00pm – Silverton
12:25pm – Gunnision
01:00pm – HAATS
Participating units include the 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 135th Regiment, Colorado Army National Guard, Buckley Air Force Base, Aurora, Colorado, and the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, Gypsum, Colorado.
The 2-135th GSAB is planning to launch one CH-47 Chinook, two UH-60 Black Hawks, and one LUH-72 Lakota from BAFB, said the release. HAATS is planning to launch two UH-60s.
