Photo By Michael Strasser | More than 60 Fort Drum community members were treated to a bird’s eye view of the...... read more read more
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Aug. 21, 2018) -- More than 60 Fort Drum community members were treated to a bird’s eye view of the North Country on Aug. 20 when a Goodyear blimp arrived at Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield for a special visit.
The Wingfoot One airship took groups of seven approximately 1,500 feet high and on a 30-minute cruise over Fort Drum. Pvt. Paola Medinabarabosa, with 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, said that the movement of the blimp made it seem as if she was riding on waves.
“It was so beautiful, you could see all of Fort Drum from up there and even beyond that,” she said, “It was really fun to be a part of – I took lots of pictures.”
Medinabarabosa, a supply specialist, would normally be busy with audits and inventories or conducting field training with her unit on a Monday morning. This was an opportunity presented to her by her chain of command, and she said that she was excited to be chosen.
“I love my job, but when are you ever going to have a chance to see something as beautiful as that,” she said. “I can’t wait to go back and talk to my sergeant and everyone about this.”
Ed Ogden, Goodyear airship spokesperson and historian, said that flights are generally not open to the public because of the limited seating and the time it would take to accommodate multiple trips. He could not recall a previous visit to an Army installation in his 41-year career, but said that a blimp had regularly visited Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corps base in southern California.
“We’re thrilled to be here,” Ogden said. “We do a lot of work with our customers, but being here is special. These men and women are serving our country, and probably don’t have a lot of opportunities to do something like this. What better way for us to say thank you than to bring this to them.”
The Wingfoot One airship was at Watertown Airport a day earlier for viewing by the general public, but Goodyear pilots and personnel arranged for group flights at Fort Drum to honor the troops. A Goodyear Auto Service center opened on post in March, across from the Outdoor Recreation center on Iraqi Freedom Drive.
| Date Taken: | 08.21.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.21.2018 13:36 |
| Story ID: | 289660 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 332 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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