Monday, June 01, 2009

Black Hawk Visits Ashford School


by Carol Moran

On Monday, May 18th all students in Ashford School assembled outside to see a Black Hawk helicopter make a visit. Bob Mullady, Staff Sergeant from the CT National Guard, arranged to have “his” helicopter make the trip. He is responsible for maintenance and inspection of this particular UH-60 Blackhawk.

The helicopter arrived at 13:00 as scheduled and all students watched from a nearby blacktop. It passed over the cheering group, circled the school, and landed in the adjacent soccer field. Once the helicopter check was complete, students could approach and pass through the cabin. Many students also had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit.

Students in grades 1-4 had learned about the Blackhawk in enrichment class the week prior. Students learned about parts and their functions, the Blackhawk’s many purposes, identified forces of lift, gravity, thrust and drag, and developed questions for the pilots. The visit was also a complement to eighth grade students’ science unit on flight. These students stayed later with science teacher Annie Perkins to get a special lesson and ask questions of the pilots.