A UH-1N Huey assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron at JB Andrews, Md., made a precautionary landing on a field next to William Ramsay Elementary School in Alexandria, Va., just before 11 a.m. Thursday. The aircraft landed safely and all seven personnel on board were uninjured. “Following the illumination of a transmission warning light, standard operations and training call for rotary wing crews to ‘land now and investigate later,’ in response to situations that may prove to be serious,” said Lt. Col. Scott Yeatman, 811th Operations Group deputy commander, in an April 30 release. “This crew’s timely and appropriate response assured no damage to aircraft, personnel, or property.” According to Alexandria Schools Twitter page, a physical education class went out to look at the aircraft and got a “spontaneous lesson” from the crew. Air Force maintenance crews arrived on scene to assess the situation and the helicopter was back in the air just after 2 p.m., according to the Alexandria Police Department’s Twitter page. The 1st Helicopter Squadron is tasked with providing airlift to White House, cabinet, congressional, and Defense Department leadership following a national security incident.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.