Fact: Blackhawks are silly. I know plenty of my rotor brethren will try to argue, but if we’re all being honest, everyone knows it’s true. They’re like the little brother that always wants to tag along and always thinks they know more than the big boys. You have to let them come along, but you really don’t need them and they usually just end up getting in the way. And seriously, the ‘Blackhawks-can-get-into-smaller-LZs-than-Chinooks’ argument is just dumb. The amount of times we’ve needed to use an LZ that’s just big enough for a Blackhawk and just a little bit too small for a Chinook is exactly zero. With that said, there’s one thing a Blackhawk does better than a Chinook, and that’s MEDEVAC. I know, the 7-days straight of ‘resting-in-place’ at PTA collecting a ton of PerDiem must suck, but someone has to do it, right?! The amount of time it takes a Chinook to start up and take off can be valuable time lost when you’re trying to save a life. (The Brits do it though, so maybe there’s something to that… ) As Americans, we hold every life dear and when someone is in need, these guys answer the call, day or night, good weather or bad in peacetime or war. We all fight for the same freedom and the same flag. We’re all in this together. Keep up the good work. DUSTOFF!

The first official AFG photo taken through a dirty Blackhawk window. We didn't think they'd get off the ground so I was happy to get this shot!