Black Hawk Helicopters To Fly In Formation Above LA Friday

LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Angelenos looking to the sky Friday will see what might appear to be a military invasion but is really part of a helicopter training exercise conducted by pilots and aircrew members from the California Army National Guard.

Members of the 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, will be flying a dozen U.S. Army UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters along the coast around the Los Angeles Basin before turning inland to return to their home station at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, said Col. Richard Lalor, public affairs officer for the California Army National Guard.

Residents looking to check out the show should head outside, starting at 1 p.m. when when the helicopters will leave the base in Los Alamitos, Lalor said.

"During the flight, aircrew members will conduct recurring training in multi-ship formation flying operations," Lalor said in a statement. "It is the culminating event of the unit's yearly summer training period."

The 1-140th AHB is a National Guard aviation unit which serves dual roles in performing missions at home and abroad, Lalor said. The unit deploys for overseas combat missions, but it also holds a special place in the heart of Californians because Soldiers from the 1-140th also activate to drop water on wildfires. They played a role in battling both the Thomas Fire and Camp Fire. Soldiers from the unit also flew hoist rescue missions during 2018's deadly mudslide in Montecito, Lalor said.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.