The Manhattan area next Wednesday will see its second military flyover in two weeks.
The 1st Infantry Division is planning a helicopter flyover of numerous hospitals from Fort Riley to Topeka on May 27, including Manhattan’s Via Christi Hospital, as a salute to health care workers for their support of the Fort Riley Community.
Three U.S. Army HH-60M Medical Evacuation Black Hawk helicopters, piloted by members of the 1st Combat
Aviation Brigade, will follow the route. Commonly known as MEDEVACs, the helicopters “provide aerial support and ambulatory patient transport services to military operations within the U.S. in support of civil authorities and to global military operations.”
The route is planned to start with Irwin Army Community Hospital at 11 a.m. From there, the helicopters will flyover Geary County Community Hospital at 11:05 and St. Francis Campus & Stormont Vail in Topeka at 11:40 before turning back. They’ll pass over Ascension Via Christi at 12:05 p.m. and end the flyover at IACH at 12:10.
Army officials ask residents to watch the flyovers from their homes rather than traveling to the hospitals to view the aircraft.
