U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Paul J. Ciervo Jr., right, Detachment 19, New Jersey Army National Guard, poses for a photo with his father, retired NJARNG Col. Paul Ciervo, in front of a C-12 Huron prior to his final flight in the National Guard at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, April 18, 2023. Eighteen years ago, Col. Ciervo flew his son on his final flight with the 1st Battalion, 150th Assault Helicopter Battalion. Chief Ciervo enlisted in 2003 and is retiring after more than 20 years of service, during which he deployed multiple times in support of wartime and domestic response operations. His father served with the NJARNG from 1980 to 2004 and retired as the State Aviation Officer. The final flight, or fini flight, is a tradition among pilots and air crew to celebrate one’s last flight with their unit or on a certain airframe. The C-12 is used for personnel transport, intelligence gathering and reconnaissance, as well as carrying cargo. Detachment 19 is part of the Joint Operational Support Airlift Center, which is comprised of 56 detachments nationwide. (New Jersey National Guard photo by Mark C. Olsen)

WHEELER ARMY AIRFILED, Hawaii (June 18,2020) - “DUSTOFF” Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade pilots and flight crew conducted joint training with Tripler Army Medical Center ICU department and 8th Forward Resuscitative Surgical Team U.S. Army Pacific Soldiers in patient transfers and reporting real-world MEDEVAC training on June 18, 2020 at Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii to keep our medics ready for any situation. Charlie Co. 3-25 is the only MEDEVAC company in 25th Infantry Division. The company trains daily for critical missions in order to save lives and be prepared for real-world missions. (U.S. Army photos by Sgt. Sarah D. Sangster) 200618-A-XP872-841

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Happy to photograph with some special in-camera postprocessing "My Old Lady" and what could very well be its last departure from Boeing Field. You tell me how good I did...

11 November 2016 was a really awesome day. Sure was happy to photograph the oldest flying Chinook helicopter in the world fly into the Museum of Flight - photos as I develop up at flic.kr/s/aHskNrQetQ .

PHOTO CREDIT: Joe A. Kunzler Photo, AvgeekJoe Productions, growlernoise-AT-gmail-DOT-com

Rather happy with this photo, so I put it up on Fine Art America at fineartamerica.com/featured/idaho-national-guard-uh-60l-b... in case you want a phone case or something like that.

Finally, if you like this photo - 2017 Gowen Thunder photos from an event to remember are all organized in an album at flic.kr/s/aHsm5NgvDT . Enjoy responsibly please folks!

PHOTO CREDIT: Joe A. Kunzler Photo, AvgeekJoe Productions, growlernoise-AT-gmail-DOT-com

Just wanted to share an image of a Boeing MH-47G Chinook that flew in to be part of the Historic Flight Foundation's (HFF's) D-Day + 70 commemoration.

Look carefully and you'll see the grass kicked up by the MH-47G. Very rare for me to get these kind of photographs, so hope folks enjoy.

This is a Throwback Thursday (9 June 2016) photo from the 9 June 2015 Historic Flight Foundation (HFF) BBQ for the US Army 160th SOAR, 4th Battalion and the Royal Air Force 7 Squadron. The two units were training together in Washington State, with the Royal Air Force Chinooks having been brought over to (or back to) the US via contracted Anton*vs.

PHOTO CREDIT: Joe A. Kunzler Photo, AvgeekJoe Productions, growlernoise-AT-gmail-DOT-com

I sure hope I got an awesome composition I should have shared way sooner. You tell me... ;-).

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Here's a photo of Historic Flight Foundation/HFF for HFF's D-Day + 70 commemeration (my photoset at the link).

Oregon Army National Guard Spc. Ryan Dowell, a crew chief with 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment, connects wiring for a Bambi Bucket valve through a hatch opening inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in support of firefighting efforts at the Whitewater Fire at a helibase near the Mount Jefferson Wilderness Area on August 5, 2017. Dowell operated the valve beneath the bucket which allows for a quick fill and precise dump pattern while supporting ground crews. (Photo by Capt. Leslie Reed, Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs)

PictionID:56125960 - Catalog:A-0418.tif - Title:Ryan Aeronautical Negative Collection Image - Filename:A-0418.tif - - - - Image from the Teledyne Ryan Archives, donated to SDASM in the 1990s. Many of these images are from Ryan's UAV program-----These images were not donated with metadata, so please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum

A US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter flies over a CH-47 Chinook at Ansbach Airfield in Germany. The helicopters, part of the US Army’s 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, are stationed in Germany, as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

A University of Alaska Army ROTC cadet provides security while maneuvering to the objective during an air assault training event at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Dec. 2, 2022. Following a tactical air insertion, the Seawolf Detachment cadets maneuvered across snow-covered terrain, assaulted opposition forces, secured their objective, and concluded with an air exfiltration. Alaska Army National Guard aviators from the 1-207th Aviation Regiment provided air support for the training. The AKARNG’s General Support Aviation Battalion routinely trains with all branches of the military as well as civilian agencies to hone its operational interoperability and maintain readiness for a wide range of state and federal missions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña)

An Alaska Army National Guard UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter, assigned to the 1-207th Aviation Regiment, lands on Malemute Drop Zone at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Dec. 2, 2022. The AKARNG aviators conducted air assault training with the University of Alaska Army ROTC detachment during its end-of-semester field training exercise. The AKARNG’s General Support Aviation Battalion routinely trains with all branches of the military as well as civilian agencies to hone its operational interoperability and maintain readiness for a wide range of state and federal missions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña)

Georgia Army Guard aviation received its fourth in a series of six new heavy lift helicopters yesterday outside Hangar No. 1, home to Georgia’s 78th Aviation Troop Command. A small group of Guardsmen and civilian employees from around post, were on hand to welcome the new CH-47F Chinook when it landed on the tarmac outside Hangar No. 1.

For full story: www.gadod.net/index.php/news/ga-dod/current-stories/606

Photo by: Sgt. 1st Class Roy Henry, Public Affairs Office, Georgia Department of Defense

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, commanding general of U.S. Army Central (third from left), gathers for a group photo with Task Force Rough Rider Soldiers of 3rd Battalion 142nd Aviation Regiment, Assault Helicopter Battalion, attached to 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, at an aircraft hangar in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Sept. 17, 2022. 36th CAB, mobilized as Task Force Mustang, is deployed in support of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve mission to advise, assist, and enable partnered forces in the enduring defeat of Da’esh, the common Arabic term for IS or ISIS, within designated areas of Iraq and Syria.

Alaska Army National Guard Spcs. Kia Hasson, left, and Johnny Deal, flight medics with the 2nd Battalion, 211th General Support Aviation Battalion, render medical care to a simulated patient during casualty evacuation training at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Aug. 23, 2021. The AKARNG aviators conducted the training to hone their flight medics’ medical response capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña)

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jamison Leech, a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot, Company A, 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, conducts preflight checks on a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter at the Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Jan. 25, 2018. Soldiers of the battalion are at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center for Allied Spirit VIII, an exercise to enhance NATO and key partner interoperability, build readiness and strengthen relationships across war fighting functions. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gregory T. Summers / 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

U.S. Soldiers from the S.C. Army National Guard work to prepare a UH-60 Black Hawk from Detachment 2, Company F, 1-171st General Support Aviation Battalion, S.C. Army National Guard, for sling-load movement to McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Eastover, S.C. Dec. 7, 2014. The Black Hawk made an emergency landing in an open field Dec. 3, 2014 due to a main rotor blade malfunction in Columbia, S.C. The Black Hawk was released by the Accident Review Board for recovery and was being transported via sling-load under a S.C. Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter from Detachment 1, B-Company, 2-238th General Support Aviation Battalion, S.C. Army National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility in Greenville, S.C. The cause of the main rotor malfunction remains under investigation. (Photo by Sgt. Brian Calhoun/Released)

CLAY NATIONAL GUARD CENTER, Marietta, Ga. Jan 16. 2014 - A cadet with Habersham Central High School's Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps gets a view from the crew cabin of a Georgia Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter.

Georgia National Guard photo by Capt. William Carraway / released

South Carolina National Guard, along with North Carolina and Georgia National Guard units conducted Carolina Thunder 14, a joint training exercise, during drill weekend, Nov. 15, 2014. More than 30 aircraft participated in the mass take-off from McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Eastover, S.C. Units conducted air and ground operations at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C. The S.C. Air National Guard 169th Fighter Wing's F-16 Fighting Falcons joined AH-64D Apaches, CH-47 Chinooks, UH-60 Black Hawks and more than 100 Infantry Soldiers from the S.C. Army National Guard to train with Apaches from the N.C. Army National Guard and the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSATRS) and Joint Terminal Training Center (JTAC) from the Georgia Air National Guard in a collective force-on-force, enemy suppression and assault mission. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Brian Calhoun/Released)

Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crews with aircraft, equipped with aerial water buckets, from the Chief Warrant Officer 5 David R. Carter Army Aviation Support Facility based at Buckley Air Force Base, Aurora, Colorado, depart the Spring Creek Fire helibase, in Fort Garland, Colo., to support fire suppression efforts July 6, 2018. The team arrived and began operations July 2..

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The CONG has supported the Spring Creek Creek Fire since July 1, 2018, providing capabilities to include: security personnel for traffic control points and roving patrols; two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crews and aircraft each equipped with aerial water buckets; geological information system operators; as well as, refueling crews with Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical refueling trucks and firefighters with HEMTT firefighting vehicles..

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The CONG has been providing an aviation search and rescue standby capability in support of the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center since July 1. The High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site facility in Gypsum, Colorado, is supporting the mission which is rapid response to aviation search and rescue missions, primarily for firefighter safety, in support of multiple wildfire responses throughout Colorado..

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On order of the Governor, the standing Joint Task Force - Centennial commands and integrates CONG forces to support civil authorities in assisting Colorado, or supported states, during times of crisis and disaster, to save lives, prevent suffering, and mitigate great property damage..

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(U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Nicole Manzanares)

Specialist Robert Hawthorne, an unmanned aircraft systems repairer with the Georgia Army National Guard’s Detachment 1, Company D, 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion refuels an RQ-7B Shadow while conducting training at Fort Stewart, Ga.

Georgia National Guard photo by Capt. William Carraway / released

Army Gen. James McConville, chief of staff of the Army, addresses attendees at the 2022 Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit, Nashville, Tennessee, April 4, 2022. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jim Greenhill)

When they were good, they were very very good

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers with Headquarters Support Company, 351st Aviation Support Battalion (ASB), 59th Aviation Troop Command (ATC), South Carolina National Guard conduct a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated South Carolina Army National Guard Readiness Center, April 25, 2022, Sumter, South Carolina. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, the adjutant general for South Carolina, attended the event joined by local and state authorities, the 59th ATC command team, and members of the Sumter community. The 351st ASB provides logistic and operational support to the Army Aviation elements of the South Carolina National Guard for emergency response operations domestically, and it supports combat operations outside the United States when activated at the federal level. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Roby Di Giovine, South Carolina National Guard)

U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Orduno, a UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter crew chief with Bravo Company, 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, California Army National Guard, watches as the helicopter's bucket lowers toward the Feather River, Nov. 15, 2018, while helping contain the Camp Fire in Butte County, California. The California National Guard provided four helicopters to help contain the fire, including two of it's new M-model UH-60 Black Hawks. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Crystal Housman)

CLAY NATIONAL GUARD CENTER, Marietta, Ga., August 18, 2016 - Hall of Fame University of Football Coach Vince Dooley receives a challenge coin from Brig. Gen. Joe Jarrard, Georgia's Adjutant General during a visit to the Clay National Guard Center. Georgia National Guard photo by Sgt. Shye Stallings / released

This Huey is taking a little down time at the ABC camp. March 68

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers of the 59th Aviation Troop Command (ATC), South Carolina National Guard, attend an aviation-safety day on Sept. 13, 2020, at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina. The event included the presentation of several safety awards, to include the Broken Wing, an award reserved to aviators and aircrew members who managed to save lives or aircrafts during a midair emergency. The Broken Wing award was given to Chief Warrant Officer Jeffrey R. Hodish for actions performed during a successful emergency landing executed in 2014. During the ceremony, each member of the crew received the Meritorious Service Medal. Attending the event, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Jones, Deputy Adjutant General for the South Carolina Military Department. (U.S. Army National Guard photo Sgt. 1st Class Roby Di Giovine, South Carolina National Guard)

Happy to capture this young lady of The Museum of Flight staff on break inside their new Chinook. Hope Lauren likes the image ;-).

PHOTO CREDIT: Joe A. Kunzler Photo, AvgeekJoe Productions, growlernoise-AT-gmail-DOT-com

Chinook ops at Half Moon Bay Airport (KHAF)

In the frame is a MH-47G from the US Army 4th Battalion, 160th SOAR/Special Operations Aviation Regiment. This helicopter - 04-03745 - is a rebuild from CH-47D 82-23773 which is a rebuild of CH-47C 68-16002. Yes, quite the history in this helicopter that visited Historic Flight Foundation/HFF for HFF's D-Day + 70 commemeration (my photoset).

According to the Boeing factsheet, "The MH-47G’s fully integrated digital Common Avionics architecture System (CAAS) permits global communications and navigation. CAAS is among the most advanced U.S. Army helicopter systems. CAAS includes integrated forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and multimode radar for nap-of-the-earth and low-level flight operations in conditions of extremely poor visibility and adverse weather. Today’s MH-47Gs contain a fully integrated digital cockpit management system, long-range fuel tanks and advanced cargo-handling capabilities that complement the aircraft’s mission performance and handling characteristics."

Special thanks to Historic Flight Foundation & 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) for this unique opportunity to photograph SOAR's helicopters. Much appreciate - especially to you Todd & Vanessa when you could have turned me away!

The interior of the CH-47F Chinook of the US Army. Only the second Chinook I have ever been in and it is by far the nicest!

Soldiers, families and friends said farewell to Lt. Col. Matthew Landrum, outgoing battalion commander, 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, and welcomed Lt. Col. Tanner Spry, incoming battalion commander, during a change of command ceremony June 13th at Fort Wainwright, AK. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Ryan DeBooy)

CLAY NATIONAL GUARD CENTER, Marietta, Ga., July 13, 2014 – Sergeant Natsuki Hama, a Georgia Guardsman, with Detachment 1, Charlie Company, 1-111th General Support Aviation Battalion is hoisted by Sgt. Chad Evans into a UH-60M Blackhawk helicopter in Marietta Ga. on July 13th as part of a hoist training exercise.

Georgia Army National Guard photo by Maj. Will Cox | Released

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers with the 2-151st Aviation Regiment (SSAB), 59th Aviation Troop Command (ATC), South Carolina National Guard, conduct a change of command ceremony at the South Carolina National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility (Location 2), Greenville, South Carolina, Aug. 6, 2022. The event included the traditional passing of the colors between the outgoing commander, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bryan K. Lake, and the incoming commander, U.S. Army Maj. Matthew L. Summey. Leaders of the South Carolina National Guard, guests, friends, and families of the 59th ATC attended the ceremony. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Roby Di Giovine, South Carolina National Guard)

A line of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters awaits refueling at Ansbach Airfield in Germany. The Apaches, part of the US Army’s 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, are stationed in Germany, as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

Marietta, April 21, 2011 – A Georgia Guard Chinook Helicopter (CH47D) sling loads an OV-1 Mohawk airplane from the flight line at Dobbins Air Reserve Base to its new home at the Aviation Wing of the Marietta Museum of History located at the corner of South Cobb Drive and Atlanta Road. This aircraft was one of the first productions “A” model Mohawks which was later converted to the “C” model and flown for years by the Georgia Army National Guard.

The mission of the Mohawk was to fly aerial reconnaissance and surveillance, side looking airborne radar (SLAR), photo, and infrared. The aircraft was armed on limited occasions during the Vietnam conflict. Upon retirement of the Mohawk mission in 1990, the airplane was put on display at the 171st Aviation Battalion, Georgia Army National Guard located on Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

Col. (Ret) Dennis Brown, the Georgia Guard State Historian and one of the last pilots to fly the Mohawk, says the move of the Mohawk will add another key aircraft to the museum and give the community an opportunity to share in the rich history of the Georgia Guard.

“We are very excited and delighted to continue the rich heritage and legacy of Army aviation in Georgia especially considering Georgia was one of only two states that flew this aircraft.”

(Photo by Sgt. Cox, Georgia State Defense Force)

Westland Scout AH1 XT626 (G-CIBW) - Army Historic Aircraft Flight - Old Warden, July 2017

PictionID:56097881 - Catalog:4-0643-C.tif - Title:Ryan Aeronautical Negative Collection Image - Filename:4-0643-C.tif - - Image from the Teledyne Ryan Archives, donated to SDASM in the 1990s. Many of these images are from Ryan's UAV program-----Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum

Flying over my house

Battlefield Airmen from the 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron and Army pathfinders with the 4th Quartermaster Company, 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, board an Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter after completing airborne training at Geronimo Drop Zone, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, May 28, 2020. Battlefield Airmen and Army pathfinders, with Army air support from the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, and the 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, conducted the airborne training to maintain operational readiness. The focus on readiness demonstrates the installation’s resiliency and posture for the future throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña)

One of my fav pics. Just wish I could also have the gun in the frame, woops.

More photos in the set if you'd like - plz browse!

U.S. Army Major (P) Jeff M. Couch, commander for the 351st Aviation Support Battalion, 59th Aviation Troop Command (ATC), South Carolina National Guard, is promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, during a ceremony at the South Carolina National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility (Location 1), McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Eastover, South Carolina, Mar. 5, 2023. U.S Army Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, adjutant general for South Carolina, joined Lt. Col. Couch’s family, friends, guests, and colleagues in attendance. U.S. Army Col. John McElveen, commander of the 59th ATC, administrated the oath of enlistment. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Roby Di Giovine, South Carolina National Guard)

Fort Indiantown Gap hosted an Army Pathfinder Course March 2-17. The candidate pathfinder learns how to establish and operate a helicopter landing zone, establish and operate parachute drop zones, conduct sling load operations, provide air traffic control and navigational assistance to rotary wing and fixed wing airborne operations.

A U.S. Army UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter from the California Army National Guard's Fresno Army Aviation Flight Activity takes off from a helibase, Sept. 12, 2019, in Red Bluff, California, while taking firefighters to the South Fire burning in Tehama County. Six Cal Guard helicopters were activated to assist state and federal agencies battling a pair of wildfires in the county. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman)

A formation of twenty-four AH-64E Apache attack helicopters assigned to the 1-151st Aviation Regiment, Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB), 59th Troop Command, South Carolina Army National Guard, performs a battalion formation flight during Operation Guardian Angels (OGA), Columbia, South Carolina, April 2, 2023. The formation took off from McEntire Joint National Guard Base (JNGB), flew over Columbia downtown and Lake Murray, and returned to McEntire JNGB after performing doctrinal rejoins and maneuvers throughout the flight. OGA was part of a larger training exercise, Operation Guardian Spring, involving several South Carolina Army National Guard commands. OGA’s primary objective was to test multi-ship operations for crews, maintainers, and flight operations personnel; moreover, the training presented an opportunity for the 1-151st ARB to test its ability to maintain effective command and control of a large formation and verify the operational capabilities of aircraft and crews, in the context of a battalion-level mission. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Roby Di Giovine, South Carolina National Guard).

WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii (Aug. 4, 2020) - “DUSTOFF" pilots and flight crew from 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade trained on air to ground patient transfers and reporting requirements during a multi-ship joint training with Tripler Army Medical Center and 8th Forward Surgical Team enhancing medical treatment skills on Oahu, Hawaii. "DUSTOFF" provided sustained medical care and transportation en route to medical facilities through each role of care, while 8FRST provided surgical field care, and TAMC provided trauma and ICU patient care. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Sarah D. Sangster) 200804-A-XP872-355

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