Monday, October 19, 2015

Live reports of extensive helicopter activity in the Flathead Valley today over Flathead Lake

I just received a phone call from one of our Oathkeepers who is on recon in the Flathead Valley south of Kalispell Montana. He was at a business in Kalispell about 4 PM this afternoon when him and his friends noticed 4 CH 47 helicopters and 2 Blackhawk helicopters flying directly over southeast Kalispell heading southwest at a high rate of speed.

He jumped in his pickup and followed them south. He noticed when he reached Proctor Montana and started back North on Highway 93, that 2 Blackhawks and 1 CH47 were coming across Flathead lake south of Lakeside from East to West and kept on going West over the hills.

This is highly unusual to see this much helicopter traffic on one day in this area. To the group doing the recon this is more than a little alarming, and they are making a big effort to track this traffic down and find out what is going on.

In the meantime we are going to condition yellow and standing by for more information, which will be forwarded as soon as received.

This is NOT any kind of communications drill, but is as real as it gets people, so be aware and keep your radios on..

Contact  406 889 3183   and monitor 147.260 Werner peak repeater for more information.

Paul Stramer  KC7MEZ  Eureka Montana

UPDATE Tuesday 10 20 15

After activating our network on the Werner Peak repeater at 147.260, and making a few phone calls to the right people in the Flathead Valley, we were able to determine within about 2 hours or less that this was an event that happens every year called  BOSS LIFT   It's designed to reward the employers in the valley that support the  ARMY NATIONAL GUARD and ARMY RESERVE station north of town with a helicopter ride over the valley.  This year seems to be the exception in that there was much more traffic than we have noticed in the past.  My source in the Flathead says there is no cause for alarm, even though the numbers of helicopters was more than usual, and one of our Oathkeeper hams, was able to verify in person that there was one CH47 and 2 Black Hawk helicopters on the tarmac at the Glacier Int. Airport about 5:45 PM confirming at least part of what he saw in the air earlier in the afternoon.

That is where we left it, but I have to comment that our network is working like we intended, as we were able to work with this report in real time, and verify that what was seen was real.  

I would advise everyone to carry some kind of digital camera with them to shoot pics and video of these incidents. My smartphone is a Galaxy 5 by Samsung and I have an app that will let me upload video to my blog within a few minutes of taking the video.  Most any good smartphone will do the same.
We need lots of pictures when you go out on one of these recon missions.

Thanks to everyone that participated in this event, and keep your eyeballs peeled.

Paul  

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