Members of the Becker American Legion 193 and guests recently toured the Minnesota Army National Guard Aviation facility at the St. Cloud Regional Airport.
The tour began with a brief history of the facility, which opened in March 2009 and is being rented from the airport.
Expected to last 70 to 80 years before needing updates, the 139,000-sq. ft. building and 80,000-sq. ft. hanger cost $34.9 million to build, and include over 1,640 tons of steel and 11,200 cubic yards of concrete. Each hanger door weighs over 11,000 lbs.
The facility employs 62 fulltime state and federal employees, and an average of 20 to 25 National Guard soldiers come through daily for training.
The mission and key tasks of the Minnesota Army National Guard were explained to the group, which include conducting aviation operation in support of the state, federal and other government agencies.
Along with making a positive impact of the overall St. Cloud community, the facility helps keep traffic counts up at the airport, allowing it to stay open during downtimes. Five to six aircraft leave each day, some going on multiple trips.
The pilots fly anywhere they can get to and back on one tank of fuel, around 360 nautical miles round trip. Their airspace includes Duluth to Iowa, into Wisconsin and the eastern edges of North and South Dakota.
The group next toured through the building and shop area, and then out to the main attraction, the hanger, which houses Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters.
Starting with the smaller Blackhawk, the tour guide explained its details, strengths and uses. The massive Chinooks, each costing $34.4 million to build plus another three million for the radio system, were the highlight of the evening, with Legion members asking numerous questions and walking around inside of one.
The over 32,000 lb. helicopter’s defense systems were explained and its blades examined, each at three ft. wide, 30 ft. long and weighing 353.2 lbs.
The private evening tour was arranged through the Legion and the Minnesota Army National Guard.
