Air Force ROTC cadets take off in helicopter

The large, odd-looking helicopter flying near campus yesterday held a few Kent State students spending the afternoon in the air.

Braving the bitter cold air, Air Force ROTC cadets rode in a United States Army Chinook Helicopter yesterday from the Kent State Airport to the Ravenna Arsenal.

The flight lasted about 30 minutes and was a way to expose Air Force cadets to aviation. Pilot CW3 Henry Mentrak of Company G, 137th Aviation unit out of Canton, flew the Chinook, providing the cadets with a view of the campus from the sky.

“It’s different from our everyday lab,” said Capt. Thomas Fiordelisi, unit admissions officer. “Plus, the cadets still do their training.”

Yesterday being his first time in a helicopter, freshman international studies major Matt Corum said he enjoyed flying.

“It was great,” he said. “I got to sit right up front, and I had a headset so I could talk to the pilots and have them point out landmarks. I’m trying to get a pilot slot in the Air Force when I graduate, so I like any opportunity I get to fly.”

Designed in the 1950s, the Chinook is often used for moving ammunition, personnel and supplies on the battlefield, according to chinook-helicopter.com.

Air Force ROTC wants to give cadets the opportunity to fly before starting a career in the Air Force.

Contact ROTC reporter Ariane R. Cavin at [email protected].