Oct. 10, 2024
Ferris President Pink joins ROTC cadets for training about Black Hawk helicopters
Reserve Officer Training Corps students went from training in the woods south of Big Rapids to the skies above their campus and community, as Ferris State University President Bill Pink joining the cadets for Black Hawk helicopter rides on a pristine fall afternoon.
Ferris State University President Bill Pink joined Ferris State Army ROTC cadets for Black Hawk helicopter training.
“To see the quality of the aircraft that our military has is amazing, and to also meet the professionals who fly them, the pilots are top notch, and they are excited about our students and that it is all about,” Pink said. “For our ROTC students to get this first-hand experience is awesome.”
Recruiting Operations Officer Randy Wright said the Black Hawk experience has been in the works for around a year.
“We have our cadets go through a full training exercise near Rogers Heights in the morning, which includes land navigation without electronic aids, managing an obstacle course with specific rules of practice and training with firearms,” Wright said. “Two Black Hawk copters come in, and all those who board for flights must first go through safety training, then they are flown up around town.”
The Sikorsky Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft.
President Pink about a Black Hawk helicopter close to landing on the Big Rapids campus.
Wright said each helicopter can accommodate around 10 passengers per flight and the pass over the community is complete in approximately 15 minutes.
“We feel this opportunity is a nice reward for their participation in and personal investment to the field exercise,” Wright said. “It is also a chance for the cadets to have an experience with President Pink.”
This was not President Pink’s first helicopter ride, but feeling the power of the craft and the chance to engage with the students made this memorable.
It was a short but lively trip for all who had the open-air experience, with the helicopter’s side doors pulled back for optimal viewing.
“It was such a good time, to talk to our students and ROTC leadership, understanding a little bit more about they are focused on, through the training they are receiving at Ferris,” Pink said. “Ofc. Wright and our staff make this experience for our students so special. The training they are getting through ROTC, I am so proud of that.”
Ferris and the greater community has enjoyed the contributions of ROTC cadets for more than a century and this year’s 33-freshman cohort is the largest on record. Program leaders said the program is growing as students learn about the skills they can learn at Ferris State while making plans to serve their country.