Army begins helicopter training on top of Whiteface

PHOTOGRAPHER: The Associated Press

WILMINGTON — Soldiers from the Army’s 10th Mountain Division have begun high-altitude helicopter training exercises on top of Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks.

A spokeswoman with the Fort Drum-based division says the training flights began this week. Army officials announced plans last month to use the state-run Adirondack ski peak for mountain landings by the division’s Combat Aviation Brigade.

The unit is preparing to deploy to Afghanistan this fall.

Fort Drum officials say the brigade will conduct up to 22 missions each week using four types of helicopters. The Army says the effects on the environment will be minimal and soldiers won’t use live ammunition.

Whiteface, New York’s fifth-highest mountain at 4,865 feet, is 100 miles east of Fort Drum.