The Sertoma Club in Grand Forks is expecting a special appearance from a Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday afternoon, as part of its Independence Day celebration.
Club board member Al Palmer, a retired general in the North Dakota Air National Guard, said he heard from the state deputy adjutant general that his flyover application was approved Friday afternoon. Palmer still needs approval from the Pentagon, he said, which he expected to receive Monday night.
Palmer applied for a Black Hawk flyover a couple of months ago, after a fellow board member asked if he could work something out using his connections with the military.
"It's going to be our 60th year," Palmer added. "It's kind of a neat celebration for us."
The North Dakota Air National Guard uses Black Hawk Helicopters, and the one flying over Wednesday will likely come from Bismarck, Palmer said. On his application, Palmer said he needed at least 5,000 people at the event to justify the flyover. "And we'll have more than that," Palmer said.
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When Palmer informed the Sertoma Club president Paul Waind of the flyover on Friday, Waind said it was too late to update event posters for the celebration downtown.
"We're anticipating it being from noon to one o'clock," Waind said.
