Mangano: “Raid New York” Coming Next Weekend To Eisenhower Park

Largest Marine/Navy Helicopter Landing on Long Island

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano has announced that Nassau County will once again host the Navy and Marine Helicopter Landing in Eisenhower Park tomorrow, Saturday, May 26th as part of the “Fleet Week 2012” activities in New York City. The event, billed “Raid New York” will be the largest Marine/Navy helicopter landing on Long Island.

Navy Landing at 10:00 a.m.

A combined team of members from the U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 7 (HSC-7), Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Seven Four (HSM-74), and Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron FOURTEEN (HM-14) will present a mine countermeasures demonstration. The demonstration will show how a five-member EOD team can be inserted via a MH-60S helicopter into an area too dangerous for a ship to navigate or an aircraft to land, while the MH-60R provides top-cover. After the air and land demonstration, the MH-60 and MH-53 helicopters will land and be available for public display. The EOD technicians are stationed in Virginia Beach, Virginia. HSC-7 and HM-14 are stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, and HSM-74 is stationed in Jacksonville, Florida.

The monster Navy Helicopter, the MH-53E (Sea Dragon), is the largest helicopter in the U.S. Military inventory, measuring 100 feet long by 80 feet wide. The helicopter will be piloted by LT. Commander Lauren “Majic” Majchrzak, a ten-year veteran of Naval Aviation.

Marine Landing at 12:00 p.m.

The MV22 Osprey, joined by CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters and AH-1W Cobras, will perform an area sweep and will transport the raid force Marines to the landing zone. The V-22 Osprey is a multi-mission tilt-rotor aircraft with both a vertical takeoff and landing and short takeoff and landing capability, designed to combine the functionality of a helicopter with the long range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft. Marines will perform an assault demonstration, after which helicopters will land and will be available for public display, along with the weapons typically used by a Marine Corps rifle platoon. Marines supporting this event are part of a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina and have recently returned from Afghanistan.

The Helicopter Landing, which is free to the public, will be taking place on the Kite Field, just south of the Veterans Memorial in Eisenhower Park, with parking at fields 6 and 6A. At 930 acres, Eisenhower Park is the largest park in Nassau County and is centrally located in East Meadow with entrances at Hempstead Turnpike at East Meadow Avenue and Merrick Avenue at Stewart Avenue.

For more information about this event please call: (516) 572-0200 or visit our website at: www.nassaucountyny.gov/parks.