State Police Troop B already has one helicopter based at the Adirondack Regional Airport in Lake Clear, and it gets heavy use. This new one should help share the workload.

Around 4 p.m. Tuesday, a rescue team responded to four 17-year-olds all from the Ballston Spa and Saratoga Springs area, who were stranded near the summit of Mount Colden, according to State Police. One of the teens was reported to have a leg injury, and all of the teen hikers were improperly equipped for the conditions. Forest rangers were dispatched to assist the subjects.

State Police Aviation delivered rangers to the summit of Little Colden using its new Bell UH-1-A Huey helicopter. The rescue squad transported the injured teen to Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake around 6:45 p.m. Rangers treated the three remaining teens for varying stages of hypothermia at the scene and escorted them on foot to the Adirondak Loj where, they were reunited with family.

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People turn away from a high school track meet to watch a new State Police Bell UH-1-A Huey helicopter land at the Lake Placid Airport Tuesday. That same evening this helicopter aided in the rescue of four teens on Mount Colden. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

Importance

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Forest Ranger Lt. Julie Harjung, who is also chief of the Saranac Lake Volunteer Rescue Squad, wasn’t part of the rescue on Colden, but in a phone interview Wednesday she said the new helicopter is built to carry heavy loads and withstand windy conditions. She said helicopters are an important piece of equipment for the work she does.

“With the rescue squad, it’s not often we need the helicopter — maybe once or twice a year,” she said. “But the rangers need them fairly frequently.”

Flying a helicopter into the High Peaks for a search and rescue is perilous work, Harjung said. Trees and mountains are everywhere, visibility can drop, and pilots have to combat storms occasionally.

A new State Police Bell UH-1-A Huey helicopter is seen in a hangar at the Adirondack Regional Airport in Lake Clear. (Provided photo — New York State Police)

“Any time a helicopter is used for rescue, there is a significant danger,” she said. “Lots can go wrong, but it’s an incredibly valuable and necessary resource.”

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The Huey

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Hueys were used extensively in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy to conduct damage assessments and Hurricane Irene to conduct hoist rescues of distressed citizens. It was also one of the more common vehicles used by American forces in the Vietnam War.

In 2018, State Police utilized four Huey helicopters for more than 250 flights. This included missions for the state Department of Environmental Conservation to rescue stranded hikers and other injured citizens, re-stock lakes with fish, take water samples of various Adirondack lakes to monitor quality and pollution, and conduct wildlife surveys that track various tagged species.

In addition, the Huey helicopters conducted a number of missions to fight forest fires.

State Police Troop B, based in Ray Brook, acquired the new aircraft through the U.S. Department of Defense 1033 Excess Property program in July 2018. Before arriving in the North Country, mechanics at the State Police Aviation Headquarters equipped it with a rescue hoist and radio communications, updated navigational databases and performed additional maintenance before it could be put into service here.