(Logan) -The West Virginia National Guard, Alpha Natural Resources, and
WPP LLC have reached an agreement that allows the 130th Airlift Wing to use
land owned by the company for military training purposes.
The initial use of the Camp Branch Drop Zone, located four miles east of
Logan County Airport, Logan, W.Va., will be as a drop zone for the unit's
C-130 Hercules aircraft dedicated to providing the state with a dedicated
Adverse Weather Aerial Delivery System Drop Zone.
"I cannot say enough about the amazing support that WPP LLC and Alpha Natural
Resources have provided to the West Virginia National Guard," said Maj. Gen.
James A. Hoyer, West Virginia Adjutant General. "Camp Branch will be used to
provide realistic training opportunities for our aircrews and load recovery
personnel. And the great thing is that this is just the first of many uses
we see for this property."
Future plans call for the area to become a fully functioning landing strip
with two separate landing areas possibly geared toward C-130 and C-17
aircraft. The Army National Guard is also looking at the site as a possible
location to practice helicopter medical evacuation training missions.
"This latest announcement from the West Virginia National Guard is yet
another example of the ingenuity and talent of our guard and Maj. Gen. James
A. Hoyer, West Virginia Adjutant General, in developing excellent training
resources right here in our own state," said Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. "I
applaud the West Virginia National Guard and appreciate WPP LLC for reaching
an agreement that successfully repurposes land use to the benefit of our
citizen Soldiers/Airmen."
The 130th Airlift Wing will begin conducting drops early next week.
"The current dirt landing strips we utilize for training are located on a
flat piece of land in North Carolina that you can see miles away and they
have many airspace restrictions," said Col. Jerry Gouhin, 130th Airlift Wing
commander. "The awesome thing about the Camp Branch area is that you have to
navigate the mountains and then drop in for a landing much the way our
aircrews operate in Afghanistan. This type of realistic training will be in
demand by other units located near West Virginia as well.
WPP LLC donated the land for use by the WVNG and all of the field work has
been completed by Alpha Natural Resources. This was accomplished as a result
of the Camp Branch Surface Mine's Post Mine Land Use. The West Virginia
National Guard and Alpha Natural Resources will be working together on other
Post Mine Land Use Sites that can provide realistic training opportunities to
hone flying and load dropping skills.
"The amount of work and effort that Alpha has put forth to get this property
ready for our use is overwhelming," Hoyer said. "They have done all of the
grade work, permit changes, and coordination with Department of Environmental
Protection and others to ensure we have a safe usable drop zone and landing
strip. They have gone above and beyond to support our West Virginia National
Guard Airmen and Soldiers."
