DENVER – If you were awake Wednesday evening around the Denver metro area, you probably did at least two of these three things:
1. You heard low-flying helicopters in your neighborhood and wondered what was happening.
2. You called police to report said low-flying helicopters.
3. You posted what you heard to social media and then called us about it to find out what the noise was all about.
First off: Yes, those helicopters belong to the U.S. Army, but no – they won’t suddenly land in a residential area to take you to a FEMA camp (we see you, conspiracy theorists). Also: You may want to scrap any plans to sleep early, as the helicopters will be flying low for the next several days across the metro.
So where are they from and why are they not letting you watch Netflix in peace?
The U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters are coming all the way from Fort Campbell in Kentucky, according to Jefferson County officials.
Flight tower staff at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport say the Army is performing flight operations in the area and the helicopters are refueling at the airport to continue to perform said operations.
Speaking to Denver7 Thursday, LTC Loren Bymer with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office said the training exercises are “just a way to enhance our readiness and be ready to answer our nation’s call when needed.”
The Army tells me this is “routine training” to make sure they are ready when needed. pic.twitter.com/W32E7xWTud
— Jaclyn Allen (@jaclynreporting) February 22, 2019
How long can you expect to hear these low-flying helicopters in your neighborhood?
Until next Tuesday at the earliest, according to Bymer. After this Saturday, however, these helicopters will likely “be pretty quiet.”
As far as when people should expect to hear them, Bymer said that traditionally, these training exercises happen in the dark of night, meaning there’s no set time of when you'll hear them – and feel them shaking your home – as they fly above your neighborhood.
So folks, put on those ear plugs and rest easy because this is nothing to be alarmed about. Oh! And one more thing: Please stop calling 911 about this – authorities say emergency operations are affected when they're constantly getting calls about a non-emergency matter.
Denver7’s Jaclyn Allen contributed to this report.