A rare bird was spotted Saturday at Prince George airport.
A black U.S. military UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter made a brief pit stop at the airport terminal to wait out a stormy evening of turbulent weather that produced thundershowers and gusty winds.
Made by Sikorsky, the Black Hawk chopper gained fame in the 2001 Ridley Scott-directed movie, Black Hawk Down, a depiction of the real-life 1993 raid on Mogadishu by U.S. Army Rangers to try to capture a Somali warload.
Helicopters of that type land in Prince George 10 to 15 times every year, according to Prince George Airport Authority spokesperson Lindsay Cotter.
"They stop here on their way to Alaska, possibly stopping to refuel or await a storm or both," said Cotter. "Helicopters don't have a long range and storms are usually bad in that sense. They don't tell us when they're coming or when they are going or who they are, and they don't have to."
The Black Hawk was parked to the south of the terminal. The Citizen was unable to locate the flight crew for comment.
