Mock MQ-9 Cockpit Featured at 174th Fighter Wing Display at New York State Fair Published Aug. 26, 2012 By Maj. Jeffrey Brown 174th Fighter Wing Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Syracuse, New York -- For the first time ever, the public will have the opportunity to fly simulated training missions in a MQ-9 Reaper cockpit as part of Hancock Field Air National Guard Base's extensive military exhibit at the 2012 New York State Fair. The New York Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing will display a mock-up of the ground-based cockpits that National Guard pilots use to fly MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) in the skies above Afghanistan from Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse. The interactive cockpit will allow fair viewers to get some idea of what it is like to be a pilot providing air support to American and allied troops on the ground halfway around the world. The wing will also display a 1/6th size scale model of the MQ-9 Reaper aircraft the unit flies, as well as full-sze models of the munitions carried by the aircraft. The MQ-9 can provide an eye-in-the-sky for American troops as well as fire weapons when needed. The 174th Fighter Wing, which becomes the 174th Attack Wing on Sept. 9, not only operates the MQ-9, but also trains MQ-9 mechanics and pilots and sensor operators for the entire Air Force. The 174th Fighter Wing display in front of the Coliseum will be manned throughout the 12 days of the Fair and key leaders of the Wing will be on hand to meet with the public. A team from the 109th Airlift Wing, which flies supplies and personnel to Greenland and the South Pole in support of science missions, will also be on hand at the booth. Kids will be able to participate in a "Fitness Challenge" where winners will receive an Air National Guard bag and winners of a daily lottery drawing will get the opportunity to ride in a military humvee during the daily fair parade.