Aerial Radiation Measurements Planned For Charlotte Ahead Of RNC

CHARLOTTE, NC — Area residents should not be alarmed to see a helicopter flying low and in a grid pattern over the city later this week, the U.S. Department of Energy said Monday.

The aircraft — a twin-engine Bell 412 helicopter — will be flying above uptown Charlotte and in and around Yorkmount areas Thursday and Friday in order to measure naturally occurring background radiation.

The flyover will be in a grid pattern about 150-feet or higher above the ground at a speed of about 80mph, and is part of preparations for the upcoming Republican National Convention set to take place in Charlotte Aug. 24, DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration said in a statement.

According to the RNC 2020 Convention, President Trump will be formally nominated in Charlotte on Monday, Aug. 24.

"Flyovers will occur only during daylight hours and are estimated to take approximately two hours to complete per area," NNSA said in a statement. "The aircraft measurements will be purely scientific in nature, and no surveillance or other form of monitoring will occur during these flights."

More information about NNSA's Aerial Measuring System may be found here.

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