SYRACUSE (AP) -- Visitors to the New York State Fair can get a look at the type of equipment American pilots based near the Syracuse-area fairgrounds are using to fly drone aircraft above the skies of Afghanistan.

The New York Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing will display a mock-up of the ground cockpits that its pilots use to fly MQ-9 Reaper aircraft from Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, just a few miles from the fairgrounds in suburban Syracuse.

National Guard officials say the interactive cockpit will give fairgoers some idea of what it's like to be a pilot providing air support to American and allied troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

The unit will also display a scale model of a Reaper aircraft.

The fair opens Thursday morning and closes Labor Day.

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