Air Force: Sling Load Training
Sling Load Training
C/Glaser
As Air Force cadets, we are very familiar with the first Core Value - Integrity First - but how often do we get opportunities to experience these “technical aspects of the profession of arms?” On 16 October, C/Maj Weldon and I had the opportunity to work with the AROTC battalion, along with National Guard and Air Force personnel for training with the UH-60 Black Hawk at Lakehurst. There, we learned the definition and purpose of sling loads. The operation is essentially, affixing large amounts of equipment to a helicopter’s cargo hook allowing for rapid maneuver and deployment on the battlefield, regardless of ground obstacles.
After the overview and safety briefings, we were able to help prep sling loads, including taping and chaining a HMMWV, and tying/hooking a cargo net of barrels. The Army and Air Force personnel guided us, answered questions, and showed us around the aircraft. Finally, we marshalled (visually directing the pilot) an airborne UH-60 and attached a training HMMWV. Words cannot describe how surreal it was to see and feel the power of the aircraft: gently hovering, forcefully sweeping up the dust and pushing us with a massive wall of air, and even tapping us on the helmet with its underbelly during the sling load operation. …show more content…
It was definitely a great experience that was over too soon.
I hope that in the future, cadets get many more opportunities like this. At the very least, it far exposes us to the jointly-operating military we will be entering, while providing us face time with the war fighters we will be in charge of one day. But furthermore, hands-on opportunities can make leadership more tangible, not to mention more
enjoyable.
C/Glaser
As Air Force cadets, we are very familiar with the first Core Value - Integrity First - but how often do we get opportunities to experience these “technical aspects of the profession of arms?” On 16 October, C/Maj Weldon and I had the opportunity to work with the AROTC battalion, along with National Guard and Air Force personnel for training with the UH-60 Black Hawk at Lakehurst. There, we learned the definition and purpose of sling loads. The operation is essentially, affixing large amounts of equipment to a helicopter’s cargo hook allowing for rapid maneuver and deployment on the battlefield, regardless of ground obstacles.
After the overview and safety briefings, we were able to help prep sling loads, including taping and chaining a HMMWV, and tying/hooking a cargo net of barrels. The Army and Air Force personnel guided us, answered questions, and showed us around the aircraft. Finally, we marshalled (visually directing the pilot) an airborne UH-60 and attached a training HMMWV. Words cannot describe how surreal it was to see and feel the power of the aircraft: gently hovering, forcefully sweeping up the dust and pushing us with a massive wall of air, and even tapping us on the helmet with its underbelly during the sling load operation. …show more content…
It was definitely a great experience that was over too soon.
I hope that in the future, cadets get many more opportunities like this. At the very least, it far exposes us to the jointly-operating military we will be entering, while providing us face time with the war fighters we will be in charge of one day. But furthermore, hands-on opportunities can make leadership more tangible, not to mention more
enjoyable.