Sling-Load Inspector Certification Course training critical for current Army operations

Photo By Master Sgt. Tyrone Marshall | Pilots and crew from C Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, maneuver a UH-60L Blackhawk helicopter with a HMMWV during the Sling-Load Inspector Certification Course at Schofield Barracks' East Range, Feb. 12.  

WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, UNITED STATES

02.22.2009

Story by Staff Sgt. Tyrone Marshall 

25th Combat Aviation Brigade

WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii – There are many times during the course of Army operations when it isn't feasible to transport supplies, weapons and other resources through traditional means such as convoy operations.

This necessitates the need for alternative means to move resources which is why the Sling-Load Inspector Certification Course is so critical.

Soldiers from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 45th Sustainment Brigade and 57th Military Police Company, experienced SLICC training to provide that alternative means for their respective units.

Staff Sgt. William Baker, non-commissioned officer in charge, SLICC, and a primary instructor, shared his five-man team's mission.

"[Our mission is] to train Soldiers to become their unit's subject matter expert in sling-load operations and minimize deficiencies by being proficient inspectors and riggers."

Baker, an experienced parachute rigger, has instructed the course for the Aerial Delivery and Field Services Department for the past two and a half years. He is keenly aware of the significance of getting Soldiers properly trained.

"Because of the operational environment [in which the Army currently operates], especially in Afghanistan, we can't get equipment into the places we need to have it. In the mountains of Afghanistan, Tora Bora and other places like that, sling-loading is a necessity for units to move equipment and supplies."

Forty-three Soldiers, including five from the 25th CAB, completed the most recent iteration of SLICC training. Instruction culminated on a wet and windy day with a UH-60L Blackhawk swirling overhead as students sling-loaded different items at Upper 36, a landing zone on East Range. Typically a five-day course, their training was conducted in four due to scheduling.

"I thought it was really good training," said Sgt. Robert Allor, a heavy-wheel mechanic from E Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th CAB. "We'll do quarterly training on this. It's our responsibility to train the people in our units. I look forward to implementing the training, and I'd also like to add the instructors were outstanding."

Staff Sgt. Tina Smith, also from 2-25th Avn. Rgt., also looks forward to training her Soldiers and points out the importance of this training.

"It was good training," she said. "[When you're in] a war zone, you can't always depend on wheeled transportation so you have to go to your secondary method which is sling-loading."

The UH-60L Blackhawk, from C Co., 2-25th Avn. Regt., added the final dimension of realism to the training. Unfortunately, not all classes have the same experience due to deployments or bad weather. Baker is emphatic about having aircraft to allow Soldiers to experience the challenge of actually sling-loading, firsthand.

"It should be a must with all the hard work these guys spend [training]," said Baker. "We would actually be taking something away from them. It gives them confidence that they're going to be able to perform and not freak out under the aircraft."

With only two teams of five instructors to teach the SLICC to the Army, Baker, and fellow instructors William Marshall, David Hughes, Ivan Andrade, and Barry Pavasko, have seen the Army's operational tempo dictate their schedule. They travel from places as far as Alaska to Fort Bragg and Fort Drum to train many grateful Soldiers.

Smith, now a SLICC graduate, offers advice to anyone who will take the course upon its return to Hawaii this July.

"Listen, take good notes and just be open-minded," she said with a grin. "If you already know something about sling-loading just be open-minded because you'll always come across something new."

• Date Taken: 02.22.2009
• Date Posted: 02.22.2009 21:01
• Story ID: 30299
• Location: WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, US