Helicopters, Humvees, troops and supplies soared through the air over the Orchard Combat Training Center Monday as part of what is known as a sling load training exercise. The Idaho National Guard trained with active duty servic e members from the 17th Field Artillery Brigade, stationed in Washington state."We don't usually get the opportunity to go out and sling load equipment, Humvees, something that heavy on a daily basis," said WO1 Alex Galloway.He spent Monday morning piloting a Black Hawk helicopter, practicing a sling load technique, which involves picking up supplies and vehicles using the Black Hawk and setting them down in areas that may be hard to access by ground."It looks pretty cool, but at the same time it's a little uncooperative trying to move it," Galloway explained. "It's very helpful to get out and actually see what it feels like, see what it flies like, you know, underneath the aircraft."I've been reporting on the National Guard's efforts over the last year, and they invited me to observe this incredible training opportunity."Those crates are super light. They like to do what they want when they're flying around. They like to spin, swing side to side, versus that Humvee is going to be more anchored to underneath the aircraft, but it is a bit heavier," said Galloway."We came to the Orchard Combat Training Center looking for a tough, realistic, rigorous training environment to enhance our war fighting skills," said Col. Andrew Knight, with the 17th Field Artillery Brigade. Knight says training exercises like this help sharpen their skills working with aircraft and ground crews."What we did here today was insert a communications team that can relay communication signals to extend our range of operations," explained Knight. "Our ability to partner with the National Guard forces increases overall Army readiness." ...read more read less