2003-2004
In 2004, we spent one day in Great Falls learning about helicopters, bomb units, K-9 training for dogs, and dam operations. At the Malmstrom Air Force Base, the students were able to explore the inside of a Huey helicopter, and learn the helicopter's routines, functions and limits. The pilots had to attend thousands of hours of flight school training to acquire a pilot's license. While the students were checking out the helicopter, the Air Force Base Security demonstrated an intruder alert and arrest, which was very exciting, because nobody knew what was going on. Next we visited a bomb detonation unit and got a good look at different kinds of explosives, and a piece of equipment that could shoot a stream of water through a solid steel door, which the bomb squad uses to set off bombs at a safe distance. The students got to see a robot that could also be used to detonate bombs. The robot can use X-rays to see if any bombs are inside containers. The last stop of the Malmstrom tour was the K-9 unit where they use and train dogs for crowd control and detection of bombs, land mines, and drugs. There we witnessed an attack drill, in which the trainer had to wear a protective sleeve for his arm. Our final stop was Rainbow Dam. PPL employees led the students through the work shop to the generator room, where they used huge magnetic generators to make electricity. Then they led us to the control room, which contained six computers. These computers controlled five Great Falls Dams, Kerr Dam in Polson, and the Thompson Falls Dam. On the long way home, we stopped at L & D Chinese Buffet to eat.