Training mission a success for airmen of the 910th Airlift Wing - 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Despite military cuts and a drop in the number of planes at our local airbase, training continues to be a top priority.

During a training mission Tuesday morning airmen of the 910th Airlift Wing dropped a 3,000 lbs. pallet from hundreds of feet in the air. The mission simulates what it would be like for the airmen to deliver heavy machinery, or almost anything to people in need.

"There is always kind of an adrenalin rush," said Senior Airmen James Hudson.

As a part of the training two airmen were evaluated for their performance.

''What we look for is that they do their job safely, they do it correctly, they do it well," said Senior Master Sergeant Bob Zanni. "So they could do it in any type of environment, especially combat environment."

"The thing is they train us so well that we're so focused on our job, we're not really worried about what's going on outside the aircraft," said Senior Airman Marcus Watson.

This may be a good thing, because outside the aircraft the airbase is struggling to maintain their fleet.

In 2003, the base had 16 aircrafts on station. That has since been scaled back to 12, and they now face losing four more due recent military cut backs.

"The budget is within Congress so they will be the ones deciding now what is going to be the fate," said Col. Reinhard Schmidt.

The planes have been a vital part of the airbase's missions, aiding in natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.