Army Aviation Sustainment During LSCO
Branch Chief’s Corner / By MG David J. Francis: Sustainment will be a core warfighting function for future warfare. Our enterprise has to take a close look at how we execute aviation maintenance and how we design logistical systems that support Large Scale Combat Operations. The Army expects Army Aviation will be capable of generating support to operational maneuver forces with integrated aviation sustainment capability. That capability must be designed to support an agile, adaptive, and modernized expeditionary aviation force capable of winning during Large Scale Combat Operations across multiple domains. Future aviation maintenance operations require dispersed execution in austere environments,...
Learn MoreSummit On-Time, On-Target for April!
President’s Cockpit / MG Tim Crosby, U.S. Army Retired: It’s a new year and new opportunities are ahead as we look forward to holding our first AAAA Annual Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit in two years! April 3-5, 2022 at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN are the dates. Hard to believe we are barely over 60 days away by the time you read this. Chief of Staff, GEN Jim McConville will be our keynote speaker on Monday and we have a packed agenda with everything from our Branch leadership led by MG Dave Francis, to simulation, Warrant Officer and...
Learn MoreSuicide Is A National Tragedy. We All Need To Help Stop It!
AAAA Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer and MG Jeff Schlosser, U.S. Army Retired : We have another epidemic on our hands between mental health issues and especially suicides. During the second quarter of this year, 139 Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve Military Soldiers took their lives. An estimate by Brown University Costs of War Project, shows 30,177 vets and active-duty personnel have died by suicide since 9/11, while 7,057 have died while deployed and engaged in the wars. Also, alarming is suicide among teenagers and college students. Suicide is a reaction which involves voluntarily taking one’s life and...
Learn MoreFuture Vertical Lift Program Critical to Achieving Strategic Objectives
Branch Chief’s Corner / By MG David J. Francis: : The Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program is a critical component of a much larger endeavor to meet the challenges of the future operational environment. The design and development of our FARA and FLRAA platforms ensure the Army, as part of the joint force, can rapidly converge effects at the time and place of our choosing across all domains to present multiple dilemmas to our adversaries. Army formations, operating as part of the Joint Force, will focus on the penetration and dis-integration of enemy anti-access and area denial systems, then exploit...
Learn MoreAtrial Fibrillation
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT (Dr.) ) R. John Paul Gingerich: Q: My brother was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. What do you know about atrial fibrillation and what could it mean for me if I was diagnosed with it? FS: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common heart problem which affects the rhythm of the heart. Commonly referred to as “A. Fib,” it affects over 2 million people in the Unites States. In 2019, nearly 150 cases of AF were diagnosed in Active-Duty service members. What causes Atrial Fibrillation? The heart has four chambers: two atria and two ventricles,...
Learn MoreBack on Track and Celebrating the Holidays
President’s Cockpit / MG Tim Crosby, U.S. Army Retired: I trust that everyone enjoyed a wonderful holiday season… seems like Santa Claus sent me all the bills. Maybe you got some too. I hope you were able to take some time and celebrate the holidays and to give thanks for all that we have and especially our families who have stood with us through 20 years of war, the Covid pandemic, and the associated personal challenges over this past year. For those of you out there keeping us safe, we appreciate the sacrifices you make for our country and our...
Learn MoreExercise Supplements in Aviation
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Karl Swinson, MD, MPH: Q: Hey doc, I am interested in taking some exercise supplements. I know we are supposed to adhere to AR 40-8, but it isn’t very specific. What can I take and what can’t I take? FS: With the exercise community gaining traction and speed nowadays the supplement market has exploded in popularity and diversity of products. With many of these products being over the counter (OTC) you may wonder why so many of these products are not flight compatible. The answer, while being multifactorial, is quite simple. At the...
Learn MorePulmonary Embolism
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By LTC Theresa M. Long, M.D., F.S., M.P.H.: Q: I am a 37-year-old CH-47 pilot. I have done multiple overseas deployment. Until my most recent redeployment, I was in excellent health. I was a marathon runner, with no chronic medical problems other than seasonal allergies. The only medications I take are birth control pills and seasonal allergy medications as needed. A few days after reaching state-side I started having some shortness of breath and was subsequently diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism. What is a pulmonary embolism and how is it going to affect my flying...
Learn MoreFully Integrated Army Aviation Sustainment and Maintenance Capability
Branch Chief’s Corner / By MG David J. Francis: Army Aviation remains an expeditionary force and a dynamic option for maneuver commanders at all echelons We organize, man, train, and equip our organizations to deploy anywhere in the world, at any time, in any environment, against any adversary, to accomplish its assigned mission. Essential to our expeditionary nature is sustainment and support that is suitable for the mission and the environment. SSG Odale Bell performs post-flight maintenance checks on a CH-47 during Defender Europe in Bulgaria, April 30, 2021. Shifting Focus Over the past 20 years, our focus was on...
Learn MoreModernizing Our Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Branch Chief’s Corner / By MG David J. Francis: The next version of FM 3.0, to be published next summer, identifies the Division as the unit of action in Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO). The Combat Aviation Brigade is one of the most lethal and flexible tools the Division Commander has to shape the deep fight, synchronize the close fight and manage transition. Army Aviation will play a significant role in synchronizing the execution of reconnaissance and security for combined arms forces. The ability to gain and maintain enemy contact, report rapidly and accurately, and provide reaction time and maneuver...
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