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Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional


Team Update / By MG Walter T. Rugen with LTC John Michael McClean: Since my update last year, the Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team (FVL CFT) remains on glideslope with the Aviation Enterprise, Joint Services, and industry partners to deliver transformational maneuver and tempo to our Army’s corps and divisions, and I am excited about the future. Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional The Arcturus JUMP 20 lands at Fort Benning, GA during the FTUAS Rodeo, March 2021. Moving ahead and building on our past, I look forward to the Experimental Demonstration Gateway Event (EDGE) 21 this May to test out new tactics,...

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Army Aviation Excels in Spite of Pandemic


Leadership Update / By BG Michael C. “Mac” McCurry: Wow! Two years certainly flies by (no pun intended), especially when pushing through contingency deployments, global re-posture, an election/confirmation cycle, and… a global pandemic! When I took the seat as Director of Army Aviation in the Pentagon in June of 2019, I could never have seen this coming. It has been a hard and challenging time for our nation and our Army, but our great aviation leaders, pilots, and maintainers out there persevered and kept Army Aviation at the forefront. I will highlight the unprecedented actions of the team below. Crew members...

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Lyme Disease


Ask the Flight Surgeon / By MAJ (Dr.) Sarah B. Snyder: Q: I enjoy recreational hiking and camping outdoors during the spring and summer months but recently heard about a tick-borne illness called Lyme disease. What is Lyme disease and what are the common signs and symptoms to watch out for after spending time outdoors? FS: Lyme disease is a bacterial infection of the blood, or bacteremia, transmitted to humans by the bite of a deer tick called Ixodes scapularis. It is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. Lyme disease is caused by the mobile, corkscrewed bacteria Borrelia...

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Aircraft Survivability Equipment Qualification Criteria


Tech Talk / By Mr. Corbin Stillwell: The Army Military Airworthiness Certification Criteria (AMACC) developed by the U.S. Army Development Command Aviation& Missile Center (DEVCOM AvMC) is the guiding document for Airworthiness (AW) Qualification for Army aviation. A California Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Company B, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, fires countermeasures while flying over Jalalabad, Afghanistan, May 20, 2016. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SSG IAN M. KUMMER, 40TH CBT. AVN. BDE. PUBLIC AFFAIRS Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE), though considered non-flight-critical, is covered in the AMACC. The AMACC defines the purpose of ASE...

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Deployment Through the Eyes of National Guard Spouses


Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: Soldiers from National Guard units have gained national attention as we watched their mobilization to D.C. in January, but what about those who are currently deployed? The 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade deployed to Kuwait and outposts in Syria in September and won’t return until late spring in support of Operation Inherent Resolve designed to defeat DAESH (ISIS). I acquired a greater and genuine appreciation for the service of their spouses and how they are coping with this separation after interviewing a few of them. Members of Susan Girvin’s church family provided cookies for...

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The Membership Corner


Liaison officers (LNOs) have been stationed at Fort Rucker since 1956. One person who has served as the British LNO is Lieutenant Colonel Claire Curry. Claire and her husband, Colonel Ian Curry, currently live in Wiltshire, England, just over 5 miles from Stonehenge. Lt. Col. Claire and Col. Ian Curry / LTC CURRY PERSONAL PHOTO Claire left Exeter University in 1993, joined the Reserves and took a job working in London. Claire decided that she could work for a Blue-Chip company anytime, but not join the Army later in life, so in 1996 she joined Commissioning Course 962 at the...

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Looking Forward, Looking Back


How the Army Addressed the 4th Quarter Class A Aviation Accident Spike / By COL Ronald Ells and LTC Randy James: Last year, we reported that FY19 had the fewest fatalities on record, and while we cannot boast the same for FY20, the Aviation Branch remained tenacious in its approach to Aviation safety. FY20 was the safest year in Army Aviation history in both the total number of Class A mishaps (6) and the Class A mishap rate per 100K flying hours (0.63), a 50% reduction in one year alone. FY16-20 is the safest five-year period in Army Aviation history...

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Aeromedical Considerations for Common Shoulder Injuries


Ask the Flight Surgeon / By MAJ (Dr.) Christopher Grace: Q: I am a CH-47 pilot that has been dealing with worsening right shoulder pain and I think it’s time to get it looked at. What do I need to know about seeking treatment for my shoulder pain? FS: The shoulder joint is comprised of two bones: the upper arm bone (humerus) that forms a round bony prominence that fits into the socket of the shoulder blade (scapula). Surrounding the joint are muscles, their tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and the labrum that can all be sources of pain. DVIDS / Sgt....

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Hover Performance: The “No-Kidding” Requirement


CCDC Avn Tech Talk / Dr. Thomas L. Thompson: The Army’s next generation of rotorcraft will fly significantly faster and farther than our current fleet, but they will continue to perform missions that require them to takeoff/land vertically and hover out-of-ground effect (HOGE) at high altitudes for extended periods of time. CH-47F hovering at high-altitude./ U.S. ARMY PHOTO While the need for increased speed and range will change the look of Future Vertical Lift (FVL) aircraft, the unchanging requirement for HOGE capability will dictate (from an efficiency standpoint) that they remain rotorcraft – aircraft that generate vertical thrust more efficiently...

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Cluster Operations in the 128th


128th Aviation Brigade / By CPT Trenton Conyers: As 2020 ended, the 128th Aviation Brigade postured itself to conduct Holiday Block Leave for all the trainees and cadre as it does every year. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, however, this mission posed new challenges to leaders within the Brigade. The commander’s goal from the beginning was to maximize Soldier participation in this leave period and to do so as safely as possible, utilizing a series of COVID-19 mitigation strategies at every juncture. The most critical strategy in this was the creation of student “clusters” upon return from Holiday Block Leave which would help...

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