Army Aviators Demonstrate Inherent Flexibility During COVID
Director of Army Aviation / By BG Michael C. (Mac) McCurry:The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge around the world, and for all Americans. The military and its Servicemembers have borne a proportionate share of that burden while demonstrating a firm resolve to prevail. As the coronavirus spread across the country, one of the Army’s primary tasks became protecting the force so we could protect the Nation. Staying home when possible and practicing social distancing became our best line of defense against further spreading the disease, and our surest way to keep ourselves and loved ones healthy. For many Servicemembers,...
Learn MoreSince The Last Blue Book
Branch Chief’s Corner / By MG David J. Francis: I will start this article by expressing my appreciation and awe at how well the Aviation branch has continued to train and modernize the force through the current COVID crisis. Our leaders are not shying away from this fight! Some Of What We Have Done Over the past twelve months, our branch produced some phenomenal results for our Soldiers, our training capability, and Aviation modernization. People first – we retained 600 great Soldiers across the force. The retention of these professionals significantly enhances our ability to provide support to our fellow...
Learn MoreAround the Enterprise
President’s Cockpit / MG Jeff Schloesser, U.S. Army Retired: Welcome to our annual Army Aviation Blue Book! It provides the “who is who” of the bread and butter units, organizations, and teams that make Army Aviation the pride of our Army and a much sought after capability on the battlefield or in deterring potential strategic competitors. Co. B “Big Windy,” and Co E, 1-214th General Support Aviation Battalion practice field refueling on Jan. 23, 2020 in the Republic of Cyprus./ U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY MAJ ROBERT FELLINGHAM This issue also includes the announcement of the 312 Army Aviation Soldiers and...
Learn MorePCS Moves During A Pandemic
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: It’s a new world order because of COVID-19, and it is causing a major change for military families making PCS moves. The following information was derived from multiple sources, to include an article by Karen Jowers in Military Times: Pay & Benefits June 17, 2020 “As military moves restart, it’s still a PCS season.” Peak season in years gone by normally began May 15 thru the end of August, but this year there was an 82% decrease when military orders got backlogged, moves subsequently got backlogged, moving companies in some areas experienced labor shortages,...
Learn MoreCOVID-19 Reflections & Resources
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: While the COVID virus is pandemic and no one is immune, our members have adjusted and realigned their priorities, and I thank them for sharing with us. GRAPHIC BY THE AUTHOR’S GRANDDAUGHTER, MEGHAN HUTTO Robbie and COL Shane Kimbrough, NASA, Houston, Texas: Our feelings about this unprecedented time are mixed. We wake up every day thankful for our family’s health. We are glad because our parents are all doing well. In daily life, we have gone from being “empty nesters” to having a full house of 3 “twenty somethings”. We are up for the...
Learn MoreWomen’s Health
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By MAJ (Dr.) Laura S. Ball: Q: For female aviators, what are the flight approved contraceptive methods and are there any women’s health requirements for flight physicals? Photo: Army.mil FS: In the US, approximately 45% of pregnancies are unintended. Within the military, the number of unplanned pregnancies is even higher. Having a reliable form of contraception is an important consideration for women in the military since there are some regulatory limitations that go along with pregnancy. For example, women who are pregnant cannot deploy and serve in a combat zone. When it comes to Aviation,...
Learn MoreNCO Leadership
128th Aviation Brigade / By 1SG Zachary J. Ogilby: You started here, your Soldiers started here, and for the foreseeable future, every next-generation rotary wing maintenance Soldier will start here, in the 128th Aviation Brigade. NCOs from 128th AVN BDE administer the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) to AIT Soldiers./ 128TH AVN. BDE. COURTESY PHOTO This is not the Army Aviation Logistics School of yesterday and our organization has recently expanded its priorities. We’ve merged our fundamental mission of providing the world’s best-trained maintainers to the force with the development of our cadre into proven leaders. The brigade’s entire...
Learn MoreThe New Normal
This Is Your Army! / By GEN Paul E. Funk II: The coronavirus presents new challenges to the manner in which TRADOC generates combat power for the Army, and nowhere has this been felt more than at the Centers of Excellence. The responsibility borne by the Aviation Center cannot be understated – as they are the sole provider of fixed and rotary wing aviators for the United States Army. The nature of their business mandates training in close proximity, which posed – and continues to pose – a difficult challenge to both trainees and instructor pilots. The confined nature of...
Learn MoreStandardization in the Aviation Community
Reserve / By SGT Alex Morgan: Within the Aviation community, standardization and safety play a vital role in ensuring the effectiveness and safety of training and operations. SGT Joshua Maldonado, the standardization instructor in Company C, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, stresses the importance of standards and safety. “It’s one thing if a unit does things a certain way and it works for them, but what happens if a Soldier transfers to a different unit that does things differently? They might not have enough time to relearn that standard before it is time to execute...
Learn MoreModernizing In Stride – Training Focus
Branch Chief’s Corner / By MG David J. Francis: Over the last several months, I’ve talked about modernizing our fleets, updating our doctrine and refreshing our leadership development strategy. We must do all these things while remaining globally committed with a high OPTEMPO and building readiness to fight and win in a complex Large-Scale Combat Operation (LSCO) operating environment. U.S. Soldiers with B Company, 1st General Support Aviation Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade conduct door gunnery training at the Non-Rated Crew Member (NCM3) flight simulator on Aug. 15, 2018 at Storck Barracks, Illesheim. Germany. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO...
Learn More
