UAS Warriors
By CSM Brian N. Hauke: I hope this finds everyone having had a phenomenal summer with some well-deserved time off. If you were able to get away and work on that balance I discussed a couple issues ago, congratulations. If not, please take some time for yourself over the rapidly approaching holidays. Retroactive Award of Army Aviation Badge Update First, I wanted to thank SGM (Ret.) James Minor who served over 29 years in Army Aviation across four different MOSs 93H, 93J, 93C, and 93P with multiple combat tours for initially contacting both AAAA and the Branch asking for clarification...
Learn MoreEvolving UAS Integration Past, Present and Future
CWOB Update / By CW5 Frank Volpe: Prior to 9/11, the Army only had corps-level Hunter UAS. These ~two dozen aircraft were equipped with basic electro optical/ infra-red (EO/IR) capability and operated well above the coordinating altitude in restricted/combat airspace with little to no impact on rotary wing Aviation. VISUAL BY ANNE EWING Fast forward to today; UAS has grown to well over 8,000 aircraft of varying sizes comprised of both programs of record (PORs) and non-standard commercial off the shelf (COTS) systems. These UAS support maneuver units from 100ft Above Highest Obstacle (AHO) to 25,000 ft. MSL in both...
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Branch Chief’s Corner / By MG David J. Francis: There is a reason the Army has selected six priority systems as the centerpiece of the Army modernization strategy. An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter with the 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division hovers just over the tree line to mask itself against ground observation, as part of the culminating force on force exercise of Combined Resolve XII at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany Aug. 22, 2019. Combined Resolve is a biannual U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army Training Command-led exercise intended to...
Learn MoreThrottle Full Open!
President’s Cockpit / MG Jeff Schloesser, U.S. Army Retired: October was a busy month for us at AAAA, as we held our semiannual National Executive Board meeting on Sunday, 13 October, followed by an AAAA Past President’s reception. AAAA National President MG (Ret.) Jeff Schloesser welcomes members of the Army Aviation Congressional Caucus and Army Aviation senior leaders to the Congressional Caucus breakfast at the Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC, October 17, 2019. / AAPI PHOTO BY BILL HARRIS At the board meeting we featured for the first time a conference call-in capability, and we received very positive feedback...
Learn MoreThe Art of Communications
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: Communicating with your children in a positive way is an agreed upon premise and one that can be further explored without this forum “preaching to the choir.” “Parenting” (quoted from John Rosemond in our Augusta Chronicle Newspaper), means “going to great lengths to ensure their child does not experience frustration, hardships, defeat, failure, insult, rejection, unhappiness or anything else that goes along with living an authentic life. It is a vain attempt to emancipate a child and as a result, parents could be inadvertently holding their child back from becoming a rational, responsible, emotionally-resilient,...
Learn MoreA Change to the Aviation Training Mindset
Aviation Survivability / By CW5 James O. VanMeter: As the Army prepares for the possibility of a Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) against a peer/near-peer adversary, the mission of Army Aviation is evolving to meet the needs of the War-fighter. This evolution in training and readiness will provide increased aircrew survivability and maneuver force flexibility. To enable this training program the Aviation Mission Survivability Officer (AMSO) track has undergone a total restructure. At every command level in a combat aviation brigade (CAB) the AMSO plays a vital role in preparing aircrews for the tactical missions within a complex, contested battlespace....
Learn MoreDental Readiness
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By: CPT(P) Jessica Warneke, D.O.: Q: Hey Doc, I am supposed to have some dental work done tomorrow morning including having a tooth pulled. I’m good to fly that afternoon, right? Photo: army.mil FS: Unfortunately, the answer to this often-asked question is most likely “no.” Usually, a simple dental cleaning without medications or injections will not keep you from performing flight duties. However, more involved dental procedures like fixing a crown, or having cavities filled, usually requires the use of local anesthetic injections or prescription medications. Complex procedures, like extracting teeth or having a root...
Learn MoreOne Army! One Standard! Two Pay Scales?
Reserve Components / By BG Jami C. Shawley, COL Andrew D. Cecil, CW5 Michael G. Siedler, and CSM Juddiah G. Mooso: Readiness is Number One. There is no other Number One. A key driver of readiness in Army Reserve Aviation is Non-Rated Crewmembers (NRCM). SFC Mark Judd (second from right), an aircraft components repair supervisor and platoon sergeant with D Co, 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, 244th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, poses for a photo with the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew who flew the aircraft for his in-flight reenlistment ceremony near Camp Buehring, Kuwait, June 18, 2019. / U.S....
Learn MoreReducing NMCM to Increase the FMC Rate
AMCOM Command Sergeant Major Update / By CSM Mike Dove: What is Non Mission Capable Maintenance (NMCM) time? How is it calculated? Why is it important? How can we reduce the NMCM time? Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery are getting acquainted with the UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters during sling load training./ U.S. ARMY PHOTO GEN Perna, the commander of the United States Army Materiel Command, has asked the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) to see what we can do to reduce our NMCM time in order to achieve a Fully Mission Capable (FMC)...
Learn MoreThree Yards and a Cloud of Dust
Aviation Branch Maintenance / By CW5 Michael D. Cavaco: Over the last three to four years the Aviation Enterprise has made some impressive strides in increasing unit readiness. This success is due to several efforts, most importantly is the aviation leader and maintainers planning and execution of maintenance actions. This is just the beginning; I’d assess we are on the twenty yard line… our own twenty yard line. We can and must continue to drive down the field. Soldiers assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment (Attack Reconnaissance) conduct 500 hours phase maintenance on an AH-64 Apache helicopter...
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