Increasing Army Aviation Warfighting Skills
Aviation Branch Chief Update / By MG William K. Gayler: Throughout its history, Army Aviation has faithfully provided sustained, dependable, and professional support to commanders and Soldiers on the ground. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, “Big Windy,” conduct operations with CH-47 Chinook helicopters at Inowroclaw, Poland during Saber Strike 18, June 6, 2018. Saber Strike 18 facilitates cooperation between U.S., Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish and other allied and partner nations to improve joint operational capability in a variety of missions. This year’s exercise anticipates participants from 19 different countries distributed across four nations./ U.S....
Learn MoreLeveraging Simulations into Training
By CSM Brian N. Hauke: I will begin my first contribution to ARMYAVIATION Magazine by acknowledging and thanking Command Sergeant Major Greg Chambers for his 30 months of service to our branch as the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Aviation Branch Command Sergeant Major. Armament and avionics maintainers with Task Force Viper, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, prepare AH-64 Apache helicopters at the Baumholder Airfield, Baumholder Military Training Area, Germany, May 7-9, 2018. >Greg’s dedicated service has made and will continue to have lasting impacts across our branch for years and years to come....
Learn MoreFARP Team Support to Special Operations Aviation
By CPT Ryan G. Brown: In order to deliver the nation’s most elite Special Operations Forces (SOF) to the target, Army Special Operations Aviation (ARSOA) flight leads and mission planners maintain a precise balance between fuel, power and cargo. 4-160th SOAR Soldiers conduct FARP team training and evaluation at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. / ALL GRAPHICS/PHOTOS COURTESY U.S. ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS AVIATION COMMAND Every precious pound of fuel adds time on station, but also takes a pound away from the ground force, making fuel a significant mission planning factor. Fuel can also be a significant mission limiting factor in austere,...
Learn MoreALSE: A Special Operations Aviation Perspective
By CW5 Eli Mayers: We live in a day and age where advances in aviation technology come so fast that it’s hard to keep up. From state-of-the-art flight control systems, efficient and powerful engines, to advances in communication and navigation, the landscape of Army Aviation is ever evolving in complexity and capability. ALL GRAPHICS/PHOTOS COURTESY U.S. ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS AVIATION COMMAND The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (SOAR(A)) is always at the forefront of these endeavors, attempting to create the most lethal and efficient flying machines possible. Over the past three years, the 160th Aviation Life Support Equipment (ALSE)...
Learn MoreThe Forefront of SOF UAS Training
By CSM Billy D. Webb and MAJ Seth Gulsby: Young and talented unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operators are deployed to two different areas of responsibility and are at the front of UAS operations that demonstrate a unique understanding of the operational environment with a skill that the ground force they support has come to trust. The MQ-1C Gray Eagle is a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system. / ARSOAC COURTESY PHOTO So how did these SOF UAS operators get to this point? Having just completed the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) Green Platoon Combat Skills Course (EGP), these young Special...
Learn MoreAviation Command Team Update for Spouses
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: How do you spell success? With another AAAA Summit at the Opryland! Opportunities abounded to see old friends, meet new ones, honor awardees, enjoy a fun Big & Rich concert, and the opportunity to hear an honest and candid update from our USAACE Command Team. AAAA President, BG (Ret.) Steve Mundt, makes a point during the Spouse professional session with the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence command team, MG Bill Gayler (center), CW5 Joe Roland (left), and CSM Greg Chambers. / AAPI PHOTO BY RENÉ BIDEZ MG William Gayler, CW5 Joseph Rowland, CSM...
Learn MoreAllergies
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Gurdeep Buttar, M.D.: Q: I’m a 26 year old pilot, who just moved to Ft. Rucker, Alabama for specialized training. I’ve always had seasonal allergies, but this year has been the worst. I have a runny nose, nasal congestion, and a nagging cough. I think I need something stronger than over-the-counter medications, but I am concerned that prescription medications may make me drowsy in the cockpit. What options do I have to treat my allergies, but still be safe flying? FS: Seasonal allergies are a very common health concern whose symptoms present when...
Learn MoreARSOA 2035: Maintaining the Strategic and Technological Advantage
By BG John R. Evans, Jr.: The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), the operational arm of U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (ARSOAC), has to be postured and ready at all times. Today, the ARSOAC has Soldiers and helicopters positioned across the globe supporting our special operators. They face an enemy that presents complex and ambiguous challenges that we must be prepared to meet. Several factors and patterns contribute to the future operating environment ARSOA units will contend with in the 2035 time frame. Meeting those future challenges requires a calculated approach while rapidly adapting to meet tomorrow’s threats and...
Learn MoreBiggest and Best AAAA Summit Yet!
President’s Cockpit / By BG Steve Mundt, Ret.: WOW! It is so hard to believe that a year has come and gone since you elected me and the other members of the National Executive Group to our current positions at last year’s Annual Summit. We are all honored and humbled to serve you, our 17,000 members, and your families. Members of the Army Aviation “Six-Pack” gathered to celebrate at the Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, April 26, 2018 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville, TN. From the left: BG Thomas H. Todd III, Program Executive Officer,...
Learn MoreInches or Seconds – The Near Miss
Combat Readiness Center / By BG David J. Francis: During the past few months, the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center collected results from several recent “close call” or “near miss” mishaps. By near miss, I mean that while the mishap did not meet the criteria of a Class A accident due to cost or a fatality, a small difference in conditions — inches or seconds — could have caused the mishap to be much worse than it was. A flight crew with the Maryland National Guard’s 224th Aviation Regiment conducts a brief before a mission to insert troops into battle...
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