Allergies
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...
Learn MoreEnjoying Life in the “Land of the Morning Calm”
Family Forum / By Lisa Calvert: If you tuned in for any coverage of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, you probably caught a glimpse of what South Korea has to offer. Did you wonder what it’s like for Soldiers and their families stationed there? Soldiers and family members of the 2nd Cbt. Avn. Bde. watch a Group B preliminary round of hockey between the USA and Olympic Athletes of Russia (OAR) at the Gangneung Hockey Center on February 17, 2018. / PHOTO BY CW3 ISAAC VASQUEZ Some people may think we are essentially dropped in a foreign land, where most...
Learn MoreAdjustment and Depressive Disorders
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Frank C. Stafford, D.O.: Q: Lately, I have been having problems sleeping, staying motivated and coping with stress. At times I feel hopeless and I wonder if I am depressed. Can I get the help I need and still fly? FS: Thank you for this important question. Symptoms of depression are common, rarely permanent and affect most people at some time in their lives. You may have depressive symptoms for many medical reasons and it does not necessarily mean you have a diagnosis of clinical depression or that you require medication or duty...
Learn MoreTraining for Large Scale Combat Operations
Aviation Branch Chief / By MG William K. Gayler: “ In today’s volatile operational environment, our Army must remain ready to answer the Nation’s call anywhere and anytime, with little or no notice. Because of this, readiness for large-scale ground combat is our first priority.” ADP-1 “The Army” Foreword Soldiers take up defensive positions after disembarking from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter during an air assault training mission in the Fort Drum training area in New York, Feb. 21, 2018. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SSG JAMES AVERY The recently published 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS) has substantial implications for Army...
Learn MorePreparing for Large Scale Combat Operations
Command Sergeant Major / By CSM Gregory M. Chambers: Is your platoon, company, battalion prepared to operate in large scale combat operations (LSCO)? Is your unit prepared to operate in a decentralized environment in a mixed team of Aviation platforms that is directly or indirectly embedded with our ground force maneuver elements? Is your current training plan focused on LSCO? Soldiers from the 198th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning, GA. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY PATRICK A. ALBRIGHT As our doctrine evolves there is one thing that will be constant, we must be embedded with our ground force maneuver elements....
Learn MoreWelcome to Nashville and the Summit
President’s Cockpit / By BG Steve Mundt, Ret.: The National Executive Group (NEG), the National Executive Board (NEB) and the entire AAAA Staff are so excited to welcome you back to Nashville and the 2018 AAAA Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit. It has been a challenging six years since Army Conference policy dramatically impacted the attendance of Soldiers and families at not-for profit professional development opportunities like the Summit. I am pleased to report that thanks to those leaders who came before me and the current NEG we have overcome that hurdle and this event this year is the largest...
Learn MoreCH-47F Block II Delivers a Mobility Advantage
Rotary Wing PM / COL Greg Fortier, LTC John Schmitt, and MAJ Shawn Naigle: In late September 1944, Operation Market Garden began with Allied paratroopers attempting to seize several bridges and secure a Rhein River crossing into Germany. While historians debate the success of the operation, the importance of controlling bridges across river obstacles in maneuver warfare is undeniable. Armies throughout history have used rivers as natural defensive obstacles or targeted them as key terrain for supply line interdiction; both techniques aimed to constrain the opposing forces on freedom of maneuver. Rapid bridge emplacements utilizing engineer bridging units are an...
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