The Degraded Visual Environment
Aviation Support / By Mr. Shawn Gresham: To maintain Army Aviation’s asymmetric advantage over our enemies and mitigate risk, the Degraded Visual Environment (DVE) Product Office is committed to delivering solutions that will provide our pilots the capability to fly and maneuver in degraded visual environments. PM DVE COURTESY PHOTO MONTAGE The U.S. Army Aviation community defines a DVE as an environment of reduced visibility, wherein situational awareness of the aircrew or control of the aircraft can be completely lost, or cannot be maintained as comprehensively as they are during flight operations within clear or undiminished visibility. DVE conditions are...
Learn MoreAviation Networks and Mission Planning (ANMP)
Aviation Support / By Mr. Timothy J. Vinson and Mr. James M. Pruitt: To meet its mission, the Aviation Networks and Mission Planning (ANMP) Product Office provides the Army Aviation community with state-of-the-art interoperability, mission planning, maintenance, and operations tools that enhance crew members’ situational awareness (SA), command and control (C2), and safety. ANMP supports and interfaces with all aviation rotary wing, fixed wing, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) platforms; fielding products essential for the successful planning and execution of the Army Aviation mission set. Improved Data Modem (IDM) / ALL GRAPHICS/PHOTOS COURTESY AVN. SYS. PMO As we develop, update,...
Learn MoreToday’s Fight, Tomorrow’s Challenges
Aviation Survivability / By CW5 Christopher A. Johnson: As I begin my 4th year as the Project Manager for Aircraft Survivability Equipment, I am sincerely thankful for the incredible opportunity to protect our Nation’s most valuable assets – the lives of American Soldiers. And along with that reflection, I also marvel at the technical skills, dedication, professionalism, and passion that the ASE enterprise displays to accomplish that mission. Soldiers from JagerBattalion 291 pose in front of a Tiger Attack Helicopter and an AH-64 Apache from 12th Combat Aviation Brigade during exercise Strong Punch near Fritzlar, Germany. Strong Punch is an...
Learn MoreThe Aviation Safety Officer
Combat Readiness Center / By BG David J. Francis: For more than 40 years, aviation safety officers have proven an indispensable asset for commanders across the Army, both in peacetime and at war, at home and deployed. SPC Joseph Merrill, a door gunner with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, Task Force Lightning Horse, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade checks his passengers before taking off in Afghanistan./ U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY 25TH CBT. AVN. BDE. PAO There is little doubt they have played a tremendous role in sustaining the Army’s aviation fleet and preserving the lives of our aviators, all...
Learn MoreOver-the-Counter Cold Medications
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Jessica Warneke, D.O.: Q: Doc, a lot of guys are getting a cold and have started taking over-the-counter (OTC) meds. Are we supposed to come in to see you if we are taking OTC medications? Photo Credit: U.S. Army FS: As an aircrew member, you operate in an environment that requires you to be more aware, focused, and healthy than the typical Army population. The environment in which you operate is very unforgiving and one small mistake or error can be fatal. If you become sick over the weekend and take an OTC...
Learn MoreSolutions for Aviation Survivability
Tech Talk / By Mrs. Sammie M. Smith: Other than completing the mission at hand, warfighters strive to return home to family and friends, and the U.S. Army wants safe soldiers and equipment. A U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk assigned to Task Force Flying Dragons, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, 7th Infantry Division departs for a mission in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, July 6, 2017. / .S. ARMY PHOTO BY CPT BRIAN HARRIS, 16TH CAB Surviving without the properly qualified equipment makes those goals more difficult to attain. This is the area that the employees at...
Learn MorePost Career Civilian Opportunities for Army Aviation Maintainers
128th Aviation Brigade / By SSG Deniz Wesley: According to the Atlantic Journal-Constitution, the worldwide airline industry will need 34,000 new airplanes by 2031 (twice the current number) and 601,000 new aircraft maintenance technicians in the next 20 years to maintain that fleet. U.S. Army aviation maintenance training programs are recognized and accredited by the American Council on Education and produce some of the most technically competent Soldier-maintainers in the world. It seems as though the private sector has realized this valuable resource pool of future maintainers and is more than eager to provide former military aviation technicians unique –...
Learn MoreU.S. Army Reserve Aviation Assists In Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts
By BG Scott R. Morcomb: On August 26, just days before Harvey was scheduled to make landfall in the Houston, Texas area, elements of the Army Reserve Aviation Command (ARAC) readied themselves to respond to the needs of our nation’s citizens in Conroe, Texas. L to R: U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers from the Army Reserve Aviation Command, transport senior citizens off of an HH-60 MEDEVAC helicopter, to first responders in Conroe, Texas, Aug. 30. SGT Sara Cashdollar, a U.S. Army Reserve Flight Paramedic from Charlie Company, 7th Battalion (General Support Aviation) 158th Aviation Regiment, escorts a mother and her child...
Learn MoreEnlisted Aviation Soldier Spotlight
SSG Matthew A. DeckerCompany F, 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation RegimentFort Knox, Kentucky 2016 Army Aviation DUSTOFF Flight Medic of the Year AwardSponsored by Air Methods Corporation On 5 January 2016, SSG Decker was acting as the lead flight medic in response to an urgent MEDEVAC in the Helmand province, Afghanistan. Enroute to the point-of-injury the ground forces reported taking fire to the north and Air Weapons Team advised landing zone might not be secure. The crew decided to land, but upon landing the aircraft struck a wall and performed an emergency engine shutdown. SSG Decker immediately began treating the urgent...
Learn MoreAntidepressant Medications
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Steven E. Brown, D.O.: Q: I was prescribed an antidepressant medication but I’m not depressed. U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY CAPT. BRIAN HARRIS FS: The term antidepressant is a misnomer. While it is true that antidepressant medications are used to treat depression, they are also used to treat a wide variety of psychiatric disorders. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, anxiety and even premenstrual syndrome can be effectively treated with antidepressants under the right circumstances. Medication, however, is certainly not the only treatment option for any of these problems. With the help of a...
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