Headaches
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Laura S. Ball, D.O.: Q: Recently, I have been under a lot of stress and I have been getting more frequent headaches. I wasn’t sure what I could take and keep flying. So, I haven’t been taking anything. Is there something that I can try? FS: Headaches are very common. According to the American Academy of Family Practice, about one half of adults worldwide are affected by headaches. The symptoms of a headache can be quite varied with pain located anywhere along the head and exhibiting sharp, dull, throbbing or squeezing sensations. Some...
Learn MoreBuilding Aviation Mission Survivability and Readiness
Training and Simulation / By LTC Ryan K. Welch and MAJ Cameron G. Gallagher: “We must increase the tactical competence within our aviation warfighters to improve readiness for large scale combat operations (LSCO) while capitalizing on counterinsurgency (COIN) expertise resident across our branch. To do so, we must rebalance the tactical and technical knowledge we teach and evaluate in order to continue to provide an unparalleled advantage to the ground commander.” – MG William K. Gayler, Commanding General, USAACE, STACOM Message to TC 3-04.11 YOUR CAPTION HERE In preparing for large scale combat operations, U.S. Army aviation air crews and...
Learn MoreNo Time to Lose
Air Cavalry Leaders Course / By LTC Clifton Causey and MAJ Michael Gourgues: In the past, we assumed risk in training for combined arms maneuver against a near-peer threat. I am not willing to accept that risk anymore. – GEN Robert B. Abrams, 2018 FORSOM Command Training Guidance ACLC students conducting fires planning during the course of action (COA) Development phase of MDMP. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY CW4 SHAUN BRETH, ACLC COURSE SP After 16 years of fighting in a counter insurgency (COIN) environment, Aviation leaders planning against our near peer threats are inexperienced in the critical skills required...
Learn MoreMEDEVAC Proponency Update
By COL Michael F. Breslin: Over the past 17 years, Army Medicine has achieved unmatched survivability rates for Soldiers wounded on the battlefield. Army aeromedical evacuation has been an essential element of this success – speeding our wounded to medical treatment facilities and providing essential, lifesaving care enroute. The aeromedical evacuation force tailored itself to the operational environments of Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere; evolving doctrine (tactics, techniques, and procedures), organizations, training, materiel, leader development, personnel, and even policy (the 1-Hour Standard) to provide optimum results under the existing battlefield conditions. As we look to the projected future operating environment...
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 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...
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