Fair Winds Aloft
President’s Cockpit / By BG Steve Mundt, Ret.: Summer is in full swing but we want to take time to remember those who are deployed and away from those they love. We hope those who are with their loved ones are out enjoying the weather and some much deserved time off! It is important to note that AAAA is also in full swing and moving out on a number of fronts. First, I am pleased to announce that the 2018 AAAA Annual Summit has already sold out the majority of the exhibit area with well over $2M in revenue. Yes...
Learn MoreMaple Resolve 2017
From the Field / By LTC David L. Magness: With the last ember of daylight on a cool Canadian spring night, American infantrymen lay prone in their fighting positions. Mosquitos had come out in earnest during the almost two hour long sunset, and the ground was soaked by three days of rain. Soldiers manning their posts strain to see or hear any sign of the enemy. The buzzing of insects is soon replaced by the distant but all too familiar whoop of CH-146 Griffon helicopters. Sun sets at Airfield 21, Wainright, Canada, as C/1-169th MEDEVAC conducts live hoist operations while...
Learn MoreHelp For Our Heroes
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: It was an exciting time to be in Nashville attending the 2017 AAAA Summit! For those who were not able to participate, I would like to share what I learned about two wonderful not-for profit organizations who were exhibiting there (gratis AAAA). Retired Marine Sergeant Adam Kisielewski and his family posed for a photo in their specially adapted home in Lillington, North Carolina, while Homes for Our Troops was producing a video about “Rebuilding Lives” to be released in June 2017. / PHOTO BY HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS I was impressed with both because...
Learn MoreAviation Collective Training at a Crossroads
Simulation / By Mr. Daniel Finch: The future of aviation collective training in the virtual environment is obscure at best. Retirement, at what some might consider an early age, is on the horizon for the Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT). AVCATT also happens to be the only collective training capability in the aviation arsenal. The training device has been on the scene since 2003, and with only a combined fourteen years of service, it is arguable that AVACTT has never reached its full potential. This is especially true when considering the lifespan of AVCATT has fallen completely within the...
Learn MoreLeading the Way – Giving Back to the Force
Special Ops / By COL Philip Ryan, CW5 Michael Hardy, and CSM Christopher Bosowski: The bonds between Army Aviation and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) run deep and strong. We’ve shared the same desert airspace, flown around the same harsh and unforgiving peaks, choked on the same dust, fought the same enemy, and, ultimately, bled the same blood. The Regiment traces the roots of its distinguished history to Army Aviation, the famed 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to be exact; the Regiment could not exist as it does today without the lifeblood of Army Aviation. An MH-60 conducts...
Learn MoreObstructive Sleep Apnea
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Albert J. Lee, MD: Q: I have sleep apnea. I use a breathing machine while sleeping. Why is it a disqualifying condition? What other treatments can pilots use? What medical documentation do I need for this physical and future physicals? Soldiers, who are deployed, average just three hours of sleep a night. / DAVID VERGUN, ARMY.MIL FS: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition where a person stops breathing or has difficulty breathing due to an obstruction of the airway during sleep. When breathing becomes inefficient or stops, the brain will send a signal...
Learn MoreNoncommissioned Officer and Advance Individual Training Platoon Sergeant of the Year
128th Aviation Brigade / By SFC Craig M. Sunstedt: On 9 March 2017, the winners of the 128th Aviation Brigade (AVN BDE) Fiscal Year 17 NCOY/PSOY competition were announced during a ceremony held on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. SSG Brittany Barfield negotiates the last of 15 obstacles during the first day of competition. SSG Mathew Johnson from Charlie Company 2nd Battalion, 210th Aviation Regiment took the NCO of the Year honors and SSG Brittany Barfield from Delta Company 1st Bn., 222nd Avn. Regt. took the Platoon Sergeant of the Year honors. Of the 519 NCOs assigned to the 128th AVN...
Learn MoreReleasing Untapped Potential
Reserve / By COL J. Ray Davis and Mr. Christopher Flemming: Winds were out of the south at 10 knots with the temperature nearing 80 degrees (F) as the cannon boomed to start the Army Birthday Run. Det. 1/B/642nd ASB, SCARNG, Jan. 23, 2017, Camp Buehring, Kuwait with the first in-theater-completed AH-64E phase inspection. (left to right) SSG Cori Simmons, SPC Christopher Powell, SSG Todd Sturgell, SSG Brock Thomas, SPC Jesse Gable, SPC Ean Laubach, SGT Thomas Brown, SGT Tim McCoy, SPC Robert Waller, SPC Joseph Nalley, SGT Joshua Sligh, SSG Nathan Bloom, SGT Peter Savarese, SGT Robert Rutledge, WO1...
Learn MoreNCO Contributions in the Current Fight
ARSOAC CSM / By CSM Stephen H. Helton: I recently completed battlefield circulation of our Army Special Operations Aviation (ARSOA) deployed elements. I wanted to take this opportunity to share my thoughts and provide assessments with regard to aviation NCO leadership currently and in the future. Soldiers in the USASOAC take notes as they are instructed on the next training event. / ARSOAC COURTESY PHOTO ARSOA elements are deployed to numerous locations around the globe. They operate in relatively small teams for limited duration in support of specific, tailored mission sets. I was struck with the diversity of mission requirements...
Learn MoreSuccessful Aviation Warrant Officer Career Defined
ARSOAC CWOB / By CW5 Mark A. Meyer: There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. — Colin Powell As a senior warrant officer, I have been asked many times during leader professional development (LPDs), what is considered a successful career as an aviation warrant officer? I refer back to a mentor of mine, CW5(Ret.) Robert Huffman, who wrote an article when he worked at the aviation proponent in 2003. At the time I was a CW3 working as the chief of warrant officer recruiting for United States Army Recruiting...
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