Rotary Wing: Apache Helicopter
PM Update / By COL Joseph A. Hoecherl with COL (Ret) Robin D. Cofer: At the end of 2016, the Army took delivery of its 169th AH-64E Apache helicopter, which equates to 5 AH-64E battalions and almost 25% of the current Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) of 690 aircraft. Fielded units include 1-229th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB), 4-6 CAV, 1-101st ARB, 2-17 CAV, 7-17 CAV, and USAACE. The final technology insertion originally planned for the AH-64E production line, referred to as Version 6 (V6), provides the remaining technologies required to meet the approved requirements for the program. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO...
Learn MoreBirth Control
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Abigail Vargo, M.D: Q: Doc, I want to get a prescription for birth control. What are my options while on flight status? Homecoming ceremony at Fort Hood, Texas / U.S. Army photo by Spc. Sharla Lewis FS: Prescription birth control is safe and considered a Class 2A medication – it must be prescribed by a physician and reported on the annual flight physical. Estrogen or progesterone preparations do not require a waiver when used solely for contraception or hormone replacement following menopause or hysterectomy. There are many effective methods to prevent pregnancy. Choosing...
Learn MorePM-TRADOC Collaboration – A Thing of Beauty
128th Aviation Brigade / By SSG Neil R. Smith: The mission of Army Aviation is constantly evolving. With the evolution in tactics, techniques and procedures, comes training technological evolution. The L-7AY Multiplex, Avionics, Visionics, Weapons, Electrical Systems Trainer (MAVWEST) during acceptance testing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA./ U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SSG NEIL R. SMITH For more than a decade, the AH-64D Apache Longbow has been the U.S. Army’s premier attack helicopter and has performed outstandingly. In the normal evolution of technology, this tried and true warrior is being replaced by the latest attack helicopter, the AH-64E. It is still...
Learn MoreAviation Training Site Achieves Major Milestones
Eastern Army National Guard (ARNG) / By LTC(P) Gregg Clark and CSM (Ret.) Charles Reisinger: Last year, the Eastern ARNG Aviation Training Site (EAATS) achieved two major milestones – training and graduating the 10,000th enlisted Soldier; and breaking ground on the new Aviation Maintenance Instruction Building (AMIB) at Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA. SFC Sean Merrill, an instructor at the Eastern ARNG Aviation Training Site, discusses the Black Hawk primary servo with a class. / NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY SSG BROCK LICHTENFELS, EASTERN AATS In April 1989, National Guard Aviation determined the need to start enlisted training at the EAATS. The...
Learn MoreGaining and Maintaining the Edge on Aircraft Maintenance!
Branch Command Sergeant Major / By CSM Gregory M. Chambers: Gaining the edge on aircraft maintenance and maintaining aircraft maintenance proficiency takes leader engagement at all levels to be successful. Soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion (Attack/Recon), 229th Aviation Regiment gather near a unit AH-64D undergoing scheduled maintenance in September 2016 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY CSM GREGORY M. CHAMBERS More importantly, when we succeed at this as a branch, the branch and the Army succeeds. In this month’s issue of ARMY AVIATION magazine, the focus is on the Program Managers. I briefly talked about...
Learn MoreLiaison Engineers
Tech Talk / By Mr. Clarence Hitchings and Mr. Miguel Sanchez: You’re a maintainer performing a scheduled maintenance inspection on your UH-60M Black Hawk and you notice one of the main rotor blades has a small puncture on the upper honeycomb surface. You consult the current technical manual for this aircraft and to your surprise there is no repair for this area. Your production control and quality control come to the same conclusion so you ask your AMCOM Logistics Assistance Representative (LAR) who agrees with your assessment and tells you to contact your Liaison Engineer (LE). Liaison Engineers (LE) are...
Learn MoreAvionics Training
128th Aviation Brigade / By SSG Jerome Penwright, Jr.: Avionics is the amalgamation of two words, aviation and electronics. It is a general term for all electrical equipment used in Army aircraft. C/1-210th Avn. Regt. Chinook Avionics Trainer (CAT) with Instructor Operating Station, far right, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA./ 128th AVN BDE PHOTO BY SSG JEROME PENWRIGHT The Military Occupational Specialty 15N Avionics Repairer performs maintenance on tactical components the pilot directly uses, such as navigation, radio communication, survivability and flight control equipment. In addition, avionics repairers maintain other electronic systems not directly used by the pilot that control...
Learn MoreOut of Sight – Not Out of Mind
Reserve Components / By BG Scott R. Morcomb: On any given day, behind the pleasant noise of the cadenced and rhythmic prop wash, often lays a select few Army aviators who earn their pay above the clouds at 25,000 feet. Aviators from the Army Reserve Aviation Command assisted in the transfer of remains of U.S. Soldiers from the Mexican-American War. The multi-day mission required the aviators to fly into Monterrey, Mexico to retrieve the remains and then transport them to Dover Air Force Base for a Dignified Transfer Ceremony led by the U.S. Army’s Old Guard, Sept. 28. / U.S....
Learn MoreMoving Forward – Green Suit Maintainers In the Lead
AMCOM Command Sergeant Major / By CSM Glen Vela: As I travel and talk with aviation Soldiers and NCOs, I continue to notice a common theme. The departure from green suit led aircraft maintenance. An Aviation noncommissioned officer coaching, teaching, and mentoring an enlisted Soldier on maintenance procedures / U.S. ARMY PHOTO Let’s start by realizing that we have challenges with providing adequate maintenance training and development to an entire generation of leaders. This has resulted in Army Aviation becoming far too reliant on contract maintenance; moreover, it has directly impacted the development of our Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Corps which...
Learn MoreAre We Ready Tonight?
AMCOM Commander Update / By MG Douglas M. Gabram: Your cell phone goes off on a Sunday afternoon. You answer to hear the voice of your battalion commander, “I need all of the company commanders in my office at 1600 today. Aviation Soldiers performing sea port of embarkation (SPOE) operations in support of combatant command (COCOM) requirements / U.S. ARMY PHOTO Bring your deployable personnel status, your updated load plans, vehicle and aircraft maintenance status, the rest of the details we will discuss at HQ.” Hours later, you and your fellow company commanders emerge out of the battalion commander’s office....
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