Army Wife
By Vicki Cody / Reviewed By Colonel Jimmy F. Blackmon, U.S. Army Retired: A Story of Love and Family in the Heart of the Army. On the eve of my second tour to Iraq, my wife and I traveled to Niagara Falls for a weekend getaway. As we discussed the pending deployment she explained, “Jimmy, there is a difference in leaving and being left.” I vividly recalled this experience and that particular comment when I read Vicki Cody’s wonderful new book, “Army Wife”. Vicki opens a window through which readers are able to experience Army family life. From the day she began dating a...
Learn MorePhase Maintenance Inspection Briefs
By MAJ Cristian Robbins, CPT Benjamin Wynia, and 1LT Andrew Petefish: Rebuilding a $38 million dollar helicopter for combat is a matter of life and death, and the Army entrusts the task to a 23-year-old corporal. This is not a new symptom of budget cuts or bureaucracy run amok. This is how the Army develops new leaders of character. In early December, CPL Nolan Tiller presented the 200-hour Phase Maintenance Inspection (PMI) brief for a CH-47F aircraft. His phase brief identified the problems with the helicopter and outlined a plan to systematically rebuild it to be fully mission capable. The...
Learn MoreIntroducing the Future of Army Aviation Maintenance
By LTC Joseph M. Herman with Mr. Oswald Ingraham: An AH-64E Lot 4 enhanced aircraft was enroute from Redstone Arsenal, Alabama to Mesa, Arizona when the aircraft transmitted a message to the monitoring ground personnel that the LINK 16 battery was low. If the LINK 16 battery fails, the LINK 16 Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) must be returned to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for repair. A Problem, Plan, Part, People, Time and Tool (P4/T2) analysis was conducted while the aircraft was in flight allowing Boeing to check their stockage for batteries and prepare to replace the low battery upon...
Learn MoreWest Point’s Academic Flight Program
By LTC Richard Melnyk, MAJ Brent Pafford, CPT Daniel Brown, and CPT Drew Curriston: For decades, the academic flight program at the United States Military Academy (USMA) has operated nonstandard fixed-wing aircraft to promote excellence in aeronautical engineering. The mission of USMA is to educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the United States Army. A Cessna 182 assigned to the U.S. Military Academy...
Learn MoreDepot Operations in Support of Army Aviation
Aviation Maintenance / By COL Allan H. Lanceta and Brigitte Rox: I am honored to begin my tenure as the Commander of Corpus Christi Army Depot. As a career Army Aviator, I am proud to lead the greatest team of aircraft support professionals in the Army’s organic industrial base. Each change of command ceremony evokes a new era for the Depot. This twenty-fifth change in leadership coincides with a year of significant shifts in Army Aviation as CCAD sets the course for an unpredictable future with reduced resources and increasing challenges. As CCAD’s commander, I will focus the Depot on...
Learn MoreCOARNG Aviation Assists in Fighting Cold Springs Fire
From Colorado National Guard News Releases: Nearly 75 Colorado National Guard Soldiers and Airmen were activated to aid civil authorities at the Cold Springs fire near Nederland. A Colorado Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk from Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, CO, drops water in support of civil authorities at the Cold Spring Fire in Nederland, Colo., July 11, 2016. / U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY SSG JOSEPH K. VONNIDA Operating under Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper’s executive order to assist the incident commander in fighting the fire, aircrews from the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment based at the...
Learn MoreKidney Stones
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By MAJ Sonya Horwell, MD: Q: I had kidney stones before and I never want to have them again. What are they? What can I do to prevent them from ever happening again? Why do I have to go through more evaluations to get a waiver if they passed already? US ARMY PHOTO FS: Kidney stones are a common medical condition affecting 1 out of 11 people and are composed of naturally-occurring substances in the body: calcium, oxalate, cysteine, or uric acid. These chemicals can crystallize in the urine and become large in size, resulting...
Learn MoreNew Depot Technical Data
Tech Talk / By Mr. Kevin Rees: The Aviation Branch is in the midst of a major upgrade cycle for our aircraft systems. Current fielding efforts are underway for the UH-60M, CH-47F, and AH-64E. And additional upgrades are planned with the UH-60V and CH-47F block II. A technician works on a UH-60M blade at Corpus Christi Army Depot, TX. / AMRDEC AED PHOTO These aircraft, and their associated components, are often significantly different than their predecessors when it comes to the details of their design. They may have higher power engines, higher torque transmissions, wider chord blades, and/or single piece...
Learn MoreFrom NCOES to NCOPDS
128th Aviation BrigadeComponents Aviation / By CSM Drury M. Puckett III: Our Army is currently in the process of evolving from the old Noncommissioned Officer Education System (NCOES) to the new Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development System (NCOPDS). USAACE NCOA Students performing litter carry event during Iron Squad Competition / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SFC STEPHANIE SMITH, USAACE NCOA, JBLE, VA The change is based on the strategy outlined in Training and Doctrine (TRADOC) command’s NCO 2020. The strategic vision of NCO 2020 is a “Noncommissioned Officer Development System integrated and synchronized in the development of the next generation of competent...
Learn MoreNo Boredom Here…
Reserve Components Aviation / By COL J. Ray Davis: Greetings again from your Army National Guard (ARNG). This month I’d like to review where we stand on the major initiatives that Guard Aviation is tackling, as part of the larger Army Aviation Enterprise. New Jersey Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawks with the 1-150th Assault Helicopter Battalion participate in a joint training airborne operation at Coyle Drop Zone, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., March 12, 2016. / U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY MASTER SGT. MARK C. OLSEN Aviation Restructure Initiative (ARI) ARI has been underway for quite some time, and...
Learn More
