No 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...
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Branch Command Sergeant Major / By CSM Gregory M. Chambers: Capitalizing on individual aviation experience and getting civilian recognition and certification for that gained experience has always been a challenge for enlisted personnel within the Aviation branch. Soldiers from B Company, 601st Aviation Support Battalion, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, push an AH-64 Apache Helicopter to the ramp of a C-17 Globemaster III April 17, 2016. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SGT JARRETT E. ALLEN, 1ID PAO In accordance with Army Directive 2015-12 (Implementation Guidance for Credentialing Program and Career Skills Program), all branches of the Army are required...
Learn MoreFinding Opportunities in Transformation
Chief Warrant Officer of the Branch / By CW5 Joseph B. Roland: Over the past three years, Army Aviation has undergone a transformation unlike any of its kind since our establishment as a branch in 1983. Missouri Army National Guard SSG Brandon Isabell, a crew chief, left, CW4 Marcus Moore, a standardization instructor pilot, middle, and CW5 Robert Moore, a standardization instructor pilot, all assigned to the 1st Bn., 135th Avn. Regt., Army Aviation Support Facility #1, perform pre-takeoff inspections on a UH-60 Black Hawk at Whiteman Air Force Base, MO, April 1, 2016./ MISSOURI NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY AIRMAN...
Learn MoreThe Aviation Team
Aviation Branch Chief / By MG William K. Gayler: On April 12, 1983, the Army created the Aviation branch, effectively manifesting a profound change in how we thought about the structure, organization, and employment of aviation assets within the Army. Soldiers assigned to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade stand in formation and salute during the Apache Welcome Ceremony June 9, 2016, at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii. The Brigade received 24 AH-64 Apache helicopters to add to their arsenal, replacing their retired OH-58 Kiowa Warriors. / U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY SSGT. CHRISTOPHER HUBENTHAL The factors that drove this fundamental change...
Learn MoreRecognizing Achievement
President’s Cockpit / By BG E.J. Sinclair, Ret.: Welcome to the annual Blue Book edition of ARMY AVIATION magazine. It really reminds me of the breadth and depth of the entire Army Aviation Enterprise as we see the names and faces of our great Army Aviation Soldiers and civilians around the world. AAAA Aviation Soldier of the Year, SPC Emanuel L. Moore, Company F, 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) poses with his family during the 2016 AAAA Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit, April 29, at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia. / AAPI PHOTO BY RENÉ...
Learn MoreMilSpouse Clubs Continue to Inspire and Serve
Family Forum / By Allison Higgins, MPA: A recent luncheon with the Fort Rucker Community Spouses’ Club in Fort Rucker, Alabama, reminded me of the value of the Army Spousehood and the meaningful role we play in one another’s lives when we physically and genuinely connect. Spouses from the Fort Rucker Community Spouses’ Club met for a luncheon at the Enterprise Farmer’s Market last October. Allison Higgins (author) is pictured (kneeling left) and Paula Lundy, spouse of LTG Mike Lundy, immediate past commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker is seated 3rd from left....
Learn MoreA Future for Army SOF Fixed Wing
Opinion / By MAJ Nathaniel L. Swann: Under the Army Operational Concept (AOC), the Army is tasked, with the rest of the Joint Force, to “Win in a Complex World.” For the Army to “Win,” we are required to provide “multiple options, integrate the efforts of multiple partners, operate across multiple domains, and present our enemies and adversaries with multiple dilemmas.” Currently there is a potentially underutilized element of Army Special Operations Aviation (ARSOA) that is missing out on a revolutionary opportunity to meet all of these requirements to help the Joint Force win…the C-27Js of the United States Army...
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From the Field / By CPT James R. Antonides:Throughout my career, I have seen a distinct shift in the roles and responsibilities of who leads our missions and serves as air mission commanders. Have we replaced the value of doctrine and operational knowledge with tactical and technical experience? Have commanders abdicated responsibility for operational employment of their formations, and can they get it back? Should we revisit the roles we expect our platoon leaders, company commanders, and AMCs to fulfill in order to win the next fight? LTC Kelsey A. Smith, Senior Aviation Trainer, National Training Center Leadership from TF...
Learn MoreEvacuating, Treating, and Saving Lives on the Battlefield
MEDEVAC Proponency / By Mr. George W. Hildebrandt: The Army’s ability to provide pre-hospital critical care and trauma treatment on battlefield aeromedical evacuation platforms has evolved dramatically since 2012. In 2011, the Defense Health Board (now called the Defense Health Agency) published a memorandum documenting that U.S. Army flight medics lacked the appropriate skill level and training to properly treat trauma casualties evacuated off the battlefield. Prior to 2012, flight medics were Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-Basic certified; since that time, the Army developed the Critical Care Flight Paramedic (CCFP) Program in response to emerging data from combat operations. That data...
Learn MoreMaintenance Competence and Empowerment
Special Operations Aviation / By 1SG Dennis K. McCoy Jr.: It is four hours until sunrise; the ground force commander has his Soldiers massed outside the rotor disks of the Chinook heavy assault helicopters. The air is filled with the kerosene, the smell of powerful turbine engines turning fuel into torque. A lower anti-collision light comes on signaling there is a maintenance issue with one of the helicopters. The ground force commander’s stomach tightens and through clenched teeth asks his senior noncommissioned officer (NCO), “What now?” The maintenance launch team springs into action, led by a well-seasoned maintenance test pilot...
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