Recognizing 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...
Learn MoreAir Mission Commanders
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...
Learn MoreScouting and Retaining Night Stalkers
Special Operations Aviation / By MAJ Jason J. Dumser and CW4 Benjamin S. Arps: The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (SOAR (A)) has the unique challenge to recruit, assess, select, train, and employ a lethal and agile aviation organization within U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) in support of Joint Special Operations Forces (JSOF). To best identify the right personnel who will succeed, the Regiment underwent a comprehensive review of its recruiting and assessment procedures. Similar to college or professional sports programs, the goal of the Regiment is to identify or “scout” those personnel with the requisite attributes for success...
Learn MoreThe Secret Capability Behind the 160th
Special Operations Aviation / By COL Michael J. Hertzendorf and MAJ Michael C. Athanasakis: When you mention the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (SOAR) (A), people may think of advanced aircraft with unique capabilities like multi-mode radar or in-flight aerial refuel probes. While these capabilities are important, the truly unique capability within the organization is the culture that is embodied by the unit’s Soldiers and leaders. The first Special Operations Force (SOF) truth states “humans are more important than hardware” and nowhere is this more important than in the 160th SOAR (A). Night Stalkers begin to learn the Regiment’s...
Learn MoreElectronic Cigarettes
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Scott A. Cygan, D.O.: Q: Doc, I’m thinking of trying E-Cigarettes. Are these safer than conventional cigarettes, and are they able to help me quit smoking? FS: Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you may have heard that smoking is hazardous to your health, but do you know just how hazardous? Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Tobacco products are associated with heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, obstructive pulmonary disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Approximately 480,000 deaths per year are attributed to the nicotine habit....
Learn MoreAirworthiness Processes
AMRDEC Tech Talk / By Mr. Robert Copeland and Mr. John Stewart: Incremental advancements in technologies afford new capabilities for our warfighters. However, on occasion, the advances create an opportunity to delve into whole new environments. AMRDEC AED PHOTO In 1929 Jimmy Doolittle demonstrated the ability to take-off, fly and land using only instruments. Forty years ago, we tackled the night and came out with the first electro-optical forward looking infrared vision system. Soon after, we owned the night and even now we continue to evolve, mature, and upgrade that capability. Even in the 21st century, we are still bound...
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