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...
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AAAA Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer and Maria McConville: There was a wonderful opportunity to open a dialogue with the professional spouse panelists this year at the AAAA summit, but for those who were not able to attend Maria McConville’s “Living Life In Balance” presentation, I offer the following highlights. Maria and family enjoy a walk along the beach. / PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARIA MCCONVILLE Maria is a professional in her own right. She is a registered dietitian/nutritionist, personal trainer, health and wellness coach, the wife of LTG James McConville, U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-1, and the...
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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...
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