Farewell
Branch Command Sergeant Major / By CSM Eric C. Thom: Now as I prepare for this edition of ARMY AVIATION magazine, I am struck by the fact that it will be the last article I write as your branch command sergeant major. So I am going to use it as my opportunity to say farewell to you and everyone else in the Aviation Enterprise. CSM Thom (kneeling, left) took time while visiting the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade to join Delta Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment for PT, Sept. 16, 2015 at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii. 1SG Antonio Ruiz (kneeling,...
Learn MoreRC Seats Lost or Not Used – A Risk We Cannot Afford
CWOB – IERW Training and AWOAC / By CW5 Dennis E. Smith: I am frequently asked about the quality of an aviator that returns to your formations from flight school. In response, I normally recite accolades from typical application packet letters of recommendation written by senior leaders. Most letters include the statement, “I highly recommend this candidate!” AWOAC-RC Class 16-002 small group planning during their Division Exercise Training and Readiness System (DXTRS) exercise./ U.S. ARMY PHOTO It is logical to conclude that adding the world’s best rotary wing flight training to a highly recommended candidate should equate to a competent...
Learn MoreTowards a Better Solution…
Director, Army National Guard / By LTG Timothy J. Kadavy: Greetings from a non-Aviator in the Army National Guard. I’d like to thank MG Lundy for giving me this opportunity to address the Army Aviation community and share my perspective on Army Aviation in the National Guard as part of the Total Force. (Left to right) North Carolina Guardsmen SFC Robin McDaniel, CW2 Bruce Scharbius, Michael Brewer, Josh Johnson, and SGT Clint Rodgers conduct mission briefings for an aerial search mission, during the response to last October’s South Carolina floods./ U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY MAJ JACK POTVIN, 449TH...
Learn MoreOn Final to the Atlanta Summit!
President’s Cockpit / By BG E.J. Sinclair, Ret.: As many of you know, MG Bill Gayler was recently announced as the next commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence – congratulations to Bill! As MG Mike Lundy moves on to another assignment, we thank him for the great leadership he has provided over the past two years for the branch. Active duty, Guard, and Reserve Soldiers can relax and get reduced cost meals at The Soldier Café again this year. / AAPI PHOTO BY RENÉ BIDEZ Mike has navigated Army Aviation during some very fiscally challenging times...
Learn MoreArmed Scout Helicopter Project Office Update
Rotary WIng / By Mr. Jimmy E. Downs, Mr. William J. Petree, and Ms. Christian Sumner: In its last year as a project-level organization, the Armed Scout Helicopter (ASH) Project Directorate focused on its final mission sets – divesting the Army’s remaining single engine rotary wing platforms, providing safety-critical sustainment for aircraft remaining in service through the end of divestment, and preparing to draw down the project-level organization into a product office by mid-2016. U.S. ARMY 2ND SQUADRON, 6TH CAVALRY REGIMENT PHOTO The 2013 Aviation Restructure Initiative (ARI) calls for the divestment of the OH-58A/C and TH-67 training helicopters over...
Learn More1109th TASMG – Helping to Bring 101st CAB Aircraft Home
Spotlight / By SGT Jeanne Bujalski: Working together with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade and an aviation contractor team from Illesheim, Germany, Soldiers from the Connecticut Army National Guard 1109th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group (TASMG) mission focused on monitoring and offloading Black Hawk, Apache and Chinook helicopters from C-5 Galaxy aircraft, staging them and loading them on a naval vessel for transport back to the United States. SGT Jeffrey Monteleone assists with unloading a Chinook aircraft from a C-5 Galaxy at the Naval Station in Rota, Spain. Throughout the months of December and January,...
Learn MoreWhat to Give Up In Order to Move Forward in 2016
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: So here we are having made our New Year’s resolutions, and I know that I am among the distinguished group of those who consciously did this. It all started when the Christmas decorations came down, followed by the desire to pursue a thorough house cleaning and then declutter and maybe even resolve to start downsizing. When moving frequently isn’t a consideration because the Army isn’t changing our duty station any longer, these resolutions have become even more important to me. I personally feel vindicated when I am able to take a large load of...
Learn MoreApache Helicopter Project Office Update
Rotary WIng / By COL Jeffrey E. Hager with COL (Ret.) Robin D. Cofer: The Army’s Aviation Restructure Initiative focuses the attack and scout roles on the AH-64 Apache, combined with Unmanned Aerial Systems. The Apache fleet is transitioning to one of the most technologically advanced weapon systems on the battlefield. The AH-64D Longbow Block I aircraft are completely out of Active Duty units and less than 100 exist in the Army Reserve, National Guard, and the training base at Fort Rucker. Block II Longbows will begin returning to the production facility in 2018. We begin fielding the 5th AH-64E...
Learn MoreCorneal Refractive Surgery (CRS)
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Albert J. Lee, MD: Q:Are Soldiers on flight status allowed to have corrective eye surgery like LASIK or PRK? If so, what are the differences among the types of surgeries? YOUR CAPTION HERE FS: Corneal refractive surgery is becoming widely accepted in the aviation community. Currently U.S. Army Aeromedical Activity (USAAMA or AAMA) waives three types of corneal refractive surgery – LASIK, LASEK, and PRK. For Soldiers already on flight status, careful planning that involves the command and medical provider is needed to ensure the mission is not affected and the Soldier has enough...
Learn MoreThe Tougher Nut …
Reserve Components / By COL J. Ray Davis: Greetings again from your Army National Guard (ARNG). This month I’d like to highlight our ARNG Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) capabilities, capacities, and challenges. I know that UAS isn’t this venue’s focus area until November, but I’m hoping to generate some good ideas to help attack a few of our burgeoning “areas to improve,” well before that time. An RQ-7 Shadow Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) in front of the Wisconsin Army National Guard Tactical UAS facility at Volk Field, Camp Douglas, WI./ WISCONSIN NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY CW2 LUCAS GORDON And since...
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