Within The Pause
USAACE Deputy Commanding General Update / By BG Benjamin F. Adams III: As the keys are passed for an issued aircraft between a flight operations specialist and a crew chief, there is a pause. The empty hook upon which those keys perched moments before now appears mutely beckoning for their return. Everything is on the counter, and the crew chief is asked to sign for survival radios, publications, and the keys. U.S. ARMY PEO AVIATION PHOTOOf all the accountable items, it is that one-inch ring with the aircraft keys that bears the baggage of the unasked, “Will you return them soon?”...
Learn MoreReflections from National Awardee Family Members
AAAA Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: As always, Nashville’s Opryland provided AAAA visitors a most memorable experience. This year I was very interested in hearing from the awardee family members and what this event meant to them. What follows is the first of a two part series. Joseph P. Cribbins Department of the Army Civilian of the Year— Mr. Ellis W. Golson “I am very proud of my husband’s accomplishments and the work he does. I am also very pleased that someone else noticed his commitment to Army aviation and the continued service that he dedicates himself to each...
Learn MoreMC-12 Game Changer
From the Field / By LTC Candice E. Frost and CW5 Jerry D. Hollars: One of the primary concerns of ground commanders is executing missions while protecting forces and equipment. Soldiers providing security while capturing or killing the enemy becomes a manpower-intensive effort and minimizes the commander’s primary mission effectiveness. In an atmosphere of military downsizing, aviation and intelligence must provide better intelligence oversight directly to ground commanders freeing up more manpower and resources. This is done through the expansion and modernization of its Aerial Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (A-ISR) capabilities. Army Chief of Staff, GEN Raymond Odierno, is briefed...
Learn MoreOperational Support Airlift Agency
Fixed Wing Aviation / By COL James W. Ring: Activated on October 2, 1995, the Operational Support Airlift Agency (OSAA) and its operational subordinate unit, the Operational Support Airlift Command (OSACOM), merged fixed wing assets and personnel of the Active Component and the Army National Guard to form one of the Army’s first multi-component operational commands. As an Army Field Operating Agency and a subordinate operational fixed wing command, OSAA and OSACOM are optimally structured to sustain fixed wing readiness in support of total Army fixed wing requirements. OSACOM aircrew with TF ODIN returning from a mission in Afghanistan./ U.S....
Learn MoreEfficient, Effective and Reliable
Fixed Wing Aviation / By COL Steven B. Clark and Ms. Tracey Ayres: The Fixed Wing Project Office (FWPO) continues to emerge as a multi-faceted organization transitioning from its traditional sustainment role of a diverse fleet of niche capabilities to the full-on modernization and life cycle management of the Army’s fleet of transport and manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft. “The fixed wing fleet is dynamic and diverse; it affords the Army increased capabilities,” said BG Robert “Bob” Marion, the Program Executive Officer for Aviation. “From providing executive transport for the Army’s key personnel to conducting aerial ISR missions...
Learn MoreTaking Off
President’s Cockpit / By BG E.J. Sinclair, Ret.: I would like to start by first thanking you for the opportunity to be your new AAAA National President. Starting this part of my AAAA journey six years ago as Treasurer and then Secretary, and Senior VP two years ago, it has been a privilege to serve Aviation Soldiers and their Families and I have learned a lot about this great organization. Looking back I could hardly imagine when I first joined AAAA over 30 years ago that I would end up here. I am truly honored and humble to lead AAAA...
Learn MoreWarrant Officer Promotion Board – Fiscal Year 2015
Warrant Officer Promotion Board – Fiscal Year 2015: Chief Warrant Officer of the Branch / CW5 Allen R. “Randy” Godfrey On 9 January 2015, the U. S. Army Human Resources Command (HRC) released MILPER Message 15-009 on the Fiscal Year 2015 Active Component Chief Warrant Officer Three, Four, and Five Promotion Board. This board returns to the standard of 12-month zones of consideration. In 27 January 2015, HRC released MILPER Messages 15-025 and 15-026 on the Fiscal Year 2015 Reserve Component Chief Warrant Officer Three, Four, and Five Promotion Board. Each MILPER message describes in detail the required items and deadlines...
Learn MoreOnce a Soldier, Always a Soldier… A Soldier for Life!
From the Field / By LTC Wenceslao G. Angulo: About 100,000 Soldiers will transition out of the Army each year over the next several years. In 2014, 8,666 Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard Soldiers with an aviation military occupational specialty (MOS) retired or separated. To address this changing landscape of the American military, and to maintain trust among the Army Family during and after service, the U.S. Army established the Soldier for Life (SFL) program. This initiative is designed to enable Soldiers, Retired Soldiers, Veterans and Families to leave military service “career ready” and connected to an established network to find...
Learn MoreAAAA Presents the 2014 Functional Awards
AAAA, together with the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE), paid tribute to the 2014 National Functional Awards winners Feb. 5 during the annual Aviation Senior Leaders Conference at Fort Rucker, AL. AAAA’s President, BG (Ret.) Howard Yellen, and MG Michael D. Lundy, Aviation Branch chief and USAACE commanding general, were joined by CW5 A. Randy Godfrey, chief warrant officer of the branch; CSM Eric Thom, branch command sergeant major; and industry partners, association members and many of the branch’s senior commanders, chief warrant officers and non-commissioned officers to honor this year’s individual and unit winners. The Raytheon Company...
Learn MoreInfluenza Vaccine
Ask the Flight Surgeon / Dr. (LTC) Joseph Puskar: Q: I got the flu vaccine yesterday. Do I have to get a down slip for the immunization? FS: You don’t need to get a down-slip and subsequent up-slip unless you develop a local or systemic reaction; then you would need clearance by the flight surgeon. Remember from the safety briefings on exogenous factors that the grounding period after a vaccine is twelve hours, or until any adverse effects have resolved. The most common influenza vaccine in use this year is a quadrivalent formulation that protects against two type A (generally a...
Learn More
