The Initial Journey of Aviation Safety Starts in AIT
128th Aviation Brigade Update / CW3 Rosa M. Alvarez: In this issue, I’ve asked CW3 Rosa Alvarez to provide some insight as to the challenges your school house faces in ensuring the safe training of our future Army Aviation maintainers. “Above the Best!” —COL Rigole, Commander A student, PVT Mitchell Spychalski, performs a main rotor damper torque check at the 128th Aviation Brigade. 128th AVN BDE COURTESY PHOTOThe 128th Aviation Brigade at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia is the proponent for the Advanced Individual Training (AIT) of Army Aviation maintenance Military Occupational Specialties (MOS). The 2nd Battalion, 210th Aviation Regiment directs the...
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Reserve Component Aviation Update / COL Mark W. Weiss: Welcome back to the ARNG. In this edition I’d like to report on an example of flexibility and teamwork that falls under the mantra of MIH… Making It Happen. We’ve seen it before, in all components… our bureaucracy fails to cope with the friction generated by a complex system, and an intrepid individual or two steps up, cuts the red tape, and Makes It Happen. UH-60M NET familiarization at the Western ARNG Aviation Training Site (WAATS)Such an example is currently underway down in Arizona. About a year ago, a dilemma arose: the...
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Branch Command Sergeant Major / CSM Eric C.Thom: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” – Michelangelo A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter assigned to the 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment hovers over U.S. Army Special Operations members during overwater hoist training at Lake Yojoa, Honduras, Jan. 22, 2015. The 1-228th Aviation Regiment partnered with U.S. Army Special Operations personnel to practice recovering live personnel. The overwater hoist training was held to ensure members of Joint Task Force-Bravo are...
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From the Aviation Branch Chief / MG Michael D. Lundy: Since Vietnam and the advent of Air Mobility, Army Aviation has proven to be an essential component of combined arms maneuver and the American way of war. U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SGT JOSE RAMIREZ, CBT. AVN. BDE., 1ST ARMORED DIV.Army Aviation’s inherent speed, mobility, lethality and agility uniquely enable combined arms maneuver, wide area security and special operations, our Army’s core competencies, across the conflict continuum. Since its inception, Army Aviation has been a high-demand, ground-centric and globally-committed asymmetric capability for our Nation. Today, Army Aviation is fully committed in 36...
Learn MoreFrom the AAAA First Lady
By Susan Yellen: Last year’s Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit was an overwhelming success and I am looking forward to see how AAAA can top it this year. Once again we’re back in Nashville, TN at the Gaylord Opryland, one of my favorite places to stay. No matter whether you are on the exhibit floor, in the professional sessions, or just trying to navigate the meandering layout that is Opryland, you’re bound to run into friends from the past; this is a great forum in which to Network.2014 Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit spouses’ tour around Nashville, TN.I would like...
Learn MoreArmy Aviation Photography Contest Winners
ARMY AVIATION Magazine is proud to present the winners of our ninth annual photography contest. 56 qualified AAAA members, submitting 112 Army aviation related photographs taken during 2014, competed for the top 12 places. We congratulate the winners and thank all of the contestants for their efforts and service. We invite all AAAA members to participate in our 2015 contest. Visit the AAAA website, quad-a.org for details and submission requirements. Bill Harris, Publisher First Place – “Wingman” by CPT Wesley J. PritchettD Troop, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, Camp Humphreys, Republic of KoreaDecember 4, 2014; Nā Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii...
Learn More2015 Army Aviation Hall of Fame Inductees
As historians began to document the many battles of the Vietnam War, it became known as the “Helicopter War.” From the first significant involvement of the U.S. military in 1961, to the departure of U.S. forces in 1973, battlefield operations became heavily dependent upon Army aviation and especially the helicopter. Acts of bravery, flying skill and battle leadership became commonplace, but by no means ordinary. The AAAA-sponsored Army Aviation Hall of Fame was established to honor those persons who have made an outstanding contribution over an extended period, or a truly exceptional achievement, and to record those individuals and acts...
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AAAA Family Forum / Judy Konitzer: The Department of Defense has designated April as the Month of the Military Child, commonly referred to as Military Brats. Recently there has been much discussion about the term “Military Brats” and the controversy surrounding a change in terminology when two civilian children’s authors wrote a book entitled —“The Little C.H.A.M.P.S. – Child Heroes Attached to Military Personnel.” Love of country, respect and pride fill my being when Old Glory passes in review. When I stand to honor that flag, so also do I stand in honor of all Soldiers, and most especially, to the...
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President’s Cockpit / BG Howard W. Yellen, Ret.: As this is my last Cockpit article, it’s hard to believe I am approaching the end of my two year tenure as your President; the time has quickly passed, but as the adage goes, all good things must come to an end. I look back over the last two years and can’t help but reflect on the many accomplishments our Association has achieved; all through the dedicated efforts of our volunteers at both the National and Chapter level. BG (Ret.) Howard W. Yellen addresses the National Executive Board during the 2014 Army Aviation Mission...
Learn MoreAtrial Fibrillation
Ask the Flight Surgeon / Dr. (LTC) Joseph Puska: Q: I was recently diagnosed with Atrial fibrillation and prescribed Coumadin (warfarin) and a calcium channel blocker (Diltiazem) for heart rate control. I saw a cardiologist who took me off the medications, and used radio-frequency ablation to eliminate the fibrillation, but I still have a high heart rate (118 to 126), don’t have my normal energy level, and I’m running much slower than usual. What’s the next step? FS: As in any medical condition, the first and most important thing is to take care of you by treating the condition, and worry...
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