Chinook Aviation Battalion Gears Up for Deployment
Camp Gruber, OK, United StatesJanuary 17, 2017Story by Staff Sgt. Eric McDonough Guardsmen with 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB), 149th Aviation Regiment, Oklahoma Army National Guard are conducting pre-mobilization training at Camp Gruber this month in preparation for deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The GSAB are deploying three companies comprised of aviators, maintainers and fuel technicians for CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Much of the GSAB’s training at Camp Gruber is focused on general Soldier skills, which are refreshed annually and prior to any deployment. When needed, Camp Gruber’s training cadre make modifications to the...
Learn MoreFormer Aviation Student Flies Black Hawk Back to High School
Specialist Melissa Marsolek, 1st Lt. Scott Darragh, Specialist Keely Killebrew, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Sean Quillin, all from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, pose for a photo with Jeff Coleman (center), aviation instructor at Emerald Ridge High School, Puyallup, Washington in front of their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The visit to the high school was part of a partnership with the school’s aviation program which gives aspiring pilots the chance to talk to real pilots and sit in real helicopters. Courtesy photo by Jennifer Picardo. These photos were originally found here.
Learn MoreIn Flight In Afghanistan
U.S. Army aviators fly a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, assigned to 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, during a mission from Tactical Base Gamberi to Camp Morehead in eastern Afghanistan Oct. 23, 2016. Freedom’s Sentinel, the follow-on to Enduring Freedom, is the continuing U.S. effort to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces as well as conduct counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Grace Geiger). Photo originally found here.
Learn MoreBlack Hawk & Mount Rainier
U.S. Army UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter pilots assigned to 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, 7th Infantry Division fly overhead on a training flight at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Dec. 7, 2016. Pilots spend countless hours honing their skills during both day and night training flights. These photos were originally found here.
Learn MoreNext Generation Aviators Train with Seasoned Vets
U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ronald Trani, Bravo Company 2-135th General Support Aviation Battalion CH-47 Chinook senior instructor pilot, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Emily King, B Co 2/135th GSAB CH-47 Chinook pilot tactical operations officer, administer check rides to pilots to ensure safety standards are met. These photos were originally found here.
Learn MoreU.S. Army Deck Landing Training with Royal Navy
Army Aviators from Bravo Company, 1st BN, 111th AVN REGT, worked together with the Royal Navy for a joint training mission in the Arabian Gulf, on December 11, 2016. These photos were originally found here.
Learn MoreSouth Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team Rescues Hiker
Members of the South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Recue Team (SC-HART) responded to a call to rescue a hiker stranded on a mountain ledge at Table Rock State Park Jan. 5, 2017. The hiker was airlifted from the mountain at around 9:25 a.m. after reportedly being stranded for several hours after suffering a fall of approximately 70 feet. The request for assistance came from the Pickens County emergency management authorities. According to crew reports, the request for support from SC-HART was initiated when rescuers on site realized that use of a helicopter was going to be the most effective means of...
Learn MoreFlying the Skies with the S.C. National Guard
West Columbia, SC, United States Story by Capt. Jessica Donnelly Located near the Columbia Metropolitan Airport is a small South Carolina Army National Guard aviation unit that has the ability to carry out real-world missions on a daily basis, transporting passengers and cargo to anywhere in the continental United States. Soldiers with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 641st Aviation Regiment, fly the C-26 twin turboprop aircraft, which is an aviation asset specific to the National Guard. “It’s a National Guard unit that does real-world missions almost every day,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Graham Gilstrap, operations officer. “We’re not really well...
Learn MoreFlying the Skies with the S.C. National Guard
West Columbia, SC, United States Story by Capt. Jessica Donnelly Located near the Columbia Metropolitan Airport is a small South Carolina Army National Guard aviation unit that has the ability to carry out real-world missions on a daily basis, transporting passengers and cargo to anywhere in the continental United States. Soldiers with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 641st Aviation Regiment, fly the C-26 twin turboprop aircraft, which is an aviation asset specific to the National Guard. “It’s a National Guard unit that does real-world missions almost every day,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Graham Gilstrap, operations officer. “We’re not really well...
Learn MoreU.S. Army Central Commander Visits Soldiers in Afghanistan
The U.S. Army Central commander, Lt. Gen. Michael Garrett, met with the U.S. Army Soldiers supporting air operations over Afghanistan visiting units December 16, at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. The commander met with Soldiers from the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, who operate Task Force Victory and maintain helicopter operations across the Afghanistan theater. Garrett also met with Maj. Gen. J.T. Thomson, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, and his Soldiers, before getting his photo taken with the unit mascot “Trigger,” a horse statue that has deployed six times to Iraq and Afghanistan in the past decade and...
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