AMCOM Ceremony Remembers Those They Lost
Story by Nicholas Janeway The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command held a memorial ceremony to honor 27 of its team members who passed away during the year. Maj. Gen. Lori Robinson, AMCOM commander, hosted the annual ceremony on Aug. 5 in the Bob Jones Auditorium on Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Those honored worked for AMCOM G-3/5, AMCOM G-8, Letterkenny Army Depot, Corpus Christi Army Depot, Aviation Logistics Center, AMCOM Combined Logistics Command and the U.S. Army Test, Measurement and Diagnostics Equipment Activity. Robinson thanked family members, friends and coworkers who attended to honor their loved ones. “I think one of...
Learn MoreNCNG 449th Combat Aviation Brigade Welcomes New Commander
Story by Staff Sgt. Hannah Tarkelly MORRISVILLE, N.C. – U.S. Army Col. Daniel McAuliffe assumed command of the 449th Combat Aviation Brigade in place of U.S. Army Col. Benny Collins during the change of command ceremony at the 449th Combat Aviation Brigade Armory, Aug. 2nd, 2025. “As I passed the brigade colors today, I did so with immense pride, humility, and gratitude,” Collins said. During his time as the brigade commander, Collins exhibited remarkable leadership and an unwavering devotion to the Soldiers under his command. Collins remained steadfast and led the way as the 449th Hurricanes responded to calls for...
Learn MoreRefocusing on Concept Driven Transformation
Things are moving quickly in Army Aviation and your AAAA team is doing everything we can to support the Branch and the Army in the Chief of Staff Army’s new guidance on “Continuous Transformation.” From our event themes to the magazine editorial focus, membership outreach, and the Army Aviation Congressional Caucus, AAAA is strongly endorsing and supporting this vision. You will notice in the just released agenda for the annual Cribbins Futures Forum, November 17-20, 2025 in Huntsville, AL, that the focus is totally on the Concept Driven Transformation phase of Continuous Transformation. We will work on specific subjects like...
Learn MoreCleared for Takeoff on Our Continuing Mission
I am excited and honored to have been elected as your new AAAA National President at our annual Mission Solutions Summit in Nashville back in May. I’m also excited to share some insights with you in this, my first installment of “The Cockpit.” First, let me thank our outgoing President, and my friend, MG (Ret.) Walt Davis, who led AAAA so well during the last two years, establishing a cohesive team of your National Executive Group (NEG), including BG (Ret.) Tim Edens, now our Senior VP, and MG Todd Royar, our new Treasurer. It has been an honor to serve...
Learn MoreFort Bragg All American DUSTOFF performs first in-flight prehospital blood transfusion
Story by Capt. Shervon Pope FORT BRAGG, N.C. -The “All American” DUSTOFF company executes first in-flight whole blood transfusion over Fort Bragg Apr. 30. Charlie Company of the 3-82 General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB), 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) is the first active Army unit to perform an in-flight prehospital blood transfusion outside a combat zone. Also known as the Fort Bragg “All American”, DUSTOFF Charlie Company conducts medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) operations year-round to support the installation and the surrounding area. DUSTOFF is an acronym that stands for Dedicated Unhesitating Service to Our Fighting Troops and is synonymous with life-saving...
Learn MoreChief Warrant Officer Circles the Globe in C-12 Huron
Story by Maj. Jeffrey Windmueller Chief Warrant Officer 4 Nicholas Demas was admiring the jagged peaks of the Swiss Alps cutting through the clouds when the radio crackled to life. “Be advised, you are going to be intercepted by a Swiss fighter jet for training purposes,” the voice said. Seconds later, an American-made F/A-18 Hornet appeared just 10 feet off his wingtip. Demas and his co-pilot snapped a quick photo, but the moment served as a stark reminder: this was no sightseeing trip. As an Army Reserve aviator, Demas was on a mission—flying halfway around the world to support Exercise...
Learn MoreArmy Successfully Tests In-Flight Life-Saving System for Incapacitated Pilots
OINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. — Imagine a future where a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot, mid-flight, loses consciousness, and an onboard automated system reads the pilot’s vitals and autonomously flies the aircraft back safely, even alerting a medical crew to be at the airfield ready to treat the incapacitated pilot. A groundbreaking fusion joining autonomous flight and operational monitoring of pilots’ vital signs just made that future possibility a present-day reality recently at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. “This is the first time we have integrated the pilot’s health status to an autonomous flight control system,” said Carl Ott, a U.S. Army...
Learn MoreFace of Defense: Father, Daughter Helicopter Pilots Fly Together
Army Warrant Officer Meghan Polis, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the New York National Guard, doesn’t remember it but she logged her first three hours of helicopter flight time when she was just 3 months old. Her father — New York Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen Polis — and her mother were going to a barbecue in Albany. They lived on Long Island and they decided to make the trip north by air instead of driving. The flight school Stephen Polis worked for at the time as an instructor pilot allowed him to borrow a...
Learn MoreMisty Dawn Tests National Guard Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO)
Story by Master Sgt. Arthur Wright ELKINS, West Virginia — To ensure an understanding of Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) and increasingly contested battlespace by adversaries, the District of Columbia National Guard led over 20 air and ground units across the U.S. Army and Air Force for exercise “Misty Dawn” in Elkins, West Virginia, between March 4-14, 2025. The joint readiness exercise highlighted coalition interoperability and high-end integrated tactics. “Misty Dawn is an apex example of grassroots, unit-led, readiness and lethality innovation – Right Now! When leadership tells units to get after readiness, move faster, and increase lethality; Misty Dawn is...
Learn More3-25 “Hammerheads” Welcome New Commander During Change of Command Ceremony
Story by Capt. David Block WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii – Soldiers, families and friends gathered to witness the ceremonial passing of the battalion colors as Lt. Col. Andrew S. Howell assumed command of 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, during a change of command ceremony held recently on Wheeler Army Airfield. Lt. Col. Samuel J. Diehl relinquished command after leading the Hammerheads through a period marked by high operational tempo, strategic innovation, and vital aviation support missions across the Pacific. Col. Matthew J. Scher, commander of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, praised Diehl’s leadership and the Hammerheads’...
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