Current Issue Articles
Expanding our Aviation Mindset
Aviation Branch Chief / By MG William K. Gayler: Although capabilities to enhance our survival in combat are often associated with materiel solutions, or “things,” it is the combination of these “things” with trained Soldiers armed with knowledge of best practices that enable us to fight and win in complex environments. A U.S. CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion (General Support), 169th Aviation Regiment, Georgia Army National Guard, discharges flares before landing. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY CPT ADAN CAZAREZ When Army aviators hear the word “survivability” they often equate the term with “ASE” – Aircraft Survivability Equipment. As...
Learn MoreLiving Life in Balance
AAAA Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer and Maria McConville: There was a wonderful opportunity to open a dialogue with the professional spouse panelists this year at the AAAA summit, but for those who were not able to attend Maria McConville’s “Living Life In Balance” presentation, I offer the following highlights. Maria and family enjoy a walk along the beach. / PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARIA MCCONVILLE Maria is a professional in her own right. She is a registered dietitian/nutritionist, personal trainer, health and wellness coach, the wife of LTG James McConville, U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-1, and the...
Learn MoreArmy Wife
By Vicki Cody / Reviewed By Colonel Jimmy F. Blackmon, U.S. Army Retired: A Story of Love and Family in the Heart of the Army. On the eve of my second tour to Iraq, my wife and I traveled to Niagara Falls for a weekend getaway. As we discussed the pending deployment she explained, “Jimmy, there is a difference in leaving and being left.” I vividly recalled this experience and that particular comment when I read Vicki Cody’s wonderful new book, “Army Wife”. Vicki opens a window through which readers are able to experience Army family life. From the day she began dating a...
Learn MorePhase Maintenance Inspection Briefs
By MAJ Cristian Robbins, CPT Benjamin Wynia, and 1LT Andrew Petefish: Rebuilding a $38 million dollar helicopter for combat is a matter of life and death, and the Army entrusts the task to a 23-year-old corporal. This is not a new symptom of budget cuts or bureaucracy run amok. This is how the Army develops new leaders of character. In early December, CPL Nolan Tiller presented the 200-hour Phase Maintenance Inspection (PMI) brief for a CH-47F aircraft. His phase brief identified the problems with the helicopter and outlined a plan to systematically rebuild it to be fully mission capable. The...
Learn MoreIntroducing the Future of Army Aviation Maintenance
By LTC Joseph M. Herman with Mr. Oswald Ingraham: An AH-64E Lot 4 enhanced aircraft was enroute from Redstone Arsenal, Alabama to Mesa, Arizona when the aircraft transmitted a message to the monitoring ground personnel that the LINK 16 battery was low. If the LINK 16 battery fails, the LINK 16 Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) must be returned to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for repair. A Problem, Plan, Part, People, Time and Tool (P4/T2) analysis was conducted while the aircraft was in flight allowing Boeing to check their stockage for batteries and prepare to replace the low battery upon...
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