Current Issue Articles
Readiness is a Team Sport
Aviation Maintenance / By MG James M. Richardson: We make better decisions when we have less money. –Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder,Apple Computer: It is fifteen years since I deployed with my Apache battalion to Afghanistan during the earliest stages of Operation Enduring Freedom. At that moment in time, Army Aviation had spent the previous ten years training for combat at a reduced operational tempo (OPTEMPO), and essentially living off the parts purchased to support Operation Desert Storm. While we were trained and proficient in our battle tasks, Army Aviation as a whole was not prepared to sustain deployed forces in combat...
Learn MoreUAS Operations at Home Station – A Template For Safety
Combat Readiness Center / By CW5 (Ret.) Michael J. Carroll: Since 9/11, the world of unmanned aircraft systems has rapidly evolved to meet the needs of combatant commanders and our Army as a whole. Once a unique specialty of Military Intelligence, UAS are now fielded to combat aviation brigades (CABs) and brigade combat teams (BCTs) and utilized from squad/platoon levels up to division and corps. An RQ-7 Shadow (left) and MQ-1C Gray Eagle at Fort Huachuca, AZ. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY 2-13 AVN PUBLIC AFFAIRS Operating in potentially high-threat environments without risk to human crews, UAS are proving indispensable...
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President’s Cockpit / By BG E.J. Sinclair, Ret.: We are now only a few months away from the 2016 AAAA Annual Mission Solutions Summit and I will give you a brief situation report in a minute but first I want to review what we accomplished last month. CW5 (Ret.) Dave Cooper, our VP Membership; LTC (Ret.) Jan Drabczuk, VP Chapters; and COL (Ret.) Mark Weiss, VP Reserve Component Affairs were able to visit the AAAA National HQ in Connecticut, December 16-17, 2015, meet the staff, and solidify plans for 2016. A full day of intense meetings covered everything from chapter...
Learn MoreFuture Vertical Lift – Getting Affordability into the Design
AMCOM Commander / By MG James M. Richardson: The Future Vertical Lift (FVL) effort is gaining momentum across the Army and across the Department of Defense (DoD). It may be unprecedented in DoD procurement to have such a wide range of aviation users come together to participate in the development and acquisition of a family of systems. The H-60 rebuild line at Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD). Army Aviation must leverage its knowledge of current system performance to build affordability into future aircraft designs. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY CCAD PUBLIC AFFAIRS All DoD Services are contributing to the capabilities...
Learn MoreProject Warrior – Set Yourself Apart From Your Peers
Branch Command Sergeant Major / By CSM Eric C. Thom: Whenever I travel to our outstanding combat aviation brigades (CABs) I look forward to conducting a sensing session with our NCOs. Inevitably someone (sometimes it’s me) asks the question, “What can you do to get promoted?” SGT Swiegart, Co. B, 3rd Bn., 10th Avn. Regt., 10th Cbt. Avn. Bde. instructs Soldiers from 2nd Bn., 15 Field Artillery Regt., 2nd Bde. Cbt. Tm. on proper sling load procedures prior to their gun run. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO And I tell them they have to find a way to set themselves apart...
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