Current Issue Articles
COVID-19 Reflections & Resources
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: While the COVID virus is pandemic and no one is immune, our members have adjusted and realigned their priorities, and I thank them for sharing with us. GRAPHIC BY THE AUTHOR’S GRANDDAUGHTER, MEGHAN HUTTO Robbie and COL Shane Kimbrough, NASA, Houston, Texas: Our feelings about this unprecedented time are mixed. We wake up every day thankful for our family’s health. We are glad because our parents are all doing well. In daily life, we have gone from being “empty nesters” to having a full house of 3 “twenty somethings”. We are up for the...
Learn MoreWomen’s Health
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By MAJ (Dr.) Laura S. Ball: Q: For female aviators, what are the flight approved contraceptive methods and are there any women’s health requirements for flight physicals? Photo: Army.mil FS: In the US, approximately 45% of pregnancies are unintended. Within the military, the number of unplanned pregnancies is even higher. Having a reliable form of contraception is an important consideration for women in the military since there are some regulatory limitations that go along with pregnancy. For example, women who are pregnant cannot deploy and serve in a combat zone. When it comes to Aviation,...
Learn MoreNCO Leadership
128th Aviation Brigade / By 1SG Zachary J. Ogilby: You started here, your Soldiers started here, and for the foreseeable future, every next-generation rotary wing maintenance Soldier will start here, in the 128th Aviation Brigade. NCOs from 128th AVN BDE administer the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) to AIT Soldiers./ 128TH AVN. BDE. COURTESY PHOTO This is not the Army Aviation Logistics School of yesterday and our organization has recently expanded its priorities. We’ve merged our fundamental mission of providing the world’s best-trained maintainers to the force with the development of our cadre into proven leaders. The brigade’s entire...
Learn MoreThe New Normal
This Is Your Army! / By GEN Paul E. Funk II: The coronavirus presents new challenges to the manner in which TRADOC generates combat power for the Army, and nowhere has this been felt more than at the Centers of Excellence. The responsibility borne by the Aviation Center cannot be understated – as they are the sole provider of fixed and rotary wing aviators for the United States Army. The nature of their business mandates training in close proximity, which posed – and continues to pose – a difficult challenge to both trainees and instructor pilots. The confined nature of...
Learn MoreStandardization in the Aviation Community
Reserve / By SGT Alex Morgan: Within the Aviation community, standardization and safety play a vital role in ensuring the effectiveness and safety of training and operations. SGT Joshua Maldonado, the standardization instructor in Company C, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, stresses the importance of standards and safety. “It’s one thing if a unit does things a certain way and it works for them, but what happens if a Soldier transfers to a different unit that does things differently? They might not have enough time to relearn that standard before it is time to execute...
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