Current Issue Articles
Aviation Collective Training at a Crossroads
Simulation / By Mr. Daniel Finch: The future of aviation collective training in the virtual environment is obscure at best. Retirement, at what some might consider an early age, is on the horizon for the Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT). AVCATT also happens to be the only collective training capability in the aviation arsenal. The training device has been on the scene since 2003, and with only a combined fourteen years of service, it is arguable that AVACTT has never reached its full potential. This is especially true when considering the lifespan of AVCATT has fallen completely within the...
Learn MoreLeading the Way – Giving Back to the Force
Special Ops / By COL Philip Ryan, CW5 Michael Hardy, and CSM Christopher Bosowski: The bonds between Army Aviation and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) run deep and strong. We’ve shared the same desert airspace, flown around the same harsh and unforgiving peaks, choked on the same dust, fought the same enemy, and, ultimately, bled the same blood. The Regiment traces the roots of its distinguished history to Army Aviation, the famed 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to be exact; the Regiment could not exist as it does today without the lifeblood of Army Aviation. An MH-60 conducts...
Learn MoreObstructive Sleep Apnea
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Albert J. Lee, MD: Q: I have sleep apnea. I use a breathing machine while sleeping. Why is it a disqualifying condition? What other treatments can pilots use? What medical documentation do I need for this physical and future physicals? Soldiers, who are deployed, average just three hours of sleep a night. / DAVID VERGUN, ARMY.MIL FS: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition where a person stops breathing or has difficulty breathing due to an obstruction of the airway during sleep. When breathing becomes inefficient or stops, the brain will send a signal...
Learn MoreNoncommissioned Officer and Advance Individual Training Platoon Sergeant of the Year
128th Aviation Brigade / By SFC Craig M. Sunstedt: On 9 March 2017, the winners of the 128th Aviation Brigade (AVN BDE) Fiscal Year 17 NCOY/PSOY competition were announced during a ceremony held on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. SSG Brittany Barfield negotiates the last of 15 obstacles during the first day of competition. SSG Mathew Johnson from Charlie Company 2nd Battalion, 210th Aviation Regiment took the NCO of the Year honors and SSG Brittany Barfield from Delta Company 1st Bn., 222nd Avn. Regt. took the Platoon Sergeant of the Year honors. Of the 519 NCOs assigned to the 128th AVN...
Learn MoreReleasing Untapped Potential
Reserve / By COL J. Ray Davis and Mr. Christopher Flemming: Winds were out of the south at 10 knots with the temperature nearing 80 degrees (F) as the cannon boomed to start the Army Birthday Run. Det. 1/B/642nd ASB, SCARNG, Jan. 23, 2017, Camp Buehring, Kuwait with the first in-theater-completed AH-64E phase inspection. (left to right) SSG Cori Simmons, SPC Christopher Powell, SSG Todd Sturgell, SSG Brock Thomas, SPC Jesse Gable, SPC Ean Laubach, SGT Thomas Brown, SGT Tim McCoy, SPC Robert Waller, SPC Joseph Nalley, SGT Joshua Sligh, SSG Nathan Bloom, SGT Peter Savarese, SGT Robert Rutledge, WO1...
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