Your AAAA National Executive Group, plus Executive Director, Mr. Bill Harris, have just returned from the annual Aviation Leaders Conference at Fort Novosel, AL.
Many thanks to our great Branch Chief, MG Clair Gill, for including the Aviation ‘Gray Beard’ cohort in this really impactful gathering of our Army Aviation leadership teams from all components and organizations. It truly is an invaluable opportunity to engage with our Army and Aviation leaders to understand the current state of the Branch, and importantly the vision for the future. AAAA exists to support the Army Aviation Soldier and family, and the broader Army Aviation community, and it is vital to understand the Branch’s activities, initiatives, and challenges so we can best shape your Association’s efforts, events, and advocacy on behalf of Army Aviation.
Another important feature of the Leaders Conference is the Annual Awards Dinner conducted at the Army Aviation Museum… a timely opportunity to present AAAA “Functional” awards to our outstanding and deserving Aviation Soldiers in the areas of Air Traffic Control, Medicine, Air Sea Rescue and Training, done in conjunction with the LTG Ellis D. Parker ‘Organizational’ awards presented by the Branch Chief. We featured the AAAA Functional award winners in the January issue and will feature the Parker awards in the March issue. It is always such an honor and pleasure to meet and visit with the awardees and their families the evening before the Annual Awards Dinner, at a private awardee dinner we host each year at AAAA Past President BG Rod Wolfe’s country club in Enterprise. There is no doubt that the strength of our Army and Army Aviation is embodied in those soldiers and their families!
Of note, the week prior to the Aviation Conference, our Executive Director and Deputy Director, Bill Harris and Art Agnew, hosted a joint dinner meeting for the boards of the Central Florida Chapter of Orlando (and thanks to our AAAA Vice President for Chapter Activities, Jan Drabczuk) and the Embry Riddle Chapter of Daytona Beach, FL. Bill and Art report out that it was a dynamic discussion ranging from the ROTC Cadets view of recruiting challenges among their peers to emphasis on the “Sacred Trust” between the Aviation Branch and the Troops on the ground. The meeting featured a diverse breadth of experience and perspectives – from combat veterans to ROTC Cadets, civilian industry executives representing aviation simulation and AI capabilities and even a couple of Marines thrown in for good measure. Many actions fell out of the meeting, and we look forward to using these two Chapters (that represent differing demographics) as a sounding board for AAAA initiatives going forward.
Finally, hopefully by now you have made your plans to join us at the AAAA Annual Summit May 14 -16, 2025 at the Gaylord Opryland, Nashville TN. Currently, registrations, exhibit sales, and all other metrics are at really strong levels. The agenda and program(s) are being finalized with our Aviation Branch leadership, and it is certainly shaping up to be another world-class Summit. See you there!
MG Walt Davis, U.S. Army Retired
36th President, AAAA
walt.davis@quad-a.org
