Army Aviation Digest - Jul 1961

8/12/2019 Army Aviation Digest - Jul 1961

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JULY 96


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VI TION D1GESTEDITORIAL STAFFCAPT JOSEPH H . POOLEFRED M . MONTGOMERY': I CHA RD K . TIERNEY

D I A N A G . WILL IA MSCA ROL R . PARKERL IN D A K . FOLSOM

RTICLESF : VE HUNDRED AND ONE, Brig Gen Carl 1 Hutton , USAWHAT ARE YOUR ODDS?

J U L Y 96VOLUME 7NUM3ER 7

THUNDERSTORM PILOT TECHNIQUE, Capt James Bishop, ArtyRO-T-BUMPER, Capt Donald M. McTigue, Armor

169

11ERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM IN ARMYAVIATION, Capt Edward P. Lukert, Jr., Inf.

EIGHTH ARMYTWXTAKES TWO TO TANGO[NFANTRYTC TRAINING COMMANDFALCON'S NESTENGINEERS

RASH SENSENEW LOH DESIGN COMPETITIOX

131618202326303131

Inside Back

The judges have selected 500 and I" (oppo ite page) asthe first monthly winner in the Annual Writing Awardcontest. The author i now eligible for an annual award awill be ub equent monthly winners.

As previously stated, material is judged in unedited formwithout the author's byline. Entries are judged on accuracy,completeness, originality, readability, soundness, readerappeal, substance, and overall merit.

All authors are encouraged to ubmit an entry. Topicsmust be within the stated mi sion of the DIGEST.

START WORKING ON YOUR ENTRY TODAY

U. S. ARMY AVIATION SCHOOLMaj Gen E r nest F . E asterbr ookCommandantCol W arren R. W ill iams, J r.Assistant CommandantCol A llen M. Burdett, J r.Deputy Asst Commandant

CHOOL STAFFCol Olive r J . H elm u thD irector of InstructionLt Col C. E. LawrenceCO USAAVNS R egimentLt Col Morris G RawlingsCom bat D v lopment OfficeLt Col Julius E. Clark, Jr.S ecretar y

DEPARTMENTSCol M. H. ParsonTacticsLt Col Conway L. EllersAdvanced F ixed W ingLt Col Wayne N. PhillipsRotary WingLt Col Harry J . KernMa intenanceLt Col John R. RiddleP ublications andN onResid ent Instruct ionLt Col G Wilfred J aubertPr imary Fix ed Wing

The U. S. ARMY AV IATIO N D IG E ST ian official publicat ion of t he De pa r tm en t ofthe Army published mont hly under th eupe r vision of the Commanda nt, U. S. Ar myAviation School.The mission of the U. S. AR MY AVIATION DIGEST is to pr ov ide in format ion ofan operationa l or function al nat u r e conce r ning sa fety and airc r a f t acci den t p r eventi on,t raining, maintenance, ope ra tions , resea r chand development, av iation me d icine an dother rela ted data .Manu sc ripts , photog r aphs , and other illus trat ion s pe rt llining to the above subjects ofin terest t o personnel con cerned with ArmyAv iation a r e invited . Direct commu nicationis a u thorized to: E di to r -in -Chief U. S.ARMY AVIATION DIGEST, U. S. ArmyAv iation School. Fort Ru ck er , Alabama.Un less otherwise indicated, material int he U. S. ARMY AVIATIO DIGE T maybe r ep r inted provided cr edit is given to theU S. ARMY A VIATIO DIGEST an d t othe author .The printing of this publi cation has beenapproved by the Direc to r of the Bureau ofthe Budget , 22 De cember 1958.Views ex p r es ed in th is magazine are notn ecessar ily those of the D epartment of theAr my or of the U S. Arm y Avi ation S chool.Unless sp ecified otherw ise , a ll photo g ra ph sa r e U. S . Ar my.Distribu tion:To be di st r ibllted in acco rd an ce wi t hr equi rements stated in DA F or m 12.


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5 ND 1rigadier General Carl I Hutton USA

ON 13 FEBRUARY 1958, a root of the cause of a type ofBeaver with three Army accident which has claimed theAviators aboard crashed into a lives of hundreds of people. tmountain in Germany. The air- is important that we listenplane was totally destroyed. carefully to what the witnessesUsually, in accidents of this say, and not let preconceivedkind, whether airline, civilian, ideas warp our judgment.or Army all aboard the air- All of us would like to thinkplane are killed. In this acci- that the flight encountered anddent, because of comparatively entered progressively worsenslow deceleration through tall ing weather conditions, andtrees the three aviators sur- that finally the airplane enteredvived. All suffered some degree the clouds and struck theof injury. The injuries would mountain. We like to think thisprobably have been insignifi- because it is in accord with ourcant if the available shoulder own flying habits. Vt e think ofharness had been worn. This ourselves as safe fliers; yet, allmajor incidental lesson appar- of us have poked our airplanesently cannot be repeated too into decreasing weather andoften: Use all of the provided then executed a 180 0 turn. Wesafety equipment all of the thought that we were beingtime. The need for the equip- safe and sensible. f we sayment usually com e s unex- that conditions were not otherpectedly. wise for the aviators involvedThe loss of the airplane was in this case, we admit by implicostly to the Army but the sur- cation that we have unsafe flyvival of the three aviators is a ing habits. This gets to be anfortuitous circumstance that argument in a circle. The aviamight in the long run repay tor hit a mountain because hethat loss many times. In this was not flying safely. The proofcase, we have expert witnesses that he was not flying safely isto help us get directly to the that he hit the mountain.

The flight was made from amaneuver area back to theaviation company s home garrison. The mission of the flightwas to pick up a helicopter pilotwho had not been able to go tothe maneuver area with thecompany because of a SCAMPflight, and to fetch some neededspare parts from the company ssupply. There was no greaturgency for the mission to becompleted on any time schedule. However, the aviator whowas assigned the mission hadjust finished instrument schooltwo weeks previously, and hadreceived his standard instrument ticket. He was eager tobuild up weather time, and theairplane was brand new, withsuperb radio equipment.

The aviator had logged atotal of just over 800 hours.Since receiving his instrumentticket, he had made one IFRflight involving actual weatherfor 20 minutes. He had beenflying from the home field ofGeneral Hutton is Director of

Training with th e F ederal A via-tion g cy


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ULY 1961

the aviation co.mpany fo.r abQuttwo. months and was fairlyfamiliar with the terrain sur-rQunding it.

The hQme field, altitude 1087feet, is in a valley surrQundedby mountains rising 700 to 900feet abo.ve the field level.Weather conditio.ns are fre-quently marginal. CIo.uds Qn themountains and fQg in the valleyo c c u r frequently, especiallyduring the winter m n t h s.There is nO navigatio.nal aid orapproach chart fQr the airfield.The aviators of the companysQmetimes make a practice o.fgQing to. a radio. fix abQut 15miles SQuth Qf the ho.me field,then attempt to reach the fieldeither by flying up a windingvalley to the westward, fo.llowing a railrO'ad, o.r if cO'nditio.nspermit by flying out from thefix O n 360 0 bearing. The latterrQute leads Qver an escarpmentwhich rises Qver 600 feet in 21/2miles, and 450 feet in the lastmile to. an altitude of Qver 1,900feet. t was fairly CQmmQnknQwledge that the aviators ofthe company, knQwing the ter-rain, frequently attemptedflights from the fix to the fieldin weather which fQrced theflight belQw the 500/ 1 minimum fo.r flight in uncontrQlledareas.Because the flight Qriginatedin the maneuver area, the IFRclearance had to' be filed inflight. An instrument flightexaminer (2-1) had recentlybeen assigned to. the aviatiQnCQmpany. He had previQuslyridden with the aviatQr as-signed this missiQn, and hadfQund him to. be very CQm-petent in both CQntact and instrument flying. After break-fast in the field, the aviatQrasked the flight examiner if heWQuld like to. go. alQng Qn themissiQn. The latter agreed. He

Qccupied the right seat andope r t e d the radio.s andhandled the flight charts. Therequested rQute, nearly directto the fix, was refused. A rQuteinvQlving several airways andfixes with an altitude Qf 5,000feet was proposed by CQntrQI,and accepted by the crew. FQrthe flight plan, the flight examiner s name and rating weregiven to expedite the clearance.Weather at the hQme fieldwas nQt known, since the aviation co.mpany Qperatio.ns per-so.nnel had mo.ved to the m.aneuver area. At an Air FQrcebase abQut 20 miles from thehQme field, the weather neartakeo.ff time was recorded as:1,600 scattered, 2,500 o.vercast,7 miles in light rain, wind 230 0at 5 knQts. By the time the accident Qccurred, the fo.regoinghad impro.ved to': 1,500 scat-tered, 2,700 broken, 5,000 overcast, visibility 6 miles in lightrain, wind 250 0 at 8 kno.ts.

The instrument part of theflight was uneventful and according to flight plan. The examiner tuned the radios andthe ADF and told the aviatorwhich courses to fly. The elevation on the altimeter was unreadable after the accident, butthe altimeter setting Qf 30.10cQrresponded to the latest correct setting. Although the possibility of an altimeter error isnQt to' be entirely ignored,there is no. indication that anerror existed. At the fix nearthe destina ion, clearance todescend to visual meteo.rolQgical cO'nditio.ns was received. Theflight became visual between2,500 and 3,000 feet MSL. IFRwas cancelled.

In accordance with acceptedpractice, an attempt was madeto approach the ho.me field viathe westerly valley. A 1,000-foot ceiling at the home field

was expected in view Qf the lastweather repQrt received. LQw-ering conditiO'ns in the valleyfQrced the aviatQr to turn back,and the flight returned to. theradio. fix. After a brief discussiO'n, it was agreed that theywould try flying out fro.m thefix on the 360 0 bearing. If theycould not make it here either,they would proceed to the AirFo.rce base mentioned beforeand make an appro.ach. A letdo.wn at the Air Fo.rce base wasnot expected since visual CQn-ditio.ns were anticipated frQmthe fix to the base.

The flight examiner was Qnlygenerally familiar with the ter-rain. He believed that the avia-tor was familiar with the ter-rain and that the flight wouldbe made with this terrainknQwledge. The examiner s seatwas pushed back to the end Qfthe slides. He cautiQned theaviator to remain VFR at alltimes while he IOQked up theappro.ach chart to. the Air Forcebase. The aviator went to. lowcruise. Flaps were left in thecruise PQsition, and the atti:tude of the airplane CQnse-quently was sQmewhat nosehigh at slow cruise. The ArmyAvia or passenger, in the seatbehind the pilot, estimated thatthe visibility to' the side was 2or 3 miles. He CQuld nQt seeQver the nose from his po.sitiQn.The flight examiner nQted thatthe altitude above the terrainwas abo.ut 500 feet, and visibility was mQre than Qne mile.The aviatQr felt that theweather was better than it hadbeen in the valley.

Trees appeared w i t h 0 u twarning and events. thereafterhappened with extreme rapid-ity. The aviator started aclimbing turn to the left. BQththe aviator and the flight examiner felt each Qther's hands


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on the controls as they firewalled the quadrant levers. Theelevators struck the trees andwere torn off. Vertical controlwas destroyed. The foregoingevents happened too rapidly forthe witnesses to be positiveabout the exact sequence. Theairplane mushed into the trees.The wings were torn off nextand then the nose of the airplane struck directly into a treeabout one foot in diameter. Thetrees absorbed the remainingdeceleration. The fuselage cameto rest on the ground with thetree trunk lying atop longitudinally. There was no fire.The occupants extricated themselves from the cabin and summoned assistance.

f the accident had been fatalto the occupants the findingsof the investigating b o r dwould have been clear-cut. Obviously the pilot entered IFRconditions in VFR flight and inclear violation of visual flightrules. The infraction wouldhave appeared so flagrant andin such complete abrogation ofcommon sense that aviatorswould have shaken their headsin astonishment. They would

never be guilty of such an obvious and extreme violationand therefore they would neverbe caught in such a predicament.Since these aviators are aliveand can talk back it is not sosimple to attribute the accidentto a violation of the rules. Before the sudden appearance ofthe trees the aviator thoughthe was flying safely. The flightexaminer had no reaction thatthe flight was dangerous. If itb e c m e necessary the examiner was planning to climbto 2 500 or 3 000 feet safelyabove the terrain and then filefor an approach to the AirForce base. It is not reasonableto suppose that he would haveallowed the flight to continueif he seriously believed that itwas dangerous.We would like to believe thatthe accident was caused primarily by faulty judgment onthe part of the aviator becausehe entered conditions of lessening visibility which becameprogressively worse until VFRflight could not be maintained.t may be pointed out thatthere is o evidence to support

the belief In fact the internalevidence appears to support thefacts exactly as they are givenin the statements of the witnesses. The profile of the terrain is such that altitude abovethe terrain of 500 feet was possible until the last minute offlight. The site of the crashproves that 500-foot altitudewas being maintained. Theaviator had made one 180 0 turnwhen visibility became bad.None of the aviators was unduly alarmed.

The Jeppesen chart showsan altitude of 1923 feet alongthe flight track. The 1/ 1 000 -000 pilotage chart shows theescarpment with an altitude of2 000 feet. The 1/ 500 000 pilotage chart is not easily readablefor altitude. t may be askedwhy a map study was not madeto determine what altitude wassafe. The answer is simple.The aviator was not especiallyinterested in the altitude of theterrain because he was planning a 180 turn or a climb upto a safe altitude if visibilitywent below one mile. Apparently he was favoring the 180 0turn. More instrument-minded

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JULY 1961the flight examiner was think-ing primarily in terms f aclimb to a safe altitude. Essen-tially, bDth the aviatDr and theflight examiner had the sameplan f action. The flight wDuldproceed until lowering ceilingsand visibility, r the sight fthe mountains ahead fDrcedthem intO' either a 180 0 turn ora climb up in the clDuds toescape. It was a plan whichmany, and p r o b a b I y most ,Army Aviators would havemade.AlmDst everybody in aviatiDn is familiar with that fam-ous graveyard of airplanes inwest Texas, Guadalupe Pass.Most f the accidents therehave been fatal, and it is likelythat the finding in every casehas been that the pilot flewthrough weather of decreasingvisibility until VFR flight couldn t be maintained. The factsin the present case, verified byexpert witnesses, show that atleast in some cases the findingsare in error. The pilDtS involved believed they were flying safely. They intended toapproach the pass and the escarpment to see whether theycDuld get across. They had nointention of violating flightrules. The rising ground onbDth sides of Guadalupe Passand along the German escarpment in this accident similarlyfaVDr the fDrmation of a wispyupslDpe f g which Dbscures theterrain. The rising ground alsoDbscured the fact that, although visibility slantwise andto the side remained at fromone to perhaps three miles, visibility ahead at flight level wasindeterminate. During the last1lj2 minutes of flight, the air-plane was moving at 78 knots(70 8 knDt tailwind) into anentirely unanticipated trap.

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The automatic finding ofpilot errDr in the many accidents of this kind has perpet-uated belief in one f the greatfallacies of aviation lore. Everyaviator believes that he knowswhen to execute a 180

0turn.This case shows that the beliefsin bDth the 180 0 turn and thee m r g e n c y climb are unfounded. In flight 500 feetabDve the ground, with 1 milevisibility (authorized in uncontrDlled areas), it is not safe todepend upon the 180 0 turn orthe climb to escape in areas ofrough terrain.

The 500 feet above thegrDund, clear of clDuds, and 1mile visibility were deliberatelywritten into the regulations toallDw maximum utilizatiDn ofArmy airplanes. We c 0 u I draise the limits to 1000/ 3 or1500/ 3 for VFR flight, but thiswould greatly restrict the utility of our aircraft. Low-altitude flight is our specialty aswe exploit this unused space inthe air. However, until SDmemeans, such as radar, is provided for the pilot to see ahead,such flight is nDt safe if thepilot is depending upDn a 180 0turn or a climb-out after hesees an obstacle in his path.This is the important lessonfrom this accident.

Was this a pilot error accident? It was not, unless weare willing to make an assumption for which there is noproof, namely, that the aviatDrwas brash or Dverbold . twas not a pilot error accidentunless we are willing to saythat flight which is authorizedby the regulations and which*The expression is Leighton Collins',A ir Facts February 1957 in discussion of a similar subject, i.e., in advertent instrument flight.

almost all Army A v i a t o r swould undertake is wrong. tis not pilot error unless we arewilling to say that an aviator isdoing wrDng whO' acts in accDrdance with general aviationIDre that he could execute a180 0 turn or a climb-Dut afterhe had flown far enough to' seethat the altitude would notclear the terrain. It cannot becalled pilot errDr unless we arewilling to ignore the, testimonyof the expert witnesses as wellas the internal evidence whichSUPPDrtS their testimony.Rather than cDncentratingupon finding someone to blamefor the accident, it might bebetter to list some of the factors which contributed to it.First. There was nO navigational aid or approved letdownat the home airfield. Conditionsthere were actually as anticipated by the aviator, and a safea p pro a c h could have beenmade'. Our regulations whichprovide for e qui pm e n t forArmy airfields are toO restric-tive in the light of the greatlyincreased instrument f l y i n gcapability which we have developed in radios, instruments,and training.SecDnd. It is important to theArmy to continue to use theairspace near the ground. It isnot safe to use this space whenusing instrumentation whichwas designed Dnly for standardIFR flight. An absolute altimeter might be one solution. Alightweight radar which showswhat is ahead might be better.

Third. The aviators in thiscompany were in the habit ofmaking low visibility approaches as attempted in thiscase. That other aviators ofthis cDmpany have not been involved in accidents is attribut-able perhaps to chance as muchas anything else. We need low


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visibility VFR approach chartsfor Army airfields. Theseshould show the courses to beflown from navigational fixesand the altitudes to be maintained. These can be patternedafter the instrument approachcharts.Fourth. t is important thatwe teach all of our aviatorsthat the theory of makingeither a 180 0 turn or a climbout is fallacious, if the escapeis planned only after the obsta-

cle is seen. Until a better instrument is developed, 500/ 1ight is safe only if it is madeover familiar terrain and ataltitudes which are known toclear all obstacles. Our regulations should authorize thisflight only within local flyingareas, and only in accordancewith specific instructions bythe local commander coveringthe absolute altitudes to bemaintained.If an error must be assigned

500 AND 1in the case, it is supervisory inproviding inadequate navigational aids, inadequate instruments, inadequate low visibility approach charts and inadequate training for flight whichis authorized by the regulations. However, it would be farbetter to proceed now with theindicated corrective action. Ifthis is done, this accident willreturn ultimate savings far beyond the cost of the destroyedairplane.

Two ew Aircraft at Fort Ruckerfor Man Machine Evaluation

For the past year the U. S. Army Aviation Board, Fort Rucker, Ala., has been conducting studies to determine the feasibility ofoperating aircraft at high speeds and low altitudes. Identified as the Man-Machine Project,these studies have been extended indefinitelyand presently include a comparative evaluationof three types of aircraft to determine the most

suitable for the close support mission. The threeaircraft under study are the Fiat G-91 (seeDIGEST, April 1961, page 7 , the Douglas A4D-2N, top, and the Northrop N-156 FreedomFighter, bottom. The Board is conducting thestudies at the U. S. Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Fla.

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PTepmed by th e Un ited Hta tes rmy Boa1 d tmA viation A cc ident Research

NYONE PLAYING the slotmachines at Las Vegasknows that while combinationsof bars, bells, lemons, cherries,and other assorted fruits areunlimited, odds against hit-ting the jackpot favor the onearm bandits. N 0 t sO theweather jackpot. While weathercQmbinatiQns are as infinite asspace itself, aviators need notdepend on chance or houseodds for gOQd combinatiQns.Accurate fO recasts help inmaking the right flight decisions.With the technolO gies. of Qurday in full gallQP, fQretellingweather has becQme a scientificfact. Some say 24-hQur fO re-casts are 90 percent correct.The weather map is the oneabsolute in this game, for itties observation and fQrecasting tO gether by showing thegeQgraphic features that arebasic to the mercurial, restlessweather patterns. Experiencedforecasters and w e t h e r-minded aviators will eye thismap well befQre plQtting theday s report or making a flightplan.Cynics aside, the science offoretelling the weather has improved. As man s satellitesmQve further intO space, hisknowledge of earth weather increases. Pilots of today s air-craft have little excuse for get-ting flattened by too low ceilings or turbulence toO roughto ride. When flights are planned with today s accurate forecasts, odds are all in the pilotsfavor.The Army A v i a t o r whostomps into the weather officeat Cairns Army Airfield at0700, after an early breakfast,and sleepily flips sequence reports around must have confidence in the fO recaster behindthe desk. Scanning weather


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maps and teletype reports ofen route weather, he listensintently as the weather mangives him the dope.What lies behind this manthe duty forecaster? It s along history of weather dataimprovement resulting in 24-hour forecasts which are 9percent true, and 5-day forecasts now almost 70 percent inyour favor.Twenty-five thousand yearsago man migrating with theseasons or desiring to huntdownwind looked to the nearest treetop to note wind direction or scanned the sky forcloud signs. Today s Army Aviator does the same but backinghim up is a weather observation science so advanced thatfacsimiles of weather maps aredelivered by telephoto at 120scans per minute twice thespeed of a year ago. Some ofthese maps are based on electronically computed informa-tion of weather for the entireNorth American continent.It has not always been so.Where science leads technology surely follows and the step

by step process of weather observation and forecasting firstleft the sky scanning stage forthe measurement period. Nowit has moved from the earth ssolid surface to the upper airregion with our range of observation extending to greaterheights, moving out from thetop of the air ocean and into

space. The weather forecasteris now aware that the loweratmosphere and higher atmos-phere are interrelated. Withrocket and satellite observations of the high atmosphere,the picture becomes muchclearer.ON T iP O THE WE THER

During the past 5 years oddson weather forecasting havebeen on the upswing with improved data collection. Funneling into key cities are worldwide reports that come fromseveral hundred land stations,weather ships weather-planeroutes and along commercialairlanes where seasoned navigators sight, measure and report.In tropical heat and arcticcold in storm at sea and incalm the observer is on thejob to gather the data for theweather map. Starting at thetick of a timepiece in Greenwich England weather findings are channeled into thecollection centers by radio telephone teletype and telegraph.

On top o the weather


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ULY 96

Ottawa sends out the northeastan a d a Collect ive; Chicago

handles the Midwest; Londonall of Britain; and from Berlin,Paris, Rome, Los Angeles,Cairo, Buenos Aires and othermajor points come the weatherreports four times daily. Ontothe teletype go listings fromAlabama to Kabul.Staying abreast of meteorology can sometimes pose aproblem for the Army Aviator.If, following his 50 hours ofweather training in OFWAC,he goes off to a desk somewhere and only flies 4 hours permonth, he is likely to forgeteverything he ever knew aboutthe subject. Staying on top ofthe weather business is a continuing challenge, but one allaviators must be prepared tomeet.

DELETING I S ND BUTSThe greatest change withinthe past 5 years for the pilotis the deletion of the ifs andthe buts from the weather re

port. To say that the currentfo r e ca s t s for any 24-hourperiod are mostly accurate isenough to give confidence tothe pilot. Extended or five-dayforecasts still leave much to bedesired, but it is said that 7out of 10 tries are correct.Now the weather schedulescome on a 15-minute basis,

whereas only a few years agothey came every hour on thehour. Teletype messages havebeen stepped up to 100 perminute, giving fuller, quickernews. Tor n ado, or severeweather warnings, once nonexistent, are now a regular partof the report.The quality of the work onfacsimile charts - or weathermaps - has vastly improved.Ones usually read by ArmyAviators are the surface chart,prognostic chart, and the RAREP or cloud formation andturbulence chart. These mapsoriginate from the Joint Analysis Center - a com b in e dWeather Bureau, Army, Navyand Air Force efforl--in Suitland, Md. These folks put outmore than 200 charts a day.IBM machines, 701 and 705computers can analyze the upper atmosphere and determinethe vorticity index (convergence or divergence) for the entire North American continentwithin 15 minutes, a job thatwould take a mathematicianseveral years.

DELIBERATE AIRFIELDAn all-we a t he r airfield,classed by the Army as deliberate (to distinguish frompioneer and hasty ) has

forecasters on duty 18 hours aday. Such a field is Cairns

Army Airfield where Detachment Nine of the 16th WeatherSquadron, U. S Air Force,operates.Forecasters at Cairns havemuch of the newest equipment

to give them the full picture ofcurrent sky conditions and ceiling, including cloud amountsand height. Their facsimile machine is one of the latest modelsand they have a transmissometer to take the guessworkout of visibility measurements.Radar, wind recorders, andteletype machines are at work24 hours a day to gather dataon temperatures, icing conditions, surface winds and windsaloft, dewpoint, and obstructions to vision such as fog,haze, smog, smoke, rain, snow,sleet, and drizzle.

All this i n fo r ma t ion isgathered for one purpose-sothe forecaster can give you, theArmy Aviator, an accurateweather picture for your entireflight. If you are willing to takethe time-to get this picture andplan your flight accordingly,you'll be stacking the odds inyour favor for a successfulflight. Take off without it, fileVFR into,marginal weather, orplan your flight into a thunderstorm area and you're bettingyour life on odds less favorablethan those you'd get with theslot machines at Vegas.

TC V'I TION MAINTENANCE TEAM ON THE GO AGAINThe TC Aviation Maintenance Instructionteams from the U. S. Army TransportationSchool again will instruct Reserve and National

Guard units throughout the United States thissummer.Starting in the middle of the United States,the teams will go in opposite directions, onecovering the East and one the West. The Eastteam will work as far east as Camp Drum, N. Y.The West Team will travel as far west as CampRoberts, Calif. Their mission is to give famili-8

zation training on aviation mantenance toReserve and National Guard units during activeduty summer training.The East team will visit Ft Riley, Kans.,Camp McCoy, Wis., Camp Ripley, Minn., FtMcClellan, Ala., Ft Stewart, Ga., Camp A P.Hill, Va., and Camp Drum, N. Y on a 119-daytour.The West team will visit Ft Hood, Texas,Sharpe General Depot, Stockton, Calif., Ft Ordand Camp Roberts, Calif., on a 112-day tour.


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ULY 96

alert flying, there is no reasonto accidentally fly into a thunderstorm. This is especiallytrue in the States and in peacetime flying. t should be thoroughly emphasized that thunderstorm flying can be avoidedand the recommended steps tobe taken are for use only in extreme emergencies.

In some locations or conditions, such as war, these facilities may not be as extensive; sothe pilot must make use of allavailable facilities and make avery good preflight study of theexisting and forecast weatherconditions.

During the summer heatmuch attention must be placedon thunderstorm activity, andin most cases this will keep thepilot from inadvertently flyinginto one. But if a pilot is caughtin a situation when he must fly,some important things to remember are the aircraft must be readied,

and fly attitude.Getting the aircraft ready is

part of every flight, which includes checking instruments,lights, pitot and carburetorheat, de-icing (if available),safety belts, mixture, rpm, andetc. With this check completedthe pilot can concentrate on flying attitude.

Flying attitude means flyingthe aircraft primarily on thegyro-instruments. Level attitude must be maintained withthe artificial horizon. Barometric instruments give false readings due to rapid changes ofpressure within the stO'rm area.By using as little elevator control as possible to maintain altitude, minimum stress will beplaced on the aircraft and arough thunderstorm can be ridden out.

Do not "chase" airspeed. Remember that heavy rain willslow down the indicated airspeed because of partial blocking of the pitot tube. Makepower changes only when thelower limits and the maximumlimits are reached on the airspeed indicator.

Each airplane has a recommended speed and power setting when turbulence is encountered. Every pilot shouldknow this for each aircraft inwhich he is pilot rated.

Today is a good time to brushup on the -1 of the aircraftyou fly. Above all, don't be likethe multijet bomber pilot whosaid that there was so littleweather at his flight altitudethat he flew through it just tobreak the monotony."When pride cometh, thencometh shame; but with thelowly is wisdom." Proverbs11:2.There are many rules forthunderstorm flying, but noneis as cogent as DON'T D

Thunderstorm flying shouldnot be deliberately undertakenin any Army aircraft. In casesof inadvertent or emergencypenetrat ion of a T s t o r m("Killer on the Loose," page 36,June issue) follow the recommended procedures in the -l.AGAIN, RULE 1 ON T-STORMPENETRATION IS DON'T~ _

]0

The current episodes of the syndicated comic "strip "Smilin' Jack" center around the activities of the U. S. Army A viatiO'n Board, FortRucker, Ala.

Reprinted by cou rt esy of Za ck Mosley and Chi cago Tribune-N.Y . Ne ws Syndicate, Inc.


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RUBUMPERCaptain Donald M McTigue

rmor

HE VIOLENT REACTIONpictured above is not the

result of a hole-in-one or thedrawing of an inside straight.Instead it comes from losing ahelicopter, piece by piece, inflight.The cause of this reaction

was aT-storm, a real "unstableMabel that mixed severe gustswith violent up d r f t sanddowndrafts until the rotors ofthat whirlybird gave up andnot-so-silently fell away.

Many areas of the U. S.average 30 days of this mixmaster weather during thesummer. All pilots claim to be,and certainly should be, wellaware of the dangers of flyingin areas of thunderstorm activity. Much has been written andeven more has been recountedof the treachery of T-storms,particularly to smaller aircraft

such as the helicopter. Despite. his, there are those pilots whoignore the facts, shrug offweather warnings, and go blissfully off to meet Thor in histhunderbumper. These are thepilots who learn the hard waythat only fictional witches canride broomsticks.One of the best protectionsagainst encountering T-stormsin flight is being forewarned oftheir possible existence. Whilethe science of weather forecasting may not seem exact, thecombination of availableweather information plus thepilot's experience and goodjudgment should suffice as acue to the probability ofweather.

The pilot on a cross-countryshould maintain a check on theweather as he flies. If he has aradio, he should keep it on for

the latest reports, and not beradio shy if in doubt. He shouldalso study the clouds. They areexcellent signposts and will tellhim the location of convectiveair currents that build cumulusclouds. As the day progressesthese towering billowy whitecumulus clouds often becomecumulo-nimbus, or T-storms -clouds filled with varying degrees of turbulence, heavy rain,lightning, and sometimes hail.A towering cumulus can become a raging thunderstorm in10-15 minutes. So keep aweather eye outFlying a helicopter or anyaircraft into a thunderstorm is

Captain McTigu e was a pro.jecioflicer with th e Department ofRotm'y lYing Tl aining, UBA-A l NS, when this article waswl'it tell

11


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ULY 96

foolhardy-like trying to makeyour points with someone else'sloaded dice.If available weather datahints at thunderbumper possibilities, your weather officerconfirms your suspicions, andthose billowy white cumulusclouds in the dis,tance begin tolook boiling, think again before you take off. One of thegreat advantages of the helicopter is its ability to landpractically anywhere. So if oldThor catches you in flight, landand secure your aircraft until itpasses. Remember the following facts before you make the"Go" decision:Airmass thunderstorm cellsbuild up over land during theheat of the day and usuallybreak in the, late afternoon orearly evening. However, eitherairmass or frontal type thunderstorms may be encounteredat any time.

f storms are scattered, theygenerally can be circumnavigated, but don't try to climbover - and don't try to gothrough if there is a solidsquall line.

The he'aviest turbulence in aT-storm area will be in the areaof heaviest rain. Before youdecide you can slip under thebase of the thunderbumpercloud, remember that dangerous downdrafts often extendbelow the base, to as low as 300feet above the ground in therain cone, and that you must befamiliar with the terrain.The larger the storm cell, themore likely the hail. Destructive hail can be t0'ssed out ofthe cloud and into the "clearblue adjacent to it. Keep thisin mind if you decide you cansneak between the scatteredT-storm clouds.

In helicopter flying, the safest course is away from the12

thunderstorm area. Better goa few miles out of your way orland and wait it out instead oftaking the shortest and mostdirect route, if the course isthr0'ugh the storm area. Lowering ceilings and rain showerscan portend a thunderstorm.D0'n't be' duped by gentle windsand rain and fly int0' the teethof a l T-storm in a helicopter,even if you do have an instrument ticket. Losing a rotor ortail boom can spoil most of yourday. Another factor that giveswarning of approaching a thunderstorm is excessive radiostatic - a sure sign of a Tstorm in the area.With weather forecasts, advisories, s p e c i I advisories,pilot's reports and radar coverage available today, plus alertflying, there is no reason to"accidentally" fly into a thunderstorm. f the possibility ofen route thunderstorms exist,the flight should be closelymonitored or canceled. t shouldbe thoroughly emphasized thatthunderstorm flying can beavoided and the recommendedsteps to be taken are for useonly in extreme emergencies.

When a helicopter pilot findshe is unable to, avoid flyingthrough a thunderstorm cell,the f 0 11 0 w in g procedures,evolved from r e s e r ch ndopera ional experience, are recommended:

Reduce forward speed tominimize the effects of severeturbulence and buffeting on theaircraft. A slight increase of operational rpm will make the bladesmore rigid and increase the stability 0 f the r0'tor system. Tie down all 100 se equipment and notify crew and passengers of the possibility of encountering severe turbulence . Lock your shoulder har-

ness and notify crew and passengers to do likewise. Select the lowest possiblealtitude that will enable you toclear the terrain in the event 0:downdrafts.

Disengage all ASE eq uipment. Turn off all radio eq uipment that is not absolutelynecessary. Have anti-icing equipmentand pitot heat on. If on a night flight, turnup all cockpit lights S0 youwon't be blinded by lightningflashes. f practicable, weardark glasses.

A void unnecessary maneuvering. Be gentle and easyon the contr0'ls. Concentrate on maintaining a level attitude. D0 not attempt to correct for altitudegained or lost from up or d0'wncurrents, unless it is absolutelynecessary t0 clear obstructions.Do not "chase" the airspeed butattempt to maintain the sameattitude to avoid c0'nfusionarising from the airspeed indicator's fluctuations and errors. Never try to land or take0 ff if aT-storm is near the fieldor close t0' your takeoff or approach path.

Gusty surface winds, downdrafts, etc., that come in aheadof a thunderstorm are difficultto cope with. If it is impracticable to, avoid such flights bylanding or making a 180 turn,the procedures recommendedabove should be followed. DThunderstorm flying sh0'uldnot be deliberately undertakenin any Army aircraft. In casesof inadvertent or emergencypenetra t ion of a T-s torm("Killer on the Loose, page 36,June issue) follow the recommended procedures in the -1.AGAIN, RULE 1 ON T-STORMPENETRATION IS DON'T


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Photo Cour tesy Public Re lations Department, Georgia Tech

eronautical EngineeringProgram In rmy viation

THE TERM aeronautical en-gineer appears regularlyin Army Aviation literature;yet there seem to be three com-mon questions among aviatorsconcerning this term. First,just what is an aeronautical en-gineer? Second of what valueis an aeronautical engineer tothe Army Aviation Program?And third, how do Army offi-cers become aeronautical en-gineers?

Webster classifies aeronau-tics as the science or art of

Captain Edward P. Lukert Jr. Inf

making and flying aircraft. Aclear concept of engineering inaeronautics may be gained bylooking at the requirements foran aircraft, which in turn willindicate the specific fields ofstudy in aeronautical engineer-ing. Normally a successful air-craft must meet the followingsix minimum requirements:

1 The aircraft must be ableto produce adequate lift or sus-tention throughout its operat-ing range and under all condi-tions of anticipated flight.

2. Its structure must be ofadequate strength, light inweight and have good fatigueproperties.3. t must have a satisfac-tory propulsion system.4 t must have adequateCaptain Lukert is assigned toMOateriel D z:vision, ODO , US A -

A YNS. H e is rotary and fixedwing rated and has a special in -::;tru l nent ticket. H e has approxi-mately 2500 flight how s and isattending jet p1lot school at Jack sanville N AS.

13


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ULY 1961

stability and control.5 It must be provided witha satisfactory means for safelyleaving and contacting theground.6 t must be capable of

completing its mission as economically and as safely as possible. The term economicallyincludes maintenance charac-teristics.The aeronautical engineermust meet these requirementsby compromise, realizing thatan airplane deficient in anyoneof the requirements is unsatis-factory.Although the Bachelor ofAeronautical Engineering isusually trained in all of thesefields, it is common practice ingraduate level work to specialize in aerodynamics, aircraftstructures stability and control, propulsion, or helicoptertheory. Of course, aeronauticalengineering is not limited toaircraft but is used in otherareas such as missile and spacetravel.To answer the second question, we must realize that theArmy is required to improveexisting aircraft and obtainfuture aircraft which will enable the Army to accomplish itsmission with the least expenditures of men, materiel, andmoney. Thus an aeronauticalengineer may be used as a consultant to ensure that proposedmodifications of existing air-craft are compatible with otheraircraft requirements.For example, it is possiblethat structural failure of L-19sin Korea resulting from fabri-cation of camera ports at pointsof critical stress in the fuselageco u I d have been prevented.Also, an aeronautical engineermay be used in monitoring themany aircraft proposals presented to the Army by indus-14

try. He may prepare realisticfuture requirements for aircraft based on the expected advancement in aeronautics forthe time frame under consideration. Finally, the aeronauticalengineer's t e c h n i c a I background enables him to interprettechnical language into ter-minology of common usage.Now how does an officer become an aeronautical engineerwhile on active duty? AR 350-200 and AR 350-205 give thespecific details of the civilschooling program for combatofficers. To be selected as astudent in this program anapplicant must meet certaincriteria. First his basic branchmust be Armor Artillery, orInfantry. The technical services operate a similar programfor their officers. Second, heshould not be over 36 years ofage. Finally, he should have anabove - average undergraduateacademic record that includesan excellent record in mathe-matics through calculus. Usually an officer will be considered only after completion ofhis,branch advanced course. Although it is not required thatthe applicant be a rated ArmyAviator, this additional qualification is desirable. Practicalexperience in flying will nottnly help him understand tlleacademic approach to aeronautical engineering, but also provide valuable background foruse in future assignments. fthe applicant is an aviator provisions are made for him tomaintain his flying proficiency.Application for this schoolingmust include a statement thatthe applicant will serve a minimum of 4 years upon completion of the program.

Army Regulations mentiontwo schools for attendanceMassachusetts ns t t u te of

Technology and Georgia Insti-tute of Technology. However,several other schools are nowutilized by the Department ofthe Army for this program.The applicant may choose anyschool he wishes; however, finalselection will depend on acceptance from the school and thecurrent distribution of studentsby Department of the Army.

Once an application has beenreceived by the Department ofthe ' Army it remains active until the applicant is consideredtoo old to receive this trainingor he withdraws his application.An applicant may withdraw hisapplication at any time e f o r ~he formally accepts assignmentat a particular school. The t m ~lapse between application andattendance at a school dependson many f ac t r s, such asbranch release, the individualofficer's career pattern vacancies in the schooling allotments,projected requirements andthe qualifications of each applicant as compared to other qualified applicants.

Upon acceptance for the civilschooling program the officeris assigned to the student detachment of the Army headquarters nearest his school.This student detachment holdshis records and provides anynecessary administrative assistance required. At the-beginning of each quarter or semester of school, the student submits a report directly to Washington which lists the subjectsscheduled for the ensuing termand gives the subjects andgrades of the preceding term.Other than this, the student ison his own for two years justas any other student.

Periodically a representativefrom the Education Depart-ment in Washington will visitthe school to discuss collective


17/40

and individual problems withthe Army students in attendance and with the school authorities. The Army studentalthough probably better motivated than his civilian contemporaries, usually has thedisadvantages of being new tothat particular school's systemand having been out of schoolhimself for some years . N evertheless, he will be expectedto maintain high grades inorder to qualify for a degree.

The requirements for degrees at each civil school vary.Therefore, based on a student sacademic performance, he mayreceive no degree, an additionalundergraduate degree, a masters degree, or both a secondundergraduate degree and amasters degree. This schoolingprogram does not guaranteethat the student will receivea degree. At Georgia Insti-

tute of Technology, the following chart shows a typicalprogram of study leading toward a second undergraduatedegree and a master s degree inaeronautical engineering.

Upon completion of the civilschooling pro g ram, assignments will be made to carefullyselected positions where anaeronautical engineering background is desirable or required.Normally, a 3-year tour can bee x p e c t ed immediately aftercompletion of this training.Such tours may be interruptedfor a t t en dan c e at serviceschools or other career broadening assignments. For a combat arms officer, typical assignments are in Washington,D C ; Redstone Arsenal; CDO,the r t i e r y and MissileSchool, Fort Sill, Okla.; CDO,the Army Aviation School, Fort

AERONAUTICAL PROGRAMRucker, Ala.; and the AviationBoard, Fort Rucker, Ala. Thetechnical service officer mighte x p e c t similar assignments.For example, the Transportation Corps utilizes aeronauticaleng i nee r s at T ATSA, FortRucker, Ala.; TRECOM, FortEustis, Va.; and TMC, St.Louis, Mo

After a utilization tour, theofficer will revert to the normalcareer patterns of his branch.However, this will not precludeassignment at some future datein the field of aeronautical engineering since one such utilization tour is not necessarilyconsidered sufficient justification for the schooling received.If a second utilization tour isgiven, it may be' expected at ahigher level than the first assignment to take advantage ofthe added experience gained.

PROGRAM FOR A SECOND UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERINGMATHEMATICS:Advanced CalculusDifferential Equations IDifferential Equations IIAdvanced Engineering Math I

MISCELLANEOUS:Stability and ControlDynamics of the AirplaneAircraft Propulsive SystemsSeminar

AERODYN AMICS:ThermodynamicsAerodynamics of the Airplane IAerodynamics of the Airplane IIAero and Hydro MechanicsAerodynamics of Perfect FluidsElementary SupersonicsAirplane Design IAirplane Design II

AIRCRAFT STRUcrURES:Theory of Aircraft Structures ITheory of Aircraft Structures IITheory of Aircraft Structures IIITheory of Aircraft Structures IVAdvanced Aircraft StructuresMechanical Vibrations

PROGRAM FOR MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING DEGREE*MATHEMATICS:Advanced Engineering Math IIAdvanced Engineering Math IIINumerical Analysis INumerical Analysis IISeminars in use of Computers(for thesis work)

AERODYNAMICS:Elements of Viscous Fluid TheoryElements of Compressible FlowAerodynamics of the Helicopter IAerodynamics of the Helicopter IIExterior Ballistics, t include extraterrestrial dynamics and orbitalmotions

AIRCRAFT STRUcrURESAdvanced Aircraft Structural Analysis IAdvanced Aircraft Structural Analysis IITheory of ElasticityAdvanced Strength of Materials

THESIS: Required for designated Masters Degree-otherwise add 14 hours additional work.*Based on the above prerequisites when the major field is a combination of aircraft structures and aerodynamics.

No more than two grades of ('C are permitted in graduate work for successful program completion.

15


18/40

General Carter B. Magrudernow retired was CommandingGeneral Eighth U S. rmy whenthis article was written.

Korea Presents Challenge;Aircraft Enhance Effectiveness

ighth rmyK OREA PRESENTS a challenge and an opportunityto Army Aviation probably unequaled by any other UnitedStates Army location.Day in and day out, the mostfully exploited capability ofArmy Aviation in Korea is thatof permitting and facilitatingadequate command con t r I,staff supervision, and liaison.The rough, broken terrain,marked by backbone ridgescrossed by few roads, makes allt ac t i c a I unit commandersfrom the infantry battle grouplevel on up-quickly realize theessentiality of the observationhelicopter. This aircraft hasbecome the mount of thesecommanders, enabling them toexercise on-the-spot con t r 0 Iand supervision of their unitsin training in a manner otherwise precluded by time andterrain. A visit to units in garrison or in tactical disposition,which takes minutes by air,requires hours of rough surface travel.Another facet of Army A viation's contribution to commandand control lies in communica- 6

tion. The H-13 and the L-19have a radio relay capabilitywhich surmounts the obstaclesencountered when line-of-sightradio gear is used in mountainous areas cut by narrow valleysand ravines. To take the loadoff wire and radio nets, wedaily use our aircraft extensively in a communicationscourier role, both during normal operations and during command post and field trainingexercises.D ur i n g Exercise S NOWTIGER in January, the commanding general, I Cor p sGroup) established a scheduled helicopter courier servicebetween his headquarters andthose of his subordinates. During the Eighth Army Command Post Exercise COUNT E R PUN C H, whose datespractically coincide with thissymposium, rm y Aviationwill be operating a scheduledcourier service over most ofKorea in support of all majorheadquarters participating inthe exercise.In tactical operations, ourunits have found an excellent

use for utility and light transport helicopters in providingflank security by placing patrols on ridgelines and hillsadjacent to routes of advanceor withdrawal. Over here theroads, such as they are, followthe valley floor and are theeasy avenues for movement.They can be used, however,only if the adjacent ridgelinesare secure. Since flank securitymoving on foot along theridges cannot keep up withelements in the valley, ourunits have developed a systemof leap-frogging by helicoptersmall flank security elementsalong the high ground. Thistechnique requires a v i a t 0 r sskilled in mountain flying.Ridgeline and pinnacle landings, aggravated by air turbulence, leave little margin forerror.

Overall airlift capability ofthe Eighth Army is limited.Still, with careful planning andpooling of resources, a sizeableforce can be placed in key positions quickly. During a recent


19/40

exercise 350 men of the 1stBattle Group, 8th Cavalry,were moved 6 miles to occupya blocking position inaccessibleto ground vehicles. In less than2 hours the maneuver was completed; a counterattack wassubsequently launched w t hfresh troops.To the extent of their capability, our light transport helicopter companies are also usedto support the training of Republic of Korea Anny and Marine units. Last fall, the 6thLight Helicopter Company par-ticipated in an amphibious exercise during which 1,800 combat-equipped Korean marineswere transported in a tacticalmove in coordination with anamphibious assault. Immediately following this exercise,our 13th Light Helicopter Company made an air and grounddisplacement of 90 miles fromits compound to a field bivouacarea. From this location it supported divisions of the FirstRepublic of Korea Army engaged in maneuvers.

In the logistical support role,Army Aviation is at home inKorea. During tactical exercises small quantities of ammunition, rations fuel, andwater which otherwise wouldhave to be moved over hills andmountains by manpower, canbe quickly delivered to isolatedunits by airplanes and helicopters. An effective procedure isthe freefall method using helicopters. Ground troops place apanel marking the desired droparea on the reverse slope of theridge or hill. Although unableto land at the site, helicopterscan descend to a low enoughaltitude and with slow enoughspeed to drop supplies into thedesired area without damage.Increasingly heavy demandsare also being placed on ArmyAviation to move supervisorypersonnel and critical suppliesto our air defense and signalsites. Many of these sites areat remote locations. U n d e rideal conditions, it requireshours to reach them by road;when ice and snow are present

EIGHTH ARMYthey are practically inaccessible. With helicopters, thesesites are only minutes awayfrom supply points.No comment on the employment of aviation in EighthArmy today would be completewithout mentioning the workthat is being done by our helicopter ambulance medical detachments. Here in Korea,where the medical evacuationpotential of the helicopter wasfirst demonstrated and provedunder fire, an average of 115emergency evacuations fromoutlying areas to hospitals aremade by helicopter each month.The helicopters of our medicaldetachments are used in expediting the movement of medicalconsultant teams between hospitallocations and transportingdoctors to outlying sites forthe conduct of sick call.The mission of Army A viation is to augment the capability of the Army to conduct effective combat operations. InKorea this mission is beingaccomplished.

tility and light transport helicopters are used to provide flank security by placing patrols on ridge lines ndhills adjacent to routes of advance nd withdrawal


20/40

IROQUOIS H-34 CHOCTAWH-13H MAIN ROTOR BLADES OVERLAPPEDwhen aircraft was started too close to anotherparked H - 13H. Major damage to one main rotorblade of each aircraft. No injuries .HU-1A LANDED HARD in tail - low attitude during practice autorotation . Main rotor bladesflexed downward and severed tail rotor driveshaft.L-20A FELL THROUGH during full flap stripapproach and landed hard . Incident damage toright main landing gear and fuselage .H-21C OIL PRESSURE DROPplED to 40 psi . Oi ltemperature increased to 100 C and cylinderhead temperature to 205 C. Aircraft completedlanding under power with no damage . Metalparticles found on engine magnetic sump plugSuspect bearing failure.AO-1A EMITTED FLAMES from trailing edge ofright engine nacelle during f l ight . Aircraft waslanded and fire extinguished. Fire caused bymateriel failure of a ring due to excessive brakeheating . This allowed hydraulic fluid to contacthot brake and catch fire . Damage estimated at

100,000 . No injuries .L-19A STRUCK TREE during simulated combattactics. Incident damage to right wing and hori zontal stabilizer. No injuries.AO-l A PROPELLER FAI LED to reverse duringlanding . Heavy braking action to maintain di rectional control caused left t ire to blowout.Incident damage. No injuries .H-13H ROTO R BLADES M,ESHED fo l lowingbackward takeoff and formation turn duringsquare dance team practice . Major damage toboth aircraft. No inju ri es

8

H-23 RAVENH-13H STRUCK METAL POLE during low- levelf l ight . Major damage to main rotor blade . Noinjuries .L-19A STRUCK POWERLINES during flourbombing f l ight . Aircraft destroyed . Pilot suf fered cuts and bruises. Passenger s head bumped,causing minor injury .H-21C STRUCK GROUND OR BUSH with leftgear while aircraft was hovering . Aircraft rolledand came to rest on left side. Major damageto fore and aft rotor systems, transmission, leftgear and fuselage. Crewchief and 7 passengerssustained minor injuries .U-1A ENGINE FAILED at lO a - foot altitude fo l lowing takeoff. Aircraft completed forced land ing on auxiliary strip with no damage. Powerloss caused by materiel failure of No. 4 cylinder .L-20 ENGINE FAILED in f l ight and aircraft hitdrainage ditch during forced landing. Majordamage to landing gear, right wing and underside of fuselage. No injuries . Cause of enginefailure undetermined pending analysis.U-l A STRUCK BARRIER POLE during demon stration barrier takeoff. Minor damage to rightwing . No injuries . Strong, gusty surface windsconsidered a factor .H-21C CHIP DETECTOR WARNING LIGHTcame on in f l ight . Aircraft completed landingunder power with no damage. Metal particlesfound on sump plugs .TL-19D ENGINE FAILED during night f l ight .Aircraft completed successful forced landing onlighted airport, with engine developing partialpower. Two gallons of water found in fuel tanks .


21/40

L 23 SEMINOLE H 37 MOJAVEH 13G DROPPED onto concrete taxiway whenpi lot took hand from collective pitch to removecarburetor heat. Aircraft was in hovering f l ight .Major damage to center section, tail boom, tailrotor drive shaft and cross tubes. No injuries .HU 1A ROCKED FORWARD at touchdown frompractice autorotation. Aft cyclic was appliedand main rotor blade flexed into tail rotor driveshaft. Tail rotor drive shaft severed . Stressdamage to transmission mount pylon support.No injuries.H 34A HIT FENCE with tail rotor while aircraftwas taxiing into parking place . Incident damageto tail rotor blades .H 21C ENGINE made unusual noise in f l ight .Engine tachometer fluctuated approximately 200rpm and oil pressure dropped toward zero. Air-craft completed forced landing with no damage .Metal particles found in oil coming out of Ydrain .L 20A CRASHED when aircraft encounteredstrong downdraft while approaching crest ofmountain pass. Aircraft caught fire and burned .Pilot and two passengers sustained slight backinjuries . Low visibility and freezing drizzle inarea of crash is considered a factor .AO 1A FIRE WARNING LIGHT came on forNo 2 engine during flight. Aircraft completedprecautionary landing with no damage . Hot ex-haust gases, escaping around seal between engine and fi rewa , caused deterioration andelectrical short in fire warning system .U 1A ENGINE FAILED during takeoff . Aircrafthit ground in stall attitude. Major damage . Noinjuries. Suspect materiel failure of No. 1cylinder.

AC l CARIBOU H-19 CHICKASAAO l A SWERVED during landing when one pro-peller was slow reversing . Two main tires blownout during attempt to stop swerve. Nose wheelstruck runway light, blowing out nose wheel tire .PARACHUTE CANOPY CAUGHT on FM hom ing antenna base of left horizontal stabilizerof L-20A as parachutist exited ai rcraft . i lotmaintained control of aircraft and began gradualclimb . Jumper released himself from main can opy, fell free and deployed reserve parachute,landing safely . Aircraft completed successfullanding with incident damage to FM homingantenna .AO l A LANDI NG GEAR RETRACTED too soonduring takeoff . Aircraft settled on runway, causing major damage to propellers, belly panels,landing gear doors, both engines and anticollisionl ight. No injuries.L 19E FLAP FAI LED during landing approach .One f lap lowered and the other remained up.Incident damage. No injuries. Caused by ma teriel failure of screw jack assembly.

3 CAUGHT IN DOWNDRAFT while ap proaching a ridge . Aircraft crashed into gullyand was destroyed. No apparent injuries to pilotor crewchief.H 34 LOST RPM during takeoff. Rotor bladesstruck trees as ai rcraft completed forced land ing. Major damage to main rotor blades andpower train. No injuries.H 13G ENGINE FAILED in f l ight . Aircraft com pleted forced landing with no damage. Intakepipe on left side separated at flange f itt ing onintake manifold . Apparently caused by failureto properly seat intake pipe .

9


22/40

T K

ANY FLIGHT PLAN is nobetter than the aviator whofiles it or the operations officerwho clears it The operationsofficer has the one job whichprobably causes more hyper-tension, missed putts and grayhair than any other duty inArmy Aviation.During the Aviation Confer

ence for Sixth U. S. Army heldin San Francisco, 6-7 April1961, ulcer producing frustra-tions and decisions that face anoperations officer were vividlyportrayed in a short skit.At the beginning of this skit,we find General Starr, the Commanding General, talking toLieutenant Beaver, Army Aviator.GEN STARR: "Beaver, howis our L-20 today?"LT BEAVER : "Real fine,General, sir. When do we takeoff, sir?"GEN STARR: "Wait a minute, Beaver. You don't evenknow what I want yet. We havea load of critically needed supplies which I want delivered toBig Bluff. Also, I have ap-proved a request by Mr. Jones,

2

a newspaperman to accompanyyou. Do you think you canhandle it?"LT BEAVER: "Yes sir, General, sir Anything, anywhere,any time That's our motto."GEN STARR: "Fine I knewI could depend on you. The loadamounts to 780 pounds and it'sfairly bulky. t must be theretoday for sure."Lieutenant Beaver now goesinto high gear like a ball offire. First, he makes sure thatthe crewchief is getting the air-craft ready.

LT BE A V E R: "McGillicutty, I've got a hot missionMake sure our L-20 is gassedand check it over good. Takeout the back seats and leaveonly the pilot and copilot seatsin. We'll have a big load soleave the wing tanks empty.I'll be taking off as soon as possible."Lieutenant Be a v e r nextmakes his way to the weatheroffice.

LT BEAVER: "SergeantTh unde'rhead, I'm in a big hur-ry What's the weather between here and Big Bluff?"

SGT T HUN D E R HEAD:"We're IFR here. You'll hitscattered to clear conditions atSmithville and then be IFR therest of the way. The weatherwill deteriorate along the wholecoast after 1800 hours."L T B E A V E R: "G denough. Looks like no sweat "Lieutenant Beaver eg in smaking out his flight plan. Hemutters to himself: "Let's see,now. I think I'll go over to thevalley and fly up through thatgood weather. That meansV-137 to Lost Banana, V-109 toSmithville, V-23W to Jonesburg, and V -23 into Big Bluff.No sweat. Total distance is 255miles. Flying at 105 knots, Ishould have a 400-mile rangewith 95 gallons aboard."

Lieutenant B e a v e r carrieshis DD Form 175 back to Sergeant Thunderhead to get hisweather.SGT THUNDERHEAD:"Looks like a rough flight,Lieutenant Beaver."

Prepared by the Un1 ted Statesrmy Board for viation Acci-

dent Research


23/40

LT BEAVER: "Nothing toit You see that 2 in the blockright there? That's what I getpaid for-anything, anywhere,any time."When his weather has beenentered on Form 175, Lieutenant Beaver hurries over tothe operations officer and impatiently waits for his clearance.OPERATIONS OFFICER:"Lieutenant Beaver, what areyou trying to do? Collect your

NSLI ?"LT BEAVER: "What's thematter?"OPERATIONS OFFICER:"For one thing, you are filed onV -137 to Lost Banana at 5,500feet What kind of altitude isthat? The MEA on that routeis 6,000 feet "

L T BEAVER: "Ice, sir, iceSee that forecast? I've got tostay below 6,000 feet . Anyway,the soup is down on the mountains along V -137, and therewon't be any VFR traffic downbelow the MEA for me to runinto."OPERATIONS OFFICER:"Look here, Beaver, you filedan odd altitude for the leg

tween Lost Banana and Smithville. According to the quadrantal heading, it should be aneven altitude."LT BEAVER: "Well, I don'twant to go below the MEA onthis leg with all those crazycivilians milling around downbelow."OPERATIONS OFFICER:

"O.K., Beaver, O.K. Let's seenow. Going to Big Bluff: ETE2 plus 30 and 1 plus 6 ETE toyour alternate. That makes 3plus 36 total ETE and you haveonly 3 plus 48 fuel on board.You'll be a little short for that45 minute reserve you're supposed to have when you get toyour alternate, won't you?"

LT BEAVER : "You've neverflown with me, have you? I always lean her out when I getup there. I'll pick up that extra33 minutes easy. Anyway, Iwon't have to go to my alternate. See that 1,800-foot ceiling at Big Bluff? Minimumsare 400 feet. Can't miss on thefirst approach. Anyway, if Ihave to go my alternate, I'll usethe GCA and they can vectorme straight in. O.K., O.K., I'll

TAKES TWO TO TANGO

put an extra 10 gallons in thewing tanks."OPERATIONS OFFICER:"Look here, Beaver. You knowyou have to have a cDpilot fornight weather flights, and withthe sunset at 0200 Zulu you'llbe getting to Big Bluff 15 min

utes after sunset."L T BEAVER: "I've got a

passenger, haven't I? I'll teachhim enough to run the radiosbefore it gets dark. Anyway, itcan't get very dark in 15 minutes, can it?"OPERATIONS OFFICER:"How about your weight andbalance form? It's required byAR 95-16 when you use theL-20 to haul cargD in this configuration."LT BEAVER: "Weight andbalance? Haven't you everflown an L-20? That crazy birdwill fly with any load you canclose the door on. Well, O.K.,I'll get Dne Go ahead and clearthe rest of the f rm for me.My void time is running outand S e rg e n t Thunderheadmight think up SDme bad

weather fDr me if I have to getan extension."

2


24/40

ULY 96

OPERATIONS OFFICER:"Let's take a look at thisweather section. It looks to melike you don't have alternateweather at Hamilton, your alternate. Minimum approach altitude is 400 feet and no alternate minimum is published.That means you need 400 feetplus 1,000, or 1,400 feet."LT BEAVER: "I don't believe you want me to go on thisflight Like I told you before,with all that good weather atBig Bluff, I won't have to go tomy alternate. Anyway, witl}GCA there I'll be O.K. Haven'tyou ever made a GCA? Thoseguys could bring you down in acloset with the lights off."OPERATIONS OFFICER:"Beaver, nobody flies from thisfield while I'm operations officer without my clearance, anddon't you forget it You areonly a 2 instrument pilot andyour takeoff weather is 100feet below takeoff minimums.You've filed into icing conditions against regulations. Youhave severe turbulence forecast. I've a good mind to letyou go ahead and kill yourself,and I would, except for yourpoor passenger and aircraft.

Under these con d i t ion s, Iwouldn't clear you if you werethe angel Gabriel I'm going torecommend that your commanding officer ground you until you've been given everycheck and test in the book. AndI'm not sure that I won't recommend a Flying EvaluationBoard for you. Now get out ofhere "

L u c k i I y, there aren't toomany Lieutenant Beavers, andthe odds are that no one willever get so many mistakes intoone flight plan. But most of usknow of instances when flightplans have been filed containingone or more of the discrepancies found on Beaver's.An operations officer, to dohis job correctly: Must have a knowledge ofairport traffic control procedures. Must have a knowledge of

airway traffic control procedures. Must have a knowledge ofair traffic radio procedures. Must have a knowledge of

ed e ra I CommunicationCommission rules and regulations.

Where There s Will There s WayThe May issue of the DIGEST contained a work sim

plification idea which consistedof placing wheels on a large aircompressor to facilitate itsmovement about the ramp toinflate aircraft tires.Sgt Franklin Livings.ton ofthe Aviation Unit OperationsOffice, Fort Chaffee, Ark., usesanother solution for the problem. He started with a B-57

22

shatterproof oxygen bottle,pressure tested for 1800 psi.To this he attached a 3000 psipressure tested hose from theRF 84 salvage bin, a pressuregauge, and a shoulder strap foreasy carrying.The bottle is small and light(20 lbs), and when charged to300 lbs pressure can adequatelyservice the main gear tires ofhis two L-20s.

Must have a knowledge ofArmy policy on air trafficcontrol. Must have a knowledge ofArmy regulations on air

traffic control. Must have a knowledge offligh t and landing characteristics of aircraft operating

from his airfield. Must know civil and militaryair regulations.I Must hold FAA air trafficcontrol rating while on airtraffic control duty in CONUS. Must be able to interpretweather reports and maps.

Unfortunately, many aviators look on operations officersmuch as they would chaperonsand housemothers. To thesepeople, the operations officer isa necessary evil who restrictstheir flying. Any thinking aviator knows this attitude is completely erroneous. The operations officer is not motivated torestrict flying, but only to makesure that all flights are accomplished according to regulationsin the safest possible manner.Remember: It takes two totango D

VOR STICKINGAccording to our informationthere have been several casesrecently of VOR indicators(To-From) sticking at station

passage. In one case both setssimultaneously failed to indicate. It has been recommendedthat emphasis be put on accurate estimates, close crosschecking of both sets, a tap onthe instrument glass if a "hungflag" is suspected, and crosschecking with LF ADF if available.-Flight Safety Foundation, BPSB 61-203


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nfantryRapid Massing ~ i ~ Dispersion A r NecessaryT HROUGHOUT HISTORY annies have beenlimited in their conduct of military operations because of land barriers. Hannibal hadto conquer the Alps before he conquered his ad

versaries. Napoleon s army faced the rigorousperils of snow, mud, and poor terrain conditionsin Russia. From the deserts of North Africato the jungles of the South Pacific and themountains of Italy and Korea, land armies havebattled not only the enemy but the land overwhich they were fighting.Consistently man has sought ways to overcome land obstacles so he could move rapidlyfrom one place to another. Although exceptional progress has been made in new types of landtransport, the infantryman of today is stilllimited in his ability to move rapidly about theearth's surface.

The modern battlefield is characterized byfluid operations of units dispersed under thethreat or actual use of tactical nuclear weapons. Dispersed infantry units will have tomass rapidly to exert maximum power againstan enemy; then, just as rapidly, disperse. TheInfantry calls this tactical mobility: the abilityto move the proper amount of men, firepower,communications, supplies, and equipment to theproper place at the proper time. To break freeof the ground barrier and achieve versatilemobility, the Infantry looks to Army Aviationand the airspace just above the earth's surfaceas a partial answer to its needs.Army Aviation was conceived and grew onthe basic principles of mission versatility, flexibility, and responsiveness. These principles areas valid today as they were in the past. Byfollowing these principles, Army Aviation canfulfill the Infantry's needs for aviation support.We require the aircraft to perform the manyand varied missions which are generated withininfantry units.To accomplish these missions, Army air-craft must be organic to, or habitually support,infantry units and be available in sufficientquantity. These aircraft must be capable ofliving in the battle environment of the infan-

tryman and at the same time perform thevaried missions with only minor and rapidchanges in configuration. The Infantry will beone of the greatest users of Army Aviation, oneither the training field of today or the battle-field of tomorrow.

The roles of Army Aviation in support ofinfantry operations are encompassed by thefollowing general functions: Reconnaissance, surveillance, and targetacquisition (RESTA). Command liaison. Tactical transport. Resupply and medical evacuation. Airborne fire support.From the Infantry point of view, the major-ity of Army Aviation effort supporting infantry

units will be within or over that area for whichthe ground unit is responsible. The movementof troops, supplies, equipment, commanders andstaff officers will comprise the majority ofsorties flown. Other flights will be those air-borne reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, and fire support missions which canbe accomplished above, just forward of, or tothe rear of friendly elements. Specific airmobile type operations also will be conducted asdictated by the commander's scheme of maneuver.Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition is one of the most important missionsin infantry operations. Ground forces normallyreconnoiter and probe enemy positions to seekweak points. Army aircraft, working closelywith these ground forces, can extend the rangeof observation and move rapidly over the battlearea. They will also be able to conduct continuous observation over gaps between friendlyunits. These gaps will result from increaseddispersion required to counterbalance the everpresent threat of enemy employment of lowyield nuclear and improved conventional weapons. By utilizing the hills and valleys, thenatural folds of the ground, these Army air-craft will fly the nap of the earth. Theseflight techniques will reduce their vulnerability

3


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ULY 96

to enemy fire. At the same time, this will permit the aircraft to hover, rise above a terrainfeature, observe or fire, and again disappearfrom view pop-up tactics).Since the Infantry commander must consider controlled dispersion of his forces becauseof the nuclear threat and improved lethality ofconventional weapons, the distances and areahis unit must cover will be greater than in pastconflicts. The commander cannot depend onlyon ground modes of transportation to superviseand command the actions of his forces. Bothhe and his staff officers must rely on the versatility of Army aircraft for transport. Use of aircraft will reduce the time required to conducta personal reconnaissance.

Commanders also will be able to moverapidly over the battle areas, placing themselveswhere they can best influence the actions oftheir units. The requirement for aircraft toconduct command liaison is not limited to thetransport of the commander and his staff. Although primary reliance will be placed on radioas a means of communication, at times the aircraft may be required to act as an airbornestation to relay transmissions to more distantunits.

The successful outcome of many battles hasbeen dependent upon the ability of a commanderto place sufficient forces at the right place atthe right time. The Infantry has long been aproponent of airmobile operations. Many ofthe tactics, techniques, and procedures for airmobile operations have been developed at theU S. Army Infantry School, in coordinationwith the U. S Army Aviation School. Infantryunits require aircraft readily available to conduct small scale, airmobile operations. Withthese aircraft the Infantry commander will beable to shift troops rapidly over the battle areato influence critical situations.On many occasions terrain obstacles and/ oremergency conditions may require the immediate movement of supplies and equipment. Highpriority supplies, such as ammunition and fuel,could be moved quickly by air to units in thebattle area. Other items such as medical supplies, replacement weapons, and critical repairparts could be easily transported by Army aircraft. Thes,e items do not necessarily involveexcessive weight and could be moved by eventhe smallest aircraft. Aerial evacuation ofcritically wounded is an accepted technique.Remarkable progress has been made in pro-

viding the infantryman with better weaponsand greater firepower. Army aircraft, mounting automatic weapons, rockets and/ or guidedmissiles, can effectively supplement normalground fire. These weapons should be available in kit form. Both the weapons kit and theaircraft must be capable of a quick attachmentor detachment of the weapons. This precludesthe loss of any mission versatility of the aircraft. With attached weapons, the aircraftwould then employ nap-of-the-earth flight techniques and pop-up tactics to deliver fire on theenemy forces. The weapons normally will deliver suppressive type fire on area targets.Aircraft equipped with antitank guidedmissiles will be capable of delivering accuratepoint target fire. An aerial antitank capabilitywill be a valuable adjunct to the normal groundantitank defenses. Aircraft will be able toovercome the line-of-sight limitation which issometimes imposed on ground based weapons.These aircraft will permit the commander todeploy his forces and thicken his antitank defenses on selected vantage points in the areaof greatest threat.Now that the Infantry s requirements havebeen stated, what type of aircraft will beneeded to accomplish these varied missions?The Infantry has a great interest in and needfor the entire present and future family ofArmy aircraft. Since the larger and faster aircraft have been, and will continue to be, locatedat higher echelons, the battle group commanderdepends upon higher headquarters to provideimmediately responsive aviation support toaccomplish the mission.The medium observation aircraft and thedrone systems at the division aviation com-

INF NTRY


27/40

pany and higher echelons provide the lowercommanders with invaluable intelligence infor-mation to supplement their own means. Utilityand transport aircraft at division, corps, andfield army are used extensively and continuously in accO mplishing the difficult InfantryaviatiO n requirements.Infantry O perations are conducted undervarying terrain and weather environments.Army aircraft must be located close to theusing combat unit. The battle group utilityair vehicle must be capable of operating frO mthe same ground environment as the combatunits it serves. Therefore, the infantry battlegroup must utilize aircraft which are capableof operating frO m small, unprepared areas.These landing areas limit aircraft to the STOLand VTOL types.

The Infantry has determined, based onanalysis of current and prO posed develO pmentalaircraft, that a vertical takeO ff and landing(VTOL) air vehicle is the better type forO perating with the forward infantry units inactual contact with the enemy. As the state ofthe art progresses it may be possible to combine the advantages of the VTOL/ STOL air-craft and produce a new and revolutiO narytype. Within the foreseeable future, hO wever,a simple-to-operate and maintain VTOL air-craft appears to be the better answer.

Aircraft which will support infantry operations must be simple to operate; they must besimple to maintain. Dual instruments and cO ntroIs are not required. Complex transmissiO nsystems, reduction gears, engines, and electronic instruments are not acceptable as components of the aircraft because of their highmaintenance requirements. The aircraft mustperform on a day-to-day basis with a minimum amount of maintenance. Low productiO ncost of the aircraft with associated auxiliaryequipment alsO is important. To permit procurement in large quantities the aircraft mustbe inexpensive, yet rugged enough to withstandthe battlefield environment. This does nO tmean progressing backward t an aerial ModelT era. On the contrary, developmental effO rtmust be oriented toward simplicity and quickunit replacement.The aircraft in support O f infantry operatiO ns shO uld have a speed range of 0 to 110knO ts with sufficient fuel for apprO ximately2-4 hours O f flight. Through simplicity ofoperation and instrumentation the aircraft will

INFANTRY

THECHARACTERISTICS

PUCE15 PDUMBS INTERNAL emo 11FT

EXTElNAL cAlGa lifT0- 11 mT SPEED

2-4 KOUIS FU lSIMPLE TO DPEUTEEASY ra MAINTAIN INEXPENSIVE RUGGED

be capable of day and night flight operationsunder marginal weather conditions. The air-craft shO uld be capable of transporting internalpayloads up to 1,500 pounds. Internal cargospace must be readily adaptable to accommodate troops. External loads of equipment andsupplies will be transported thrO ugh use O f asling suspension system. The external cargolift capability shO uld be the maximum whichcan be achieved from the airframe and PO werplant. To perform airborne fire support missions, sufficient hardpoints for mountingweapons kits must be included.

Although these characteristics are challenging, the Infantry believes that through military and civilian technological development andcooperation they can be realized. Simplicitymust be the guidepost used by those involvedin research and development.The Infantry believes that Army Aviationcan contribute significantly to the accomplishment of the ground mission. If industry canprovide the required aircraft for Army Aviation, the military can develop the tactics and

techniques required to assist in winning thebattles. Only with this required and versatileassistance can the infantryman's always difficult missiO n be accomplished on the modernbattlefield - to close with and destroy theenemy.25


28/40

T Training ommandThorough T raining Assures

Maximum Support to ombat For sCA TER TWO decades of frus-tration, Army Aviation hasentered its third decade withmore o.ptimism. There is afeeling that the first 20 yearshave been the to.ughest.

There are valid reaso.ns forthis increased optimism. To-day, the number of aircraft op-erated by the Army is ap-proaching 6,000. This represents an inventory of approxi-mately 1 billion. If no.thingupsets present planning, theend of this decade will find the

26

Army with more than 8,500aircraft.The Transportation Corpsand Aviation

Aviatio.n is now integratedinto. nearly all elements of theArmy to improve their operating capabilities. Transportation Corps is charged with sup-port of nearly all of these aircraft. This support includes research and development, pro-curement of aircraft and sup-plies, and provisions of units

for maintenance and airlift(helicopter companies and battalions) .Traffic anagement andThe T Schoolhe military traffic managert ranspor ta t ion movements

manager) is responsible for themo.st efficient use of transportation in military operations tosupply the co.mmander s needs.The Transportat ion Schoo.lplaces great emphasis on effi-cien t planning and managing


29/40

of the transportation units andequipment available to the commander. Special courses areconducted to teach the efficientuse of civilian, Navy, Air Force,and Army transportation systems to satisfy Army requirements.To assure effective use ofall transportation resourceseffective traffic managementeach mode is utilized to exploitits most favorable characteristics. Aircraft are unexcelledin their ability to overcomenatural obstacles. Their speedand flexibility are valuable assets. They also have obviouslimitations-as do all modes.The movements managementsystem, as envisioned at theT -School, provides the solutionby joining air Army and AirForce), highway, and rail intoa coordinated Means of Mobility.

aintenance Training nThe T School

A major step in dischargingthe TC of responsibility forlogistic support of Army Aviation was the establishment in1954 of field maintenance training at the T-School. Previouslythis instruction for officers wasconducted under civilian contract. TC enlisted maintenancepersonnel received their training from the Air Force.Since 1954 one problem ofthe T-School has been to keepits aviation maintenance instruction abreast of the greatlyexpanded and changing activities of Army Aviation. Oneindication that it is succeedingis attested by the fact that1,631 officers and 1,745 enlistedmen attended aviation-relatedcourses in 1960.The specialized AircraftMaintenance Officers Courses,and other courses at the T-

School, prepared selected officers to assume a variety ofresponsible positions. These include: Command of maintenanceand supply organizations. Management and supervision of shop operations. Chiefs of mobile maintenance units and instructional teams. Staff positions from battalion to Department ofArmy level. Liaison officers and technical consultants with industry and other Services. Assignments with research and developmental

activities and test agencies.The Transportation OfficerCareer Course thoroughly familiarizes the officers with aviation matters, responsibilities,and procedures for providingaircraft maintenance support.This course also teaches procedures for the employment ofair transport for movement ofcombat troops and combat sup-

TC TRAINING COMMAND

port service from the rear upto and even beyond the frontlines.Enlisted specialized coursesrange from aircraft componentrepairman helper through all

phases of maintenance. Theyinclude training as senior repairman, technical inspector,maintenance supervisor, andshop manager. Theory is supplemented by closely supervisedpractical work on aircraft andcomponents in modern, wellequipped shops.An additional important aspect covered at the schoolis supply and parts specialisttraining. Because of the magnitude of aviation logisticalsupport, a considerable amountof instruction is devoted toaviation supply. A separatecourse is offered to officerand warrant officer personnelwhose actual or anticipated assignment is to an aviationmaintenance activity or supervisory staff assignment.

Providing technical instruction at the field maintenanceI nstructor of the Transportation School viation MaintenanceInstruction Team Mobile) is shown teaching a US R class in the field

7


30/40

JULY 1961

level on all aircraft in the Armyinventory is a responsibility ofthe T-School. Included with thismission is the presentation ofaviation maintenance instruction t Army Reserve and N ational Guard units during theirperiods of active duty training.

The Aviation MaintenanceInstruction Team Mobile) isa 1960 T-School innovation toimprove and disseminate aviation maintenance information.Such a team composed of anofficer, warrant officer, and 10enlisted personnel left FortEustis early last May. Thecaravan included two tractorswith trailers two vans forequipment, and two stationwagons. Its mission was toteach subjects covering fundamentals of fixed and rotarywing aircraft maintenance. Thecurriculum included familiarization with the types of Armyaircraft maj or components andnomenclature, and the ArmyAviation supply program.The unit was self-sufficient.I t carried all needed instruc- 8

tional and training aids rna terial, a tent for holding classeswhere no better facilities wereavailable, and its own electricpowerplan t. The NationalGuard and Reserve units merelyhad to provide students whichthey did with considerable enthusiasm.During the active duty training season the mobile teamtraveled approximately 14,000miles and instructed 494 students. In some instances somany personnel requested thecourse it was necessary to holdnight classes. The team instructors reported a sincere eagerness on the part of the studentsto learn more about ArmyAviation.Due to the tremendous success of this training two mobile units will operate out ofthe T-School in 1961. Tentativeplans call for three units totake to the road in 1962. Oneteam is scheduled to leave earlyin April to cover the 4th and6th Army areas. The secondwill leave about May 1st to

instruct in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd,and 5th Army areas.

Extension ou rs sThe T -School correspondencestudy program has an enrollment of approximately 7,500.

Most of these are Army Reserve officers enrolled in careercourses. The program includesfour correspondence courses onArmy Aviation with a fifthcourse available for installation transportation officers.More than 750 students in52 USAR schools are takingthe Transportation Officers Career Course. In this course, 37

hours are devoted to studyingArmy Aviation. The T-Schoolcatalog lists 32 aviation lessonguides to support 686 TC Reserve units. An additional 140lesson guides on aviation maintenance subjects go to 93 TCReserve aviation maintenanceorganizations. These lessonguides assist reserve units indeveloping their own trainingprograms.


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lndustry an HelpThe degree of tactical mobility secured through employment of Army aircraft and the

methods of using that mobilitymake a comparable mobility forthe aircraft maintenance andsupply organization mandatory.

Industry can help improvemaintenance mobility by

reducing, through interchangeability, the quantity of repair parts, tools,and equipment needed ;

lessening down-time r

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Army Aviation Digest - Jul 1961

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