Army Aviation Digest - Jul 1962

8/12/2019 Army Aviation Digest - Jul 1962

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UNITED 5

DIRECTOR OF ARMY AVIATION ODCSOPSDEPARTMENT OF THE ARMYBrig Gen Delk M. Oden

COMMANDANT U. S ARMY AVIATION SCHOOLBrig Gen Robert R Williams

ASST COMDT U. S ARMY AVIATION SCHOOLCol Warren R Williams

EDITORIAL STAFFCapt Joseph H. PooleFred M. MontgomeryRichard K TierneyWilliam H. SmithM Sgt Thomas M. LangDiana G. Williams

USABAAR EDUCATION AND LITERATURE DIVMaj Paul E. CarpenterPierce L WigginWilliam E. CarterJames E. Coleman

RMY VI TION1GESJJULY 1962 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 7

CONTENTS

THE OBJECTIVES OF ARMY AVIATION Lt Col r r i s C. Hawlings

SURVIVAL DIARY

THE ARMY AVIATION STORY PART II Ri chard K. Tierney

TWX

IS THIS THE SOLUTION? Lt John

TEST AND EVALUATION OF THE U. S ARMY FLIGHTINFORMATION KIT

AO-IA LOGISTICAL EVALUATION j ) r James R. Barkl ey

CRASH SENSE

The mission of the U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST is to provide informationoperational or f u n c t o n ~ nature concerning safety and aircraft accident prevention tramaintenance operations research and development aviation medicine and other relatedThe DIGEST Is an official Department of the Army periodical published monthly the supervision of the Commandant U S. Army Aviation School. Views expressed ha.re not necessarily those of Department of the Army or the U. S. Army AViation SPhotos are U. S . Army unless otherwisp specified. Material may be reprinted givingto the DIGEST and to the author. unless otherwise indicated.Articles photos. and Items of interest on Army Aviation are Invited . Direct commut ion is auth.orized to: Editor-In-Ch.ief U. S. Army Al1iatio.n Digest. Fort Rucker AlabaUse of funds for printing ot this publication has been approved by HeadquaDepartment of the Army 27 November 1961To be distributed in accordance with requirements stated in DA Form 12.


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T HO B E C T I V S

SURVEILLANCE OBSERVATIONRMED COMB T COMMUNICATIONS

TARGET ACQUISITION, MAPPING SURVEY, TACTICAL AIRLIFT aLOGISTICAL AIRLIFT COMMAND TRANSPORTATION -ELE TRONI WARFARE C SU LTY EV CU TIONR DIOLOGIC L MONITORING

Lieutenant olonel Morris G RawlingsHE ARMY AVIATION program, like a helicopter in the

.of a beginning student,often appeared to be flying

in all directions at once. Thefrustrations of a complex

complicated system seemedto the military

accustomed to straight-lineAny lack of direction,, has been far more ap

real, for Army Aviahas made great strides toits stated objectives.

More disturbing than the efare the causes. t is obvious

any program which involvesof men and millionsdollars will be subjected to aof checks and balances.will cause erratic move

but not movement lackingdirection. Directionless effort

when

no objectives are established, or established objectives arenot known to , or understood by,those who must implement theprogram.

Unfortunately, the operationalobjectives of Army Aviationhave been hidden in classifieddocuments which precludes general distribution. IndividualArmy Aviators in the field andthe commanders for whom theywork cannot be blamed for theirlack of familiarity with Chapter5 of the Combat DevelopmentsObjectives Guide. Yet, it is inthis classified document that thedetailed objectives are prescribed and described in an un-classified manner.

Their publication here is toserve two purposes. The first isto verify their existence to those

who have doubted; the second,to ensure that the articulate advocates .of Army Aviation utilizethe same text when selling theirservices.

CHAPTER 5ARMY AVIATION

OPERATIONSSection I-General Objectives510 Operatiorial Objectivesa. General Conditions.

1) See Section I , Chapter1, CDOG)

2) Techniques of employment of organic aerial vehicleswill be influenced by enemyweapons systems and friendlyair defense requirements. TheColonel Rawlings is Deputy Di-rector Combat DevelopmentsOffice USAAVNS Ft . RuckerAla.

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JULY 962

degree of use will depend uponavailability and utility, whichare enhanced by simplicity ofdesign, economy of maintenance,and minimum logistic supportrequirements. Aerial vehicleswill augment and, where practicable, replace certain groundvehicles. Weather conditions,except the most extreme, willnot limit the operation of aerialvehicles. Light observation typeswill be equipped with sufficientinstrumentation to permit operation at night and during conditions of low visibility in forwardareas of the combat zone. Theywill have a capability of homingon electromagnetic radiators or ganic to ground elements.

b. Concept of Operations.1) Aerial vehicles will be

used for observation, surveillance, target acquisition, tacticaland logistical airlift of troops andmateriel, casualty evacuation,transportation of command andstaff, an increased communications capability, mapping andsurveying, radiological monitoring, movement of critical supplies and personnel, electronicwarfare and armed combat.

a) Observation missions will include the adjustmentof artillery and mortar fire uponpreselected targets or targets ofopportunity.

b) Combat surveillance and target acquisition missions will include the collectionof military information by visualand mechanical sensor meansand will extend to the maximumrange of weapons organic to theArmy. Where specialized equipment peculiar to a specific mission is required, means must beprovided for attaching and detaching such equipment from theaircraft without hindering operational effectiveness of theequipment or aircraft. Such acapability is required to prevent

the necessity for equipping allaircraft for the most sophisticated mission it may be requiredto perform, and at the same timeprovide a basic operational flexi-bility.

c) Airlift of combatand combat support elements inthe battle area will routinely receive highest priority for use ofavailable airlift type aircraft.

d) When tactical requirements are met, airlift typeaircraft will be assigned on aroutine basis for logistical airlift.

e) Aeromedical evacuation will be available fromforward position areas.f) Command posts ofcombat units will be airmobileor mounted in aerial vehiclesand operated in flight as required. Use of aircraft by commanders and staff for liaison andcontrol will be routine.

g) Communicationscapabilities will be increased byusing aerial vehicles as radio re lay stations and as wire layingand courier vehicles.h) rm e d aircraftwill provide both offensive anddefensive fires. Offensive fireswill be employed where engagement with enemy forces is anintegral part of the mission.Defensive fires are those firesdelivered for self-protection, protection of other aircraft, or close-in protection of troops. The typesof fires required are antipersonnel and antimateriel, againstpoint, area, and air-to-air targets.The number of different typesof weapons systems will be keptto the minimum. Any weaponssystem which replaces an existing weapons system must be asignificant improvement from anoperational standpoint. It is desirable to incorporate the pointfire and area fire capability inone weapons system.

i) Armed aerial vehicles will be used to augmenthe firepower of ground combaelements and fire support provided by other services, and toprovide armed escort as required.

j) Army aerial vehicles will be used to deliver priority supplies.

k) Certain aircrafwill be capable of dispensinCW and BW agents.

1) Sensors mountein Army aircraft will be used tofurnish information for Engineemapping and survey.

2) Combat operations wilrequire aerial vehicles which caoperate wi t h 0 u t restrictionwhich might be imposed bfaults of terrain, requirementfor prepared bases, or weatheconditions other than extremicing or turbulence.

c. Specific Operational Objectives.1) Aerial vehicle opera

tions must be immediately responsive and organic to thosunits having a continuing requirement for their use. Supplsources of ammunition, fuel anspare parts must be immediatelresponsive to logistical requirements of aerial vehicles.

2) The combat surveillance and target acquisition capabilities of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles must bextended to cover the entirarea of influence of the fielarmy commander.

3) Use of aerial vehiclewill be coordinated with otheairspace users. It is mandatoryhowever, that aerial vehicles operate with minimum restrictionsparticularly in forward areas othe field army where formaflight planning and submissioof flight plans is frequently impractical.4) Aerial vehicle commu


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nications must be compatiblewith the communications usedby all elements of the militaryforces.

( 5) Aerial vehicles usedfor medical evacuation must beconfigured to permi inflightreatment of evacuees by medical personnel when required.511 Organization Objectives

a. As technological advancespermit, aerial vehicles will beassigned in increasing numbersto lower echelons of command.During the interim period, aerialvehicles will be assigned toheadquarters one or two echelons above those subordinateunits having an intermittent re quirement for their use. Whena unit has a continuing requirement for aerial vehicles, theywill be made an organic part ofthe unit.

b. Adequate aviation command and control organizationsmust be available at appropriateechelons to effectively command,control, and coordinate requiredaviation support.

The users, that is, the armsand services which use ArmyAviation, have no real responsibility in the research and development cycle other than to carefully evaluate their requirements. These next several paragraphs, quoted from Chapter 5of the Combat DevelopmentsObjectives Guide are to expressthose user requirements. Some,in the interest of clarity, arecross-referenced to other paragraphs of the basic documentwhich you should also read, notas an aviator, but as an Armyofficer.512 Qualitative Materiel Devel

opment Objectivesa. General. Future design and

research objectives should em-

THE OBJECTIVES OF ARMY AVIATION

phasize the following:(1) Method of attaching

and detaching specialized avionics and sensory equipment fromaircraft.

(2) Reduction of helicopter and compound aircraft vibration.

(3) Reduction of noise produced by aircraft.

b. Manned Aerial Vehicles. Ahomogeneous family of aerialvehicles mounting one or moreidentical power units and usingthe same fuel. The number ofpower units will be kept to aminimum and will be determinedby the size of the vehicle andthe type missions for which itwill be required. The vehiclesmust be capable of operation inall but extreme weather conditions and must not be restrictedby terrain. A minimum numberof types of vehicles is desired,and operation and maintenanceshould be so simplified as to permit assignment and use at company battery troop level. t ishighly desirable that the operation of these vehicles can be simplified to the extent that theoperator can be an enlisted manwith a minimum amount of specialized training.

c. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.(See paragraph 1512b.)

d. Airborne Sensors. (Seeparagraph 1512c.)e. Collision Warning. Equipment that will provide warningof conflicting air traffic or terrainobstacles. The equipment mustprovide sufficient warning to allow corrective actions by controllers of aerial vehicles of theperiod.

f A Means for NullifyingEnemy Electromagnetic Radiation. (See paragraph 1512c.) Ameans to nullify radiation fromenemy radar and other electromagnetic devices. t must becapable of being carried or oper-

ated from aerial vehicles of theperiod and be effective to therange of sensed radiation. t isdesirable that the means offereither passive or active defense.

g. A Means to Reduce the In frared Radiation from Aircraft.A means to reduce the amountof infrared radiated from aircraftpower sources or to reduce ornegate the capability of enemyweapons to home on such radiation.

h. A Means for RecognizingFriendly Aerial Vehicles. (Seeparagraph 712g.)

i Army Air Traffic Regulation and Identification System .(See paragraph 712g.) A systemfor Army air traffic regulationand identification to move airtraffic in the airspace over thefield army effectively, rapidlyand safely. t must provide foren route air navigation, terminalletdown of air vehicles, air-toair and air-to-ground communications, coordination of air trafficwith air defense, and coordination with missile firing and droneflights. t must be compatiblewith air traffic control procedures of other services. The system must permit maximum use,with minimum restrictions andcoordination with other airspaceusers, by units in the forwardareas of the field army.

j. Aerial Weapon Systems. Asystem of weaponry capable ofbeing mounted in or on aerialvehicles of the period. The system must provide for antipersonnel and antimateriel fires to include air-to-air fires. t is desirable to incorporate point fire andarea fire capabilities in oneweapon system. Systems will beof sufficient lethality and flexi-bility to neutralize targets of apoint or area nature at rangescommensurate with the operational environment of Army airvehicles.k Communications System.

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See paragraph 812.)1 Navigation System. See

paragraph 812n.) An effectiveand reliable navigational systemfor aerial vehicles which is notrestricted by line-of-sight requirements and which can assure common location identification between air and ground. Itis desirable that the system becapable of use by both air and .ground elements.

m. Source of Energy. Seeparagraph 1612f.) A source ofenergy for the propulsion ofaerial vehicles.

n. Propulsion Systems. Propulsion systems are requiredwhich use the latest engineeringtechniques to provide increasedendurance or range and to re duce logistical and maintenancerequirements. Reduction in specific fuel consumption is a particularly important area to beemphasized in order to providerange extension, increased endurance and decreased fuel re quirements. See paragraph1612f.)

o. A Means for Adapting Aircraft to Specialized Missions.

See paragraph 1512c.) A system for easily attaching and detaching specialized avionics andsensory equipment from an aircraft without hindering the operational effectiveness of theequipment or aircraft. Basic operational flexibility will requirea standard electronic configuration for Army aircraft instrumentation capable of acceptingspecialized equipment as re quired. Such specialized equipment must be configured to permit its integration with the airframe by simple connections,physical and electrical, withouta requirement for highly skilledtechnicians to accomplish installation.

p. A Means for AlleviatingAerodynamic Forces Due to Tur-

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bulence. A gust alleviation system to reduce the aircraft response and consequently theaerodynamic forces on the aircraft due to atmospheric turbulence. The system must be lightweight and must not requireservices of highly skilled, specialized maintenance technicians.This system must be capable ofbeing mounted in aerial vehiclesintended for sustained low-altitude high-speed operations.

q. A Means for Reducing Helicopter and Compound AircraftVibration. A need exists to reduce the vibration experiencedby pure helicopters, V/STOLand compound aircraft. Increasedemphasis on long range and highforward speeds indicates a needto find solutions for the high vibrations associated with theseflight conditions.

r. A Means for Reducing theNoise Produced by Army Aircraft. A need exists to developmeans for reducing the highnoise levels produced by Armyaircraft. The noise signature ofthese aircraft reduce their effectiveness in operations in the forward areas. A significant reduction in noise levels will enhanceaircraft use.

s. Encapsulation of Fuels. Ameans for encapsulation of fuelsin lightweight tanks is desired.The system should reduce tankrupture and attendant fire hazards to aircraft. It should incorporate materials or devices to re duce fire and explosions whichmight result from enemy fire.t. Aircraft Fuel Decontamination System. See paragraph1612j.)

u. Environmental InstrumentPanel. A presentation to the aviator of the environment throughwhich he is passing to includeterrain, the horizon and otheraerial vehicles in such an integrated display that no additional

training is required to fly in nonvisual flight conditions over thanecessary for visual flight conditions.

v. Automatic Remote AreLetdown System. A lightweighsystem to permit aerial vehicleto land at designated areas undenonvisual flight conditions whiccan be coupled with an autopiloto provide automatic approacand touchdown.

w. Efficient HF Electromagnetic Radiator. See paragrap812j.) An antenna or similar device to be unobtrusively mounteto an aerial vehicle, providing noaerodynamic drag, which will radiate the signals produced by thstandard HF transmitter fothose aircraft so provisioned) inthe frequency range of 2-12 mcwith an electrical efficiency o7 percent.

x. Protective Devices. A system for protection for the vitaparts of the aircraft and crewshould be developed. This protection should not appreciablyincrease the weight of the aircraft and should protect againssmall arms fire and low velocityshell fragments.y. A Means of Increasing Helicopter Stability. Improvemenof helicopter stability throughbasic design rather than the addition of equipment. Design criteria should provide for significantly improved ease of controlflight reliability, overall simplicity, maintenance economy, andreduced training time to be inherent in the rotary-wing vehicle.

This article contains the operational objectives for Army Aviation. Its publication, we hopewill ensure that all Armytors are aware of those objectives, and will assist in theiattainment.

One game; one ball park; oneset of rules


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writing in the May 1962 issue of the AVIATION DIGEST (CRASH SENSE) about the survivalthat cost three lives it s a real pleasure to report another case that could be used as a textbooksubject. Another thing we like about this one is that it made our job 1nuch easier

th e pi lot kept a

First Day1245 Local TimeWILL BE a brief writ-

ten record of events leadingto and subsequent to theof our H-19. My purpose inthis is to avoid the pit

bad memory. The fourus (myself, crewchief, and

passengers) left an outposta.m. at 0645. We had departmorning before and

our way to the outpostand station recovery

for supplementary control operations. We finished up at 1710and planned to search for thelast monument on our way backtoday.

This morning we had coffee ata local house before leaving, andI drank a can of liquid Metrecal.We flew about mile to the airstrip where our gas had beendumped and refueled the ship,loading an extra drum inside. Wehad a little over an hour's workto do on the way in and were

2 hours out from destination.I wanted a little extra reservefuel to cover any unexpecteddelays.

Takeoff was normal, helped bya 10-15 knot wind. About 45minutes later, we started oursearch for the monument, a 2-inch steel pipe sunk in cement,protruding about 2 feet above

Prepared by the United StatesArmy Board for Aviation Acci-dent Research.

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the ground. We were followingfaint vehicle tracks in the savannah, made-we supposed-bythe original survey party in 1958.r was flying at about 45-50 kt,50-75 feet above the ground,heading generally into the wind.I spotted the monument to myright about 200 feet away andstarted a right turn to keep themonument in sight and checkthe area for a dry landing site.There was water standing onthe ground near the marker, butsome higher ground ahead andto the right looked promising.

Just as I completed the turn,and before r could begin to planmy approach to land, the shipsettled rapidly toward theground. I applied full throttle,increased pitch slightly, anddropped the nose to gain airspeed and fly out of the settlingcondition. This had no effect andwe continued to settle.I flared to touch down on themain gear and pulled pitch tocushion the landing. Touchdownwas made on the main gear.Although hard, it would havebeen safe on a firm surface. Asthe nose gear settled into themud, both struts bent rearward

and the ship swung to the rear,rolling onto its left side. Therewas no impact force and deceleration was moderate.

The engine was still running.I pulled the mixture and turnedoff all switches and we evacuatedthe ship. No one was injured. Itold the crewchief to disconnectthe battery. We unloaded theship and carried our gear tohigher (dry) ground about 75yards away to make camp andwait.

We could not hope for an earlypickup. We were not due backuntil Thursday p.m. and this wasWednesday a.m. I had left wordof our route and destination, butthere was no one to check onour arrival. We do not haverAGS radio in [deleted] andcannot file flight plans or giveposition reports by radio. I expect the other pilot to miss usThursday and start searchingearly Friday. He will probablycheck our three previous operating sites and then fly along ourproposed work area.

The weather has been clearand should stay that way nowthat the dry season is starting.He should have no trouble find-

ing us. We have plenty of foodand water for a wait of severadays. Weare 25 miles from thenearest house and it's anothe2 miles from the house to thenearest town. Walking over thewet savannah and swamps is alast resort. t would take aleast 3-4 days and be exhaustingwork. We plan to wait. Aftethe gas fumes have cleared fromaround the ship, I plan to usethe HF radio to try and contacsomeone.

First Day1600 Local TimeThe radios and electrical sys

tems are dead. Must be shortedout by water. All day, we haveseen no sign of life but smalbirds. We are in uninhabitedcountry. Game is scarce in opensavannahs and we are over amile from the nearest tree linein clearing several milessquare. Most of the ground iscovered with a few inches to afoot of water, with a few highedry areas. The grass is from 2-3feet high.

There is no place nearby for afixed wing strip. At least wecan't find one. t is hot, windyand dry. My companions havestood up fine so far. The twopassengers were pretty shakenup initially but are getting backto normal. The crewchief isdoing real well.I feel pretty miserable at having wrecked the ship. I havepreached a lot of safety in myfive years of flying and alwaysfelt sort of superior to those whohad pilot error accidents. NowI'm getting a look at the otherside of the card. I'm so thankfulthat no one was injured. Thecrewchief and r have a fewbruises and r got a few gasburns, but nothing serious at all.

My portable radio was bangedaround quite a bit, but I finallygot it working after a fashion.


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We listened to Christmas carolsfor a while today.

Second Day1000 Local TimeThe inactivity is the worst

part of this business-that andthe knowledge that as yet no oneeven knows we are down. twould be pretty bad i one of uswas seriously injured. I havetried to keep everyone busy.Time goes a lot faster that way.

We have made a fairly comfortable camp and keep workingto improve it. I have had everyone practice with our signalmirrors. The red and white shipand our yellow shelter tarp fromthe survival kit should makegood signals. Also, we plan touse the mirrors and smoke flareswhen an aircraft comes near.

Our URC-14 radio seems to beokay. We will make the signalfire from oily rags to give blacksmoke. We made an LL panelsignal near our camp to signifythat we are all well. The twopassengers left this morning at0700 to do some hunting. Theyare due back at noon.

Second Day1200 Local TimeThe two passengers are back.

They saw three deer, but theywere too far away to shoot. Atleast we know now that game isnear i f we need food. Howfortunate it was that we wereplanning to stay out for threedays. With a little rationing, wehave food for a week, cleanclothes all around, two canvascots, two hammocks, threeblankets, one air mattress, twoponchos, and other equipment asfollows: 1 gallon thermos jugwith water; 5-gallon water canwith 4 gallons of water; URC-14radio; survival kit, less foldingmachete, gloves, compass, firstaid kit; 16 ga double barrel shotgun with 30 rounds of 6 shot,20 rounds of 9 shot, 13 roundsof buckshot; .45 pistol with 5rounds of hall ammunition; .22pistol with 25 rounds of longrifle ammunition; 100 feet ofrope; 150 feet of wire, completetool box; LP gas lantern; 4 flashlights; machete; portable radio;7x50 binoculars; mosquito nets;

urvival c mp

SURVIV L DI RY

2 aircraft first aid kits; insectbomb; signal mirror; and personal gear such as pocket knives,shaving kits, compasses, booksand magazines, toilet paper,insect repellent, etc.

We made cots from the troopseats and stoves from greasecans, with dirt and gas in thebottom for fuel. We made lampsfor light and bug chasing fromcans of oil with rag wicks. Weput up the shelter tarp withsignal poles we were carrying tomark stations. The tarp is oldand rotten but, except for somegrommets that pulled out, it hasstayed together even in the windthat blows here all day long.

When our water is gone, wewill have to use surface waterand iodine pills. That may helpme to lose some weight. I havea flight physical coming up nextmonth and need to lose about 10pounds.

Second Day1400 Local TimeOur little bird friends are still

with us. They are small red andblack critters, quite tame, and


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may make us a stew in a fewdays. I was surprised to findminnows swimming around inthe holes gouged in the mud bythe main gear of the ship. Several cranes and doves have flownby camp, but we did not seethem in time to take a shot.f necessary, we should beable to find game by walkingover along the tree line. Themosquitos were terrible lastnight at dusk and for an hour orso after. Without bug dope andnets we would have reallysuffered. During the day, thewind common to the dry seasonhere clears them away. Thissame wind is what got us introuble. It has just started. Theday before yesterday was thefirst time I had flown in it in theH-19. Last dry season, all mytime was in the L-20. This is notan excuse, but a possible reasonwhy I was not more windconscious.

We buried our water cansunder ground to cool them. Iguess the water is about 10cooler that way and it tastes alot better.

One of the passengers has decided that someone will getworried and come looking for ustoday at 1500. I don't expectanyone before noon tomorrow,but it sure would be nice to seethat Otter come flying over.Waiting would be a lot easierafter we know we have beenseen.

A few minutes ago, the crewchief and I both thought weheard a distant gun shot. Wesearched the area with binoculars but could see nothing.

A thought that occurs to usat frequent intervals is about thenatives that live in this neck ofthe woods. They are reputed tobe very antisocial and carrylong, sharp, wicked-lookingspears and use poisoned arrowsand other nasty things. The local

8

police back at the home fieldhave told us all sorts of wildtales about them. It seems theyget out of hand once in a whileand the police go in to roundthem up. This usually ends upin a running battle and a fewdead natives. The survivors areunderstandably resentful andstart more trouble later. A realvicious circle. I hope we don'trun in o any.

Second Day1830 Local Time

The passenger was right At1420, we saw the U-1A headingsouth. He was too far away andheading away from us so he didnot see our mirror flashes. Hecame back at 1510-headingdirectly toward us at about 1500feet. Such a flurry of signallingyou never saw The two passengers with mirrors, the crewchiefwaving the door of the ship, andme with the smoke and URC-14radio. We learned later that thesignals that proved most effective were the mirror flashes. Thepilot saw them long before hecould see the wrecked ship orour tarp. The smoke was notseen.As the Otter circled overhead,we made contact by the URC-14radio. We advised the pilot wewere okay and did not have needof food, water, or medicalsupplies. We told him the areawas not safe for landing. He toldus an H-19 would pick us uptomorrow afternoon and flewaway.

We celebrated by eating thebest of our remaining food forsupper. We had dove soup, peas,chile con carne, canned peaches,and coffee. Last night I was realchilly, even with a wool blanket,so I made a grass mattress outof my poncho. Should be warmertonight. We also used grass forcleaning and wiping, and tiedthe shelter tarp guy ropes tograss clumps.

Third Day1000 Local TimeWe crawled out at 0630 this

morning. Another cold night, butthe grass mattress helped. We'reall packed and waiting for thechopper. We finally ran out ofwater and are drinking surfacewater. So far, no ill effects.

Third Day1130 Local TimeH-19 in sight about five milesnorth

PILOT S COMMENTS AFTERRESCUE

In general everything wentextremely well during the periodwe were waiting to be pickedup. This was due to several factors:

1 None of us were injured.2 We were very well

equipped for a stay in the Llanos,due to the fact that we hadplanned on a two or three daytrip "and had brought along therequired equipment.

3 The four of us had worked together extensively a nd hadconfidence in each other.

4 We knew that when therescue pilot began looking forus he would know right whereto go because he was familiarwith my work plan.

5 The weather was clearwith no rain to cause discomfort.

We did encounter severalproblem areas. Immediately afterthe accident we were all moreor less in a state of shock. Sometook longer to recover from thisthan others. I found that it wasbest to keep them busy, to keepthem occupied until they hadsettled down a little. The sameheld true later on. I kept thembusy improving our camp site,making signals, salvaging equipment, hunting, reading, etc., andkept myself busy too. That is aprimary reason why I kept awritten record of events. Weoncluded o page 4


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M AJ WILLIAM W. FORDheaded a list of light aviation enthusiasts who throughout1941 had worked diligently tobring about the birth of ArmyAviation. In late 1942 he wasnamed by Gen Robert M. Danford, the chief of Field Artillery,to organize and train a groupof aviators who would test theconcept of making light airplanesorganic to the Field Artillery.The tests, discussed in Part Iof this story, were successfuland on 6 June 1942 the War Department approved organic aviation for the Field Artillery.Lieutenant Colonel Ford was instructed to establish and directthe Department of .Air Training10

icha rd K Tierney

Part II Academics and Training

at Fort Sill, Okla.THE FIRST STEPS

Shortly after the birth ofArmy Aviation Colonel Fordwent to Washington to arrangethe final details and Major Wolfremained at Fort Sill to handlearrangements and to secure acompetent corps of instructors.The first instructors were civilians employed at a salary of 300per month. Eventually most ofthese civilian instructors werecommissioned and given flightpay. The Department of AirTraining was ready for business by the end of July andconsisted mostly of the members of the test group.

In July 1942 volunteers withcivilian pilot ratings were requested to attend the tacticaflight course. The 19 students inClass One reported to Fort Silon 1 August and after preliminary orientation, tactical flightraining commenced on 3 Augusand lasted until 18 SeptemberThe course, which was latelengthened, used the L-4B Piperthe L-2B Tay orcraft, and thL-3C Aeronca. The first class omechanics had begun on 27 July1942 and lasted 5 weeks.

When the Department of AiTraining began operations, it had23 aircraft on hand and on orde100 Piper J-3s (L-4s) and 5Tay orcraft L-2s).


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Post Field was turned over tothe Army Ground Forces by theAir Corps and several smallauxiliary fields were built eitheron the reservation or on nearbyeased land. A number of tacti

cal training strips were built onthe reservation and on the wildife refuge.

For the first five classes theepartment of Air Training ac

cepted for its liaison pilot classesboth officers and enlisted men

the ground forces and servces of supply. However, eachtudent was required to have ateast 60 hours of flight and toold (or have recently held) alicense. The student's maxmum weight limit was 170he must have beenble to pass the physical examnation for Class II pilots of the

Corps.During the early years of the

war a number of civilians wereecruited for the air training deartment by air shows which

were put on at surrounding comunities. This aroused a great

eal of interest and, along withthe recruiting slogan, thatou're better off flying than dig-

ing a hole, resulted in a numof applications.

Students received about 15hours of dual and solo time,

air work to refresh theirtechnique. Then they were

given about 28 hours of flyingn and out of small fields, takingoff and landing on roads andover obstructions. Toward theend of the course they weregiven 6 half-days of instructionas observers. Students also re ceived 12 half-days of groundinstruction on navigation andmeteorology; 27 half-days onmaintenance and repair of airplanes and engines; and 3 halfdays on tactical employment oforganic air observation. Allpilots were issued a kit of handtools and did the maintenance on

The first pilot class. This class was graduated in September1942. Reading from left to right they are: front row, Lt S. A. Williamson Capt J. E. Swenson, Lt H. R. Phillips and Sgt J. S. Rengers; middle row Sgt R. S. Wilkinson, Sgt W C. Schoonover,Lt J. W Byrd, Lt W D. Stephens, and Sgt C B. Allen, Jr; toprow Lt B A. Devol Jr. Lt G M. Albert, Lt R P Stallings IICapt J. M. Watson Jr. and Lt T L. Hendrix. Absent when thispicture was taken were Capt E. S. Gordon and Lt J. U. Over-all inset).

Col W W Ford first director and Lt Col G. J. Wolf, firstexecutive, of the Department of Air Training.

Capts T. F. Shirmacher and T S. Baker, the first squadroncommanders of the Department of Air Training.


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BIRTH CERTIFICATE OF ARMY AVIATION.. wnGCT 320.2 (2-5-42) June 6 1942t MEMORANDUM FOR THE COMMANDING GENERAL, ARMY GROUND FORCES: Subject: Organic Air Observation for Field Artillery.- - 1. Reference is made to letter War Department, February 25, 1942, AG 320.2 (2-5-42) MT-C, subject: Service Test of Organic Air Obser vation for Field Artillery, and 1st Indorsement thereto. 2. Your recommendation that organic air observation units be included in Field Artillery organizations is approved. 3. t is desired that you take immediate steps to effect the necessary changes in organization, equipment and training entailed by this action The following will govern:a. Organization (1) Liaison airplanes will be authorized for Field Artillery units at the rate of 2 per light and medium Artillery Battalion, 2 pe Division Artillery Headquarters and Headquarters Battery or Field Artillery Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Battery.(2) Personnel will be authorized at the rate of 1 pilot and ;1 airplane mechanic for each liaison plane authorized. (3) The required changes in T / Os and T / BAs will be submitted as soon as practicable.t b. Procurement and Maintenance1) The Commanding General, Army Air Forces will be responsible for the procurement and issue of airplanes, spare parts, repai materials and the necessary auxiliary flying equipment required by this program. The airplanes will be commercial low performance aircraft othe Piper Cub type. (2) All maintenance other than that requiring the facilities of base shops will be accomplished by the Army Ground Forces.(3) Maintenance requiring the facilities of base shops (customarily referred to as 3d echelon maintenance in the Army Air Forces) will be a responsibility of the Commanding General, Army Air Forces.; (4) t is desired that you confer with the Commanding General, Army Air Forces regarding the number of aircraft required undethe 1942 Troop Basis, the anticipated delivery rate, the estimated requirements of spare parts, repair materials and auxiliary equipment, a well as the procedures and policies regarding their issue and delivery. c. Personnel (1) Qualifications: Recommendations for the detailed qualifications and specifications for both commissioned and enlisted personnel will be submitte for approval. These will fall into two general categories: a pilot capable of piloting the liaison-type airplane as well as assisting in normamaintenance; and a mechanic qualified to service the airplane and perform repairs incident to 1st and 2d echelon maintenance. (2) Sources of personnel:- - (a) Pilots: Volunteers, now under your control, who are qualified to pilot liaison-type airplanes will be utilized to the maximum as pilots. Additional pilots needed to fill requirements of the 1942 Troop Basis will be made available by the Commanding General, Army Ai Forces. (b) Mechanics: Mechanics will be procured from sources under your control. (3) Extra compensation and ratings:(a) Pilots will be authorized additional compensation for participation in frequent and regular aerial flights. A rating generally similar to that of a liaison pilot will be established for pilots. (b) Appropriate ratings for mechanics may be Technician, Grade 3, or lower.d. Training (1) The basic flight training of pilots (exclusive of those under your control already qualified) will be a responsibility of the Com manding General, Army Air Forces. This training will be limited to that necessary to enable safe operation of low performance aircraft and qualify a student according to standards established for liaison pilots. (2) You are authorized to organize at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, or other stations selected by you, a course of instruction for the opera tional training of pilots, mechanics and observers in the tactical employment of organic air observation in Field Artillery units .+ 4. Changes in training literature will be prepared at the earliest prac ticable date.

s. A copy of the directive to the Commanding General, Army Air Forces is attached hereto. The Commanding General, Army Air Force has been furnished a copy of this letter.By order of the Secretary of War: I. H. EDWARDS, Brigadier General,Assistant Chief of Staff. +

the aircraft they flew.Student mechanics were se

lected from members of theground forces who had considerable mechanical experience.They received extensive training in maintenance and repairof aircraft and engines and upongraduation were capable of performing in the field all first andsecond echelon maintenance.The Army Air Forces was re sponsible for third and fourthechelon maintenance, but in mostcases Army mechanics per-

12

Birth Certificate of rmy viationformed all maintenance short ofa complete overhaul.

The air training departmenthad no trouble filling mechanicsclasses. By 3 August 1942 over3,000 applications had been received. However, applicationsfrom qualified pilots fell belowexpectations. By 3 August therewas only sufficient personnel toprovide a class of 20-30 studentseach two weeks instead of 30weekly as had been contemplated the previous June.

To remedy the situation the

Army Air Forces was directedto supply 100 basically trainedpilots a month. The first of thesereported to Fort Sill on 19 September 1942, and those whoqualified for the tactical coursewere enrolled in Class No.6.These men had learned to flyunder the civilian pilot trainingprogram and then were placedin the Air Corps Reserve. Whencalled to active duty they wererated as Liaison Pilots.

This plan failed to supply theneeded pilots. Between 1 Sep-


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Upper right, pilots undergoing a course ofinstruction in mechanics. At lower right Cpl Bea-han (first name unknown , the first WAC instruc-or in the Department of Air Training s mainte-

nance division, explains carburetors to a classof students.

tember and 26 November 1942the Army Air Forces furnished338 such pilots many divertedfrom the glider program. Ofthese, 102 did not qualify for thetactical course-most of thembeing overweight. Of the 236accepted, 16 percent washed out,and the net yield from the program was only 198.

Since few Army officers withcivilian pilot ratings were coming into the Army in 1942 anagreement was made with theAir Corps to establish a sourcefor primary training of pilots.

On 26 November, 25 Field Artillery officers began primaryflight instruction at Denton,Texas. The same number of

Field Artillery officers were toreport to Denton each weekthereafter. They received 9weeks of training as liaison pilotsfrom the Harte Flying Servicebefore reporting to Fort Sill forthe advanced course. The courseat Sill ran 5 weeks, but often wasextended because of delays,caused mostly by bad flyingweather.

The first officers sent to Denton w ere selected from the stafffaculty, school troops and theField Artillery replacementtraining center at Fort Sill.

Beginning with the Dentonclass of 3 December 1942 selected Officer Candidate Schoolgraduates and attached, unas-

THE RMY VI TION STORY

signed officers attending coursesat the Artillery School were sentfor flight training.

While Air Corps reservistswere flowing through this sys-

tern it was necessary to increasethe advanced course at Fort Sillfrom 7 weeks to 10. The reservists were given 5 weeks of basicmilitary training which they hadnot received previously. By 1February 1943 reservists ceasedto come into the program and itwas found feasible to reduce theadvanced course to 5 weeks.

The Army Air Forces primary flying school at Pittsburg,Kan., began accepting Artillerypilots for flight training about15 February 1943. Starting with

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The first training fatality atthe Department of Air Trainingat Fort Sill, Okla., occurred on8 March 1943. Lt R. P. Stallings,a flight instructor, was killedwhen he and a student crashedin the L-2 pictured above. Theaircraft was on a downwind turnwhen it stalled out and spun in.the class reporting to Denton on18 March 1943 the classes -alternated between Denton and Pittsburg.

The environments at Dentonand Pittsburg were not the best(academically speaking) forturning out aviators. At Pittsburg the students were quartered in ? hotel and were on perdiem. At Denton they lived ina men s college dorm. At bothtraining sites there were plentyof young ladies to distract theyoung flight students. In factthere was a women s college atDenton, and the situation therereached a point where the onlyflight students that didn t getmarried were those who werealready married.

At any rate, the brand newsecond lieutenants were givensilver wings upon graduationand then reported to Fort Silloverweight, with 50-missioncrushed hats, and without anyrespect whatsoever for ColonelFord s desire that they keep offthe grass. However, after a few14

Two unidentified mechanics check an L-4A used in seaplanetraining at Lake Lawtonka.

of their number experienced thewrath of the veteran artilleryman, the students acquired alittle humility-and stayed offthe grass.

GROWING P INSOriginal plans called for 8

percent of the Field Artillerypilots to be enlisted men. The2 percent officer pilots were toprovide supervision. The plansdidn t work-mainly because theenlisted men who were able toperform an acceptable job asliaison aviators were usuallyofficer candidate school material.Consequently, enlisted pilotsgenerally left troop units forOCS shortly after reporting forduty. The War Department decided it would be better for en-

listed personnel to attend OCSbefore going to flight school andon 2 April 1943 enlisted menceased to be eligible for liaisonpilot training.

An Army Ground Forces directive dated 15 September 1943named only Pittsburg to be usedfor primary training. However,a few students continued to besent to the Denton school untilabout 16 November 1943.

In January 1944 Colonel Forddeparted for troop duty andColonel Wolf succeeded him asdirector of the department untilthe end of the war.

Seaplane training for pilotsand mechanics was begun on 7April 1944 as part of the tacticalcourse, and facilities were builtat Lake Lawtonka. Also train-

THE FLEET Lt Col G. J Wolf (front), Lt M. J Fortner rightrear) and an unidentified mechanic take a spin in the crash rescueboat during seaplane training at Lake Lawtonka, Fort Sill, in 1944.


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ing in the use of the Brodie device was directed by the commanding general, Army GroundForces, on 31 October 1944. TheBrodie device was a cablelaunching and landing apparatuswhich enabled aircraft to getn and out of confined or unimproved areas and to operate from

Naval landing craft.In fall 1944, it was decided

that an adequate number ofpilots had been trained to meetrequirements until the first ofthe year. As a result, Class No.88, which reported to Pittsburgon 27 July 1944, was the lastto be enrolled until January1945. Meanwhile, the Army AirForces terminated its contractswith civilian flying schools andClass No. 88, which was at Pittsburg 11 weeks, became the lastto be trained there.

Class No. 89 resumed thetraining program on 13 January1945 under Army Air Force instructors at Sheppard Field,Texas. After 14 weeks of basicinstruction the class received anadditional 14 weeks of instruction at Fort Sill s advancedcourse.

In early 1945 pilot losses inombat necessitated an increased

input of from 30 to 4 studentsevery 2 weeks and a reductionin basic training to 11-12 weeks.

he tactical instruction wasslashed to 5 weeks and liaison

ilots were rushed overseas until the situation eased. Begin

ing with Class No. 94 which reported for basic training on 9

arch 1945, the Army was ableo resume the full schedule of4 weeks both at Sheppard Fieldand Fort Sill. This schedule wascontinued until the Departmentof Air Training gave way to the

rmy Ground Force Air Trainng School. The only other

change under the departmentas the reduction of student inut from 4 to 30 per class be-

ginning with Class No. 101 whichwas enrolled on 18 June 1945.

GF IR TR INING SCHOOLThe highly successful employ

ment of Army Aviation in combat resulted in numerous re quests for light organic aviationfrom branches other than theField Artillery. To serve vitalneeds, most major ground combat units were borrowing theCubs from the Field Artillerywhenever possible. Consequently, the Cubs were effectively employed in such missions as courier and liaison operations, photographic and visual reconnaissance, column control, emergency resupply, and evacuationof wounded. (A more detailedaccount of Army Aviation incombat is presented in anotherportion of this story.)

In August 1945, the War Department adopted an agreementwhich extended organic aviation to five more users: Cavalry, Infantry, Engineers, Armor,and Tank Destroyer. The agreement, which had been reachedpreviously by General J aco b L.Devers, CG, Army GroundForces, and General Ira C.Eaker, CG, Army Air Forces,also called for additional lightaircraft for the AGF.

Instruction at the Departmentof Air Training had previouslybeen limited to Field Artillerypersonnel. Now it became necessary to expand the program, andeffective 7 December 1945 theDepartment of Air Training ofthe Field Artillery School wasredesignated the Army GroundForces Air Training School. Thisschool was established to provide tactical training to includethe added ground arms incorporating organic aviation. Theschool was placed under MajGen Louis E. Hibbs, Commandant, Field Artillery School.Brigadier General Ford, back

THE RMY VI TION STORY

from troop duty, was named Assistant Commandant for AirTraining and again directed thetactical air training program.Under the new system, primaryflight training was still providedby the Air Corps.

Six Field Artillery pilot classes were in session when thechangeover came and anotherwas enrolled before the studentof the first Officers ArmyGround Forces Airplane PilotCourse assembled on 28 J anuary 1946 at the school. However,not enough students were onhand to begin instruction andthe group had to wait untilClass No. 3 reported on 11March.A similar situation existedwith the Field Artillery Air Mechanic Course. Three were insession and allowed to finish,but no more were enrolled. Thefirst enlisted Army GroundForces Air Mechanic Coursestarted on schedule-21 January1946.

By June 1946 the demobilization of the Armed Forcesbrought about a severe Armywide shortage of personnel. Asa result the Air Training Schoolhad to eliminate seaplane training from the curriculum andsharply reduce the time devotedto the Brodie device.

Although courses of instruction were being tightened, theAir Training School was expanding its facilities at PostField. In July construction wasstarted on a concrete runway5,000 feet long, 2 feet wide,and included taxiway and increased apron space.

The sod surface previouslysatisfactory for training purposeswith light airplanes had begunto deteriorate as heavier aircraft used the field in increasingnumbers.

During the postwar period theArmy began reorganizing its

15


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.JULy 1962

Maj Robert M Leich center) was the first engineering officerof the Department of Air Training His assistants were 1st Lts L. MBornstein left) and M J Fortnerschool systems. In November1946, the Department of AirTraining again was establishedat Fort Sill and the ArmyGround Forces Air TrainingSchool was discontinued. Thedepartment offered training support for all the ground arms,rather than just Artillery as ithad prior to 7 December 1945.

The Korean War broughtabout an increase in student input at the Department of AirTraining. On 28 August 1950 a 4-week National Guard refreshertraining course in Army Aviation tactics was authorized, andin November 1950 a UnitedStates Air Force Pilot ArtilleryObservation Course was started.It was set up for four classes of5 days duration and could handle 10 pilots a class between 6November 1950 and 23 February1951. Numerous facilities alsowere added and early in 1951the Air Training Departmentwas using three new stagefields.

Outside of the helicoptertraining program (covered elsewhere in this story) , the AirTraining Department did not in-

6

cur many more significantchanges until it was dissolvedand the U.S. Army AviationSchool was established.

The successful growth of theDepartment of Air Training canbe traced to the tireless effortsof a great many people. Mostnotable are General Ford andColonel Wolf who each servedas director of the department.Other key personnel includeCapts Robert R. Williams andT. S. Baker, who at varioustimes served as chief of theFlight Division; Captain E. F.Houser, chief of the Tactics Division; and Captain R. M. Leich,and Lts M. J. Fortner and LloydM. Bornstein. Lieutenant Fortner, a member of the originaltest group, was an aeronauticalengineer with experience inlight aircraft maintenance. Hewas primarily responsible fordeveloping maintenance courses for both pilots and mechanics.

RMY VI TION SCHOOLThe use of aircraft by all arms

and services rapidly increasedthe volume of training and ad-

ministration at the Air TrainingDepartment and led to the establishment of the U. S. ArmyAviation School at Fort Sill.

The school was established effective 1 January 1953 as a ClassI activity under the commandinggeneral, Fourth Army, by au thority of Department of theArmy General Orders No.9,dated 16 January 1953. Actuallythe school came into existenceon 1 July 1953 when the Department of Air Training was deactivated. However, in 1960 theofficial birthday of the UnitedStates Army Aviation Schoolwas established as 6 June. Previously, the birthday was recognized as 1 January, but correspondence dated 15 January 1960from the U. S. Army AviationCenter, Fort Rucker, to the Adjutant General, Department ofthe Army, requested that thebirthday of the United StatesArmy Aviation School bechanged from 1 January to 6June to coincide with the birthdate of Army Aviation.

Indorsements of the requestat Third Army and ContinentalArmy Command recommendedapproval. Secretary of the ArmyWilber M. Brucker approvedthe request on 23 February 1960and ordered that the 6 Junebirthdate be made a matter ofrecord.

School courses at Sill offeredonly to officers included: airplane and helicopter tacticscourses, instrument and instrument examiners courses, and atwin-engine transition course.Officer and enlisted personnelwere eligible for the Cargo Helicopter Pilot's Course (enlistedgraduates were made warrantofficers) . Repair and maintenance courses for fixed and rotary wing aircraft also wereavailable to enlisted men.

Primary flight training wasgiven by the Army Air Forces


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JULY 962

at Gary Air Force Base, San.Marcos, Texas. (In May 1946Gary had been partially reactivated and primary rotary andfixed wing flight training ofArmy Ground Force personnelhad been moved from SheppardAir Force Base to Gary. In early1949 Gary was closed and flighttraining shifted to Connally AirForce Base, Waco, Texas. Garywas reactivated again in early1951 as a result of the KoreanWar and expansion of the U. S.Air Force. Consequently, allrotary and fixed wing primaryflight training of Army officerswas transferred back to Garyby March 1951. The Army fixedwing mechanic and the Army-and Air Force rotary wing mechanic programs, had been atSheppard, but were moved toGary early in 1951.

FIXED WING TR ININGBy 1953 primary fixed wing

students were spending 17 weeksat Gary and receiving 418 hoursof ground school and 100 hoursflying time. Ground school in struction covered aerodynamics,meteorology, aerial navigation,aircraft maintenance, flight regulations, aircraft instruments, andcommunications. Flight trainingincluded the basic maneuversand an introduction to instrument flying. The L-19 and theL-21 were used in flight training.

The 12-week tactical course atFort Sill included 120 morehours in the L-19. Training included operations from smallstrips, dirt and paved roads;landing and taking off over anobstacle about 25 feet high, andon a rocky strip about 250 yardslong; low-level flight; advancedflight maneuvers; night andcross-country flying; evasive maneuvers; and other types of missions.

Tactical ground school included an expansion of the topics

18

covered at Gary plus groundforce tactics, adjustment of artillery and mortar fire, mapreading, aerial photography, re connaissance, development ofArmy airfields and related subjects.

Instruction in adjustment ofartillery fire started in the classroom with training aids. Students sat in chairs and observedpuffs of smoke which appearedon a huge terrain board andrepresented fire missions whichthey conducted. Once theylearned how to adjust fire on theboard, they took to the air andpracticed on Fort Sill s artilleryranges. Similar procedures wereused to instruct other courses.During the final phase of thecourse the class would establishan airfield and operate from itas a division aviation section ina field exercise.

Upon graduation the newArmy Aviator could apply forthe helicopter course, instrumenttraining, or the twin-engine transition course.

INSTRUMENT TR ININGInstrument training in Army

Aviation originally was onlyprovided by contract schools.However, as the requirement forinstrument trained aviatorsgrew, the Army realized theneed for establishing its own

instrument school to supplemethe program. In January 195the Instrument Flying Courswas organized and placed undethe supervision of the Deparment of Flight, Army AviatioSchool at Fort Sill.

The LC-126 was used in th8-week course which include80 hours of hooded flight, amuch actual instrument time -aweather permitted, and abou120 hours of ground school.

In August 1953 the Instrument Flight Examiner s Courswas initiated to teach pilots tconduct and grade the Armyannual instrument flight examnations. The students receiveabout 40 hours of instrumentime during the 4-week course

The 2-week twin-engine transition course was set up in January 1953 to train Army Aviatorto fly command type aircrafStudents trained in the L-23 anreceived 36 hours of grounschool and 25 hours in actuaflight.

R PID GROWTHThe day the Korean Wastarted, 25 June 1950, the De

partment of Air Training haabout 50 members on the stafand faculty, about 100 studentsand about 125 aircraft-L-5sL-16s, L-17s, and H-13s.

By August 1954, staff an


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ONE OF TWO PERMANENT HANGARS ONfliGHT LINE . BUILDING 4908 , 28 ,000SQUARE FEET OF MAINTENANCE AREA .ACCOMMODATES 56 PLANES FORMAINTENANCE.

faculty of the Army AviationSchool at Fort Sill had grownto almost 300 members. Also,there were 800 students andabout 500 aircraft (8 types).Such rapid growth resulted innumerous problems and crowded conditions which began tohamper the school s ability toperform its mission.

Aviation is a highly specialized activity, and requires thehighest standards of instruction.These high standards requiredadequate and sufficient maintenance space, airspace, classrooms, administrative space, andbillets.

Inadequate hangar space, dispersal of activities, and submarginal facilities for aviation atFort Sill resulted in excessivecosts and inefficient operations.

Insufficient aircraft parkinghardstands (see photos) meantthat about 8 percent of the aircraft had to be parked on thesod, and continuously operatedunder extremely dusty conditions. The sod had deterioratedand was a sea of mud when itrained and dusty when it wasdry. Dust circulating throughengine parts resulted in excessive deterioration of aircraftparts and frequent engine replacements. In addition, a lackof hangar space made the air-

TEMPORARY HANGAR ON fliGHTLINE . BUILDING 4911 , 8 ,976

craft extremely vulnerable tofrequent and severe storms.

Periodic storms of great intensity pointed out the lack ofadequate hangar space at PostField. One storm in particular(on 4 August 1946) wasaccompanied by 3-inch hailstones andseverely damaged 231 (48 percent) of the aircraft. Trainingtime lost was 15,975 hours andthe estimated total damage costto aircraft was 575,000. Overan II-year period, ending in1953, total storm d m g eamounted to 2,161,730 and 39,-505 training hours lost.The location of the heliportalso posed a problem, due to itsencroachment on other trainingactivities at the Artillery Schooland its proximity to fixed wingtraffic at Post Field.

The Army realized that aviation is a highly specialized busi-

MOTOR REPAIR SHOP TAKENFROM TROOP UNIT AND DIVERTEDTO AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE

THE ARMY AVIATION STORY

ness and that the facilities atFort Sill did not meet the needsof Army Aviation. Consequently, plans were under study in1954 to move the Army AviationSchool to a home of its own.

A number of possibilities torelieve the Aviation School sproblem were considered. Thepossibility of expanding activities at Fort Sill and utilizingabandoned Frederick Air ForceBase as a subpost was explored.Other facilities considered wereat Shawnee and EI Reno, Okla.;San Marcos (Gary) Air ForceBase, Texas; DeRidder ArmyField Forces Base, Camp Polk,La.; Stewart Field at SavannahGa.; Camp McCall; N. C.; FortRiley, Kan.; Camp Rucker, Ala.;and 'an abandoned Air Force installation at Childress, Texas.

Camp Rucker was chosen overother sites mentioned above primarily because Ozark Army AirField had three 5,000-foot runways. Buildings had just beenrenovated at a cost of 8 million.Huge truck stands on the reservation would serve as good heliports. Large buildings used fortruck repair would serve as goodrotary wing maintenance hangars.

Camp Rucker had its drawbacks, but so did other installations inspected. And none of theother sites had all four advantages mentioned above.

TWO MOTOR REPAIR SHOPSDIVERTED TO AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE.34 ,644 SQUARE FEET TOTAL


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ULy 962

A Department of the Armyletter dated 23 July 1954 informed the commandant of theArmy Aviation School that TheSecretary of the Army has approved the transfer of the ArmyAviation School and the Aviation Test Section of [Army FieldForces] Board No. 1 to CampRucker, Alabama, from FortSill, Oklahoma.

The letter further directedthat the commandant of theAviation School would workwith the commanding generalsof Third and Fourth Armies toprepare movement plans whichwould be submitted to the Department of the Army not laterthan 1 September 1954 for approval.

Brigadier General Carl 1Hutton, who had been commandant of the Army AviationSchool at Fort Sill since July1954, named Lt Col Carlyle W.Arey as his Chief of Staff. Onabou 20 August Colonel Arey

departed Fort Sill for CampRucker with an advance partyof 50.

On 28 August 1954 GeneralHutton left Fort Sill and on 1September assumed command atCamp Rucker. Colonel Jules E.Gonseth, Jr., assistant commandant of the Aviation School, re mained at Fort Sill as actingcommandant until early in November when he departed forRucker. Lt Col Charles Ernesttook over for Colonel Gonsethuntil the rest of the personnelmoved and command of theschool passed to Rucker.

The move was effected witha minimum cancellation of classes. Some smaller courses, whichwere scheduled consecutively(twin-engine, instrument, andsome mechanic classes) werecancelled. The school was forcedto cancel some helicopter coursesafter problems developed duringthe move.

The first course of study to~ . . . . . . t . . .

The following civilian employees of the Army Aviation School were 1transferred from Fort Sill to Camp Rucker and are still at Fort Rucker.t All were flight instructors with the Department of Flight at Fort Sill except Mr. Steltenpohl who was an aircraft maintenance inspector with the Air- ;icraft Maintenance Division. .iN ME PRESENT SSIGNMNTMilton P. Crenchaw Dept of Adv F / WRichard J. Followill U. S Army Aviation Boardi ohn Jacob Green Dept of Adv F / W :+: +Doyle E. Grigsby Dept of Adv F IWGeorge H. Howard Dept of Adv F IWJimmie Johnson Dept of R /Wi on C. Jones Dept of R /W iJohn J. Kochis Dept of Adv F /WMalcolm F. Landrum Dept of Adv F/ WCharles E. Maggart Dept of Adv F IW + Charles L Martin , Jr. U. S Army Aviation Board i Schuyler L Mathews Dept of Adv F IW :;: Virgil M. Mingus Dept of Adv F IW . James P. Morris Dept of Adv F /W James R. Paul Dept of Adv F IW; Clarence G. Stockwell Dept of Adv F /W ;t Gerald T. Thorpe Dept of Adv F /WFrancis R. Werner Dept of Adv F IW Robert L Chisolm Dept of Adv F IW fNeil S Dodson Office of the DOlt Philip Gennuso Dept of R/ W ;i Melvin H. May Dept of R/WWilliam P. Whitman Dept of Adv F / W Wayne G. Steltenpohl CAM f. . . ~ . . . . ~ . ~20

get under way at Camp Ruckerwas a combined Army AviationTactics Course. Class AATC-54-K completed primary at GaryAir Force Base on 10 September1954. These students were eitherheld at Gary or granted leavewith orders to report to CampRucker on 9 October 1954.

Meanwhile AATC-54-L graduated at Gary on 8 October andreported to Camp Rucker on 12October 1954. The two classeswere combined (AATC-54-K-L)and on 18 October 1954 becamethe first Aviation School flightclass at Camp Rucker. Thiscombined class of 120 officerswas graduated on 29 January1955.

IRCR FT MOV M NTThe responsibility for moving

the School's aircraft rested withthe Department of Flight andthe Maintenance Section.

Since a number of pilot classes were in residence at Sill whenthe move began, it was necessary to schedule the movementof aircraft from early August1954 through the following February. As a class would finishtraining at Sill, the graduatesand instructors would fly theiraircraft to Rucker in time to beused by a class phasing in there.

The L-19s had the shortestrange of the fixed wing aircraftthat were moved. The Schoolbegan moving its L-19s in October 1954 on a 788-mile journeythat included two stops. TheLC-126 movement began in Novernber 1954 and the L-23 inJanuary 1955. The L-20s wereused as control aircraft duringsome of the flights.

Moving the 250 rotary wingaircraft was more of a problem.They made 12 stops over an855-mile course. The longest legwas a 97-mile flight from Greenville to Longview, Texas, andthe shortest hop was 35 miles,


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from Ruston to Monroe, La.Types of helicopters moved included H-13s 23s 19s and 25s.

Each helicopter carried anauxiliary 5-gallon gas can. Also,an L-20 and an H-19 accompanied the flights as control aircraft and each carried extra gasin 5-gallon cans. The first massmovement of helicopters tookplace in late October 1954.

Establishing a new home atCamp Rucker involved a greatdeal of extra work and manydisappointments for the facultyand staff of the Army AviationSchool. Although often discouraged, the situation improvedas the aircraft began to arrive.

The fall of 1954 was devotedprimarily to the developmentand renovation of facilities es sential to the operation of theSchool. Rehabilitation was started on the Post Headquartersbuilding and the Department ofTactics was moved into some excellent classroom buildings inthe Tank Hill area.

At Ozark AAF, the controltower was relocated in an areafrom which the ends of all threerunways could be observed.Also, work was started on Knox,Ech, Northwest Corner, andHooper stagefields. A number ofstrips were constructed for fixedwing operations in the westernpart of the 60 000 acre reservation and work was begunthrough the Mobile District Engineers to negotiate leases forareas on which off-post strips,stagefields and airports could beconstructed.

December 1954 was a busymonth at the Army AviationSchool. The Third Army maneuver, FOLLOW ME, centeredat Camp Rucker with over athousand troops from other postson duty at Rucker for twomonths. Also in December, the351st Infantry Regiment returned from Trieste, Italy, and

was stationed at Camp Rucker.The 351st along with the 517thEngineer Company and the 98thArmy Band, was designated asa regimental combat team toprovide training support troopsfor the School. Despite the addition of the 338th Field ArtilleryBattalion, the 351st was notbrought up to strength and on30 September 1956 was reorganized into the 99th BattalionCombat Team. On 24 March1958 the combat team was redesignated the 2d Battle Group,31st Infantry Division.

By the end of 1954 the Schoolhad seven classes in session. Allof the necessary facilities wereoperating, the hospital was open,and the Army Aviation Schoolhad celebrated its first Christmasin its new home.

The two most significantevents of 1955 were the establishment of the Army AviationCenter on 1 February 1955 andthe redesignation of Camp Rucker as Fort Rucker-a permanentDepartment of the Army installa t ion-on 13 October 1955. General Hutton became commanding general of the Center as wellas commandant of the School.

While many problems wereencountered in the early months,sand proved to be one of themost disturbing to the trainingprogram. The wild grass on thestagefields at Rucker did notlast due to downwash of thehelicopter rotor blades.

The sand problem developedinto a major, unexpected headache and resulted in loss of timeand badly damaged bearing surfaces inside the engines of theaircraft. The problem graduallydisappeared with the application of a thin asphalt coating onsome of the strips and hoveringpads, and the addition of moretraining areas.

The flight training schedulesbegan falling behind during the

THE RMY AVIATION STORY

early days. The fixed wingschedule was adjusted by theelimination of some portions ofthe courses. However, rotarywing training continued to slip,despite weekend flying. Additional helicopters and instructors were considered as a solution, but it was reasoned thatthis would only double the in struction problem since it wouldtake two months, and badlyneeded instructors, to standardize the newcomers. There wasno easy solution-it took hardwork and time to solve the manyproblems facing the School.

F W CONTR CT TR ININGPersonnel of Class 56-7 were

the first Army students to re ceive primary training in theL-19 from a contractor. Instruction was conducted by the Hawthorne School of Aeronautics atSpence Air Base, Moultrie, Ga.,beginning on 3 January 1956.

Air Force personnel weretraining Army students at GaryAir Force Base, but the AirForce requested that part of theArmy s input be diverted toSpence. Classes of 27 Army students were to be phased in atSpence every 13 training daysuntil six classes had entered.

Maj G. W. Jaubert and MSgtHarold Scales formed the SpenceAir Base Unit of the AviationSchool Regiment to handle administrative matters pertainingto the Army students. Mr. LeslieH. Locke was Hawthorne s supervisor in charge of Armytraining.

Class 56-7 and the two following classes completed normaltraining and graduated from primary before word was receivedthat Army training at Spencewould terminate on 30 June1956. The training pace of Class56-10 (scheduled to graduate on10 July) was quickened and the

2


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JULY 1962

students graduated on 30 June.Classes 56-11 and 56-12 were

transferred to Gary Air ForceBase on 1 July and within a fewweeks had completed primarytraining and reported to FortRucker. In all, 128 out of 135students successfully completedtraining at Spence.

On 19 April 1956 a Depart-ment of Defense memorandumdirected the Army to assume re-sponsibility for all Army Avia-tion training. It further directedthe Army to assume command ofGary Air Force Base and to letbids for a civilian contractor toconduct primary fixed wingtraining. The commanding gen-eral, Fourth Army, responsiblefor planning and operations, wasauthorized to utilize the com-mandant of the Aviation Schoolas a technical advisor.

In May 1956 Col Jules Gonsethwas sent to Gary to administerthe contract and Col John D.Edmunds was named to succeedhim as assistant commandant atthe School. Upon completion ofhis duties at Spence, Major J au-bert reported to Gary to assistColonel Gonseth.

The Army officially took overCamp Gary on 14 December1956. W. J. Graham and Sons,Inc., had been awarded the train-ing contract and on 7 January1957 began training the firstclass, 57-9, which was made upof 115 Army students. Mr. William R. Hailey and Mr. ThomasA. Webb, were flight command-ers of the group.

The permanent military contingent at Gary was made up ofthe military commander (Col-onel Gonseth), his deputy (Ma-jor Jaubert), 22 other officers,and 22 enlisted men. They wereresponsible for the military operation of the base and checkedthe contractor s job performance.The rated officers conducted atleast half of the student check22

rides and all of the civilian acceptance flights. They also visited student briefings and aca-demic classes and one ratedofficer served in a quality control and advisory capacity as air-craft maintenance officer.

Mr. Graham , president of thecontracting firm, was in chargeof his operation at Gary. Mr.Garnet Howell, on leave of ab-sence from the Aviation School,was Director of Training; Mr.Virgil Mingus, also on leave fromthe School, was Director of Fly-ing; and Mr. A. L. Taylor wasDirector of Academic Training.

All told, 2,898 students were

sent to Gary for training underGraham and 2,151 successfullycompleted the course.

To further consolidate fixedwing training, the Army movedprimary to Fort Rucker on 1July 1959. Class 59-13, still inresidence at Gary at that time,was transferred to Fort Ruckerwhere the advanced course in-structors gave the students theremainder of their primary train-ing and then carried themthrough the advanced phase.

Primary set up temporaryheadquarters at Lowe Army AirField. Lieutenant Colonel J au-bert was made first director of

+.+++.+++.+.+ ~ . +.+ . . ~i CLASS ROSTER - 57-9 it Toler, William K 2 t Holmes, Robert L 2I LtVanDervort, Edmund L 2I Lt Phillips, John H l Lt 1 Antoniou , Michael N 2 t Purcell, Robert W l Lt :;: Askin, Ronald J 2I Lt Schmidt, Elbert J l iLt Bagnal, Charles W 2 t Seymour, Edward C l iLt Bell, John E Capt Spence, Thomas H l i tBlewster, James C 2I Lt Anderson, Karl R 2ILtt Bratt, Clarence M 2I Lt Anderson, Paul F l i t t Christopher, Harry G 2 t Andree, Robert G 2I LtCobb, John E Capt Andrews, Joseph J 2ILt t... Crouter , Edgerton T 2 t Claggett, William l i tt Defrance, Rudolph B 2I Lt Dale, Teddie A 2ILt Dewey, Arthur E 2 t Dalrymple, William C l i t; Doiron, Nicholas H 2I Lt Frack, Joseph C 2 t tGallagher, James E l iLt Herbert, Bentley J l iLt t Isham, Keith L l iLt Hlywa, Nicholas G 2 t ;t Jenkins, Edward H l iLt Hobbs, Harry V l Lt Kallestad, Richard D l i t Jespersen, Vale D 2 t t

- Massengill, James R l i t Johnson, David S 2I Lt t Newkirk, Eddie H l Lt Johnston, Lowell E 2 t t Rhein, John H 2ILt Luckey, James F Jr l iLt 1Riggins, Gary R l Lt Ortner, Anthony J 2 t :;:- Roughen, Albert H l i t Sanland, Donald T 2 t i Schull, Dunell V 2 t Singletary, Charles B 2ILt :;: Vann, Peter J 2I Lt Suttle, Albert B Jr Capt Wagenheim, Herbert M 2 t Tucker, Bert E Jr 2 t- Wall, John F Jr 2 t Utz, John S 2ILtt Williford, Henry G l Lt Walker, Wayne l iLt t Bailey, Paul 0 Capt Wash, William B l Lt ... Creson, Robert F Capt Weinstein, Leslie H 2 t tDraper, Edwin L 2I Lt Bergstrom, Richard H Capt t Dunegan, Walter L 2 t Burbank, Robert A 2ILt Flinn, Robert F 2I Lt Carter, Carl V l i t ... Frank, Winfield C 2I Lt Champlin, Donald A l iLt t- Gafner, Richard L 2ILt Gillingham, Richard I l iLtt Gentry, Roy C 2 t Harris , James R l i t IGoodman, Robert A 2 t Hover, Charles E l i t Grivna, Lawrence F 2I Lt Hulett, Clarence M l iLt1 Hodges, George A Jr l Lt Killough , Charles K 2 t:;: Kirkpatrick, Andrew C l Lt

.... . . . . i . . .


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OFWAC 60-111 September 1959 - 27 January 1960Hawthornes First U.S. Army ClassGreen I on Left - Green II on Right

1st Row (L to R Maj R. M. Shoemaker; Capt J F. VanSanJ; Maj C. B. Sinclair; Maj R. S. Kellar; Maj K. E. Davidson;Maj R. L Gabardy; Lt Col W. C. Boehm; Lt Col M. H. Parson; Lt Col G. S. Beatty, Jr; Col A. M. Burdett, Jr; Lt Col JW. Hemingway; Lt Col G. A. Peyer; Maj M. M. Mahmud; Maj R. J Dillard; Maj T. A. Crozier; Capt W. E. Crouch, Jr;Capt W. A. Lusk, Jr; Capt J M. Blair; Capt J A. Lynch.2nd Row (L to R 1st Lt D. J Kim; 1st Lt A. L Powell; 1st Lt C. Chin; Capt C. Chang; Capt K. Yoon; 1st Lt P. L JKlempnow; 1st Lt J B. Morgan; 1st Lt D. T. Moentmann; 1st Lt W. D. Gess, Jr; Capt J H. Mapp; Capt W. T. Fitts, III;Capt J B. Hatch; 1st Lt H. E. Malone, Jr; 1st L E. Scoggins; 2nd Lt R. L Ha zlewood; 2nd Lt R. W. Nelson; 2nd Lt K.O. Hulse; 1st Lt C. E. Sauer; 2nd Lt R. L Chancellor.3rd Row (L to R 1st Lt C. G. Robertson; 1st Lt R L Filson; 1st Lt J M. Henderson, Jr; 1st Lt R. D. Millspaugh; 1stLt Z. K. Rector; 1st Lt F. W. Russell; 1st Lt T. R Chapman; 1st Lt C. F. Morgan; 2nd Lt R. M. Rusch; 1st Lt J A.Matos, Jr; 2nd Lt J L Christie; 1st Lt F. D. Scott; 2nd Lt D. M. Whitehead; 2nd Lt D. H. Halsey; 2nd Lt G. W. Nelson;2nd Lt J P. Vaughn; 2nd Lt C F. Shearer. Absent-Capt H. L Wheeler and 1st Lt W. F. Boyle.Primary Fixed Wing Training atFort Rucker and Maj ParrisWelch the first deputy director.

On June 1959 HawthorneSchool of Aeronautics wasawarded the primary fixed wingtraining contract and begantraining the first primary classenrolled at Fort Rucker, 60-1,on 11 September 1959. The class,composed of 57 officers rangingin rank from second lieutenantto full colonel, was graduated on7 January 1960 (above). Mr.Robert Snowberger and Mr.Fred Gardner were flight commanders of 60-1.

Hawthorne officials who started at the school with Hawthorneand are still there include Mr.Leo E. Carver, General Manager;Mr. Earl Mengle, Director ofFlying Training; and Mr. JamesThursby, Director of AcademicTraining. Mr. Brax Batson, whowas Director of Training untilFebruary 1961, was succeeded byMr. Leslie H. Locke, who hadsupervised Army training atSpence Air Base.

Lowe AAF had been completed in 1957 for use as a basefield for the Advance ContactFlight Division, Department ofFixed Wing Training. To accommodate primary, about 62,096

square yards (128 acres) ofblack-topped surface were addedjust before the move from Gary.Primary's permanent home,Auxiliary 3, was completedand occupied this summer. Theinstallation includes a 2-storyinstructor building with a floorarea of about 12,000 feet; a 6-story control tower; a 2-storyoperations building consisting ofabout 4,000 square feet and asingle story fire and rescue building with a floor area of about2,800 square feet.

In all Auxiliary 3 will occupy about 200 acres and havefour 2,000-foot runways, connecting taxiways, and a parkingapron 1,456 feet by 380 feet.

ROT RY WIN HISTORYEarly in 1945 the Army beganinvestigating the feasibility ofadapting rotary wing aircraft tothe Army Aviation mission. Thefirst Army helicopter pilots weretrained in late 1945 and in 1946under an informal agreementwith the Army Air Corps. Theywere selected on an individualbasis and trained in SikorskyR-4, R-5, and R-6 helicopters atScott Field, Ill., Sheppard Field,Texas, and San Marcos, Texas.

In 1945 Capt R. J. Ely completed the course at Scott Field

and became the Army's first helicopter pilot. Others who receivedtheir training from the Air Corpsinclude Capts Kenworthy Doak,Thomas J. Rankin, and J. Y.Hammack, and Lts Robert R.Yeats, Daniel Wilson, and Norman Goodwin.

In 1946 the Army obtained itsfirst helicopters, 13 Bell YR-13s.(The Sikorsky H-19 and HillerH-23 were added after the Korean War started.) These YR-13sbegan coming off the productionline in December 1946.

As interest in rotary wing operations mounted, the Bell Helicopter Company was awarded acontract to train helicopter pilots and mechanics for the Army.In February 1947 Bell began thefirst formal Army helicopterpilot training course. Attendingwere Lt Col Jack L. Marinelli(now Col and president of theU.S. Army Aviation Board, FortRucker, Ala.); Capt Hubert D.Gaddis (now Lt Col and director Aircraft Division, U. S. ArmyAviation Board, Fort Rucker);Maj Jack Blohm (now Lt Col,retired and with HumRRO, FortRucker); and Capt Darwin P.Gerard (now Lt Col, retired,and with Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation). This


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group received its instruction inthe successful new YR-13 H-13)at Buffalo, N.Y.

In 1947, under a formal agreement with the Army, the U.S.Army Air Corps began giving Army students primary rotary wing training at San MarcosAFB. The first class, consistingof four students, began on 1 September 1947 and lasted 6 weeks.Training was in the YR-13. Thefirst students to receive trainingunder this agreement were MajHarry Bush (now Lt Col); CaptJack Tinnen (now Lt Col andwith the White House presidential flight); Capt Troy B. Hammonds; and Lt L. C. Boyd (nowLt Col and Deputy DOl, FortRucker) .

t was hoped that Army students would train with Air Forcestudents, but the Air Force

Capt R. J. Ely, first Army R / Wpilot.trained their personnel in R-5sand R-6s, and a separate systemof training in YR-13s was set upfor the Army students. TheArmy students were turned outas qualified helicopter pilots after 5 hours of instruction.

The Army felt that 25 hoursof instruction was inadequateand that its rotary wing pilotsreally knew little or nothingabout techniques or finer points

24

Above the first group of Army officers to receive informal heli-copter flight training from Bell. They are (left to right): Lt RobertR. Yeats Capt Thomas J. Rankin Capt Kenworthy Doak, andLt J Y. Hammack. Below the group that attended Bell s firstformal helicopter flight course. They are (left to right): CaptHubert D. Gaddis Lt Col Jack L. Marinelli Maj Jack Blohm and

Capt Darwin P. Gerard.

of helicopter flying. Consequently, the Army HelicopterAdvanced Tactical TrainingCourse was established at FortSill on 1 November 1948. CaptHubert D. Gaddis set up theflight training course and flightstandardized the first Army ro tary wing instructor pilots. Members of this group, who took theirhelicopter flight training fromeither the Air Force or Bell, in cluded three Army officersand two civilians: Lts RodneyJ. Collins, Norman Goodwin, andMarcus Sullivan, and civiliansJames K. Knox (now deceased)and Charles L. Martin (nowwith the U. S. Army AviationBoard, Fort Rucker). These meninstructed the Army s first tactical helicopter training course,which consisted of eight studentswho were graduated on 3 De cember 1948.

In July 1949 this course wasrenamed the Army Field ForcesHelicopter Pilot Course, and inAugust 1951 it was changed tothe Army Helicopter AviationTactics Course.

In the summer of 1953 theArmy established a course whichgraduated warrant officer cargohelicopter pilots for Transportation Corps helicopter companies.Applications came from enlistedmen or warrant officers and theprerequisites did not requireprior aviation training.

The Army had negotiated withthe Air Force to conduct thiscourse, but the Air Force refused-stat ing that helicopter flyingcould not be taught to individuals who were not already pilotsand that teaching enlisted mento fly was against policy.

Bell Helicopter Corp. also re quired prior fixed wing trainingbefore it would accept studentsin its rotary wing course. Nevertheless, the Army took a bold,unprecedented step and established the course.

Candidates in the enlistedmen s portion of the courseunderwent intensive OCS-typetraining. They were given asergeant s pay while in thecourse and wore no insignia.The candidates were subjected


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to an intensive hazing programand stood rigid personal inspections. For example, it was notuncommon to see a candidatestanding at attention and continuously saluting a telephonepole and addressing it in: theproper military manner.

The students were trained inflight fundamentals, advancedflight techniques, theory of flight,navigation, meteorology, maintenance, map and photograph reading, helicopter transport subjects,and transition flight training. TheArmy's decision paid off. Thecourse proved most successfuland still is a part of the program.

In August 1954, when theArmy Aviation School wasmoved to Camp Rucker, the rotary wing course was changedfrom a section of the flight department to a department of itsown. Lt Col James W. Hill wasmade director of the Departmentof Rotary Wing Training atRucker and Maj Hubert D. Gaddis the deputy director.

As a result of the move , ArmyCargo Helicopter Pilot Course55-E was cancelled and ACHPC55-F ordered to report to Ruckeron 18 October 1954. This class,made up of 25 officers and officercandidates, was the first rotarywing class to begin instruction atRucker and oh 30 April 1955 itwas the first to be graduated.(See box below for list ofstudents.)

Army Helicopter Aviation Tactics Course 55-H reported toRucker on 11 January 1955 foradvanced training after havingbeen graduated from the basic.course at Gary AFB on 7 January 1955. AHATC 55-G was cancelled.

The Department of Defensememorandum 6f 19 April 1956directing the Army to assumeall aviation training and command of Gary AFB also initiatedaction to obtain Wolters AFB,

Mineral Wells, Texas, for use asthe Army primary helicopterschool. This presented a problemsince the Army did not desire tocontinue basic rotary wing training at Gary and did not plan tostart its training program at Wolters until late in the year. Consequently, plans were made tomove the program from Gary toRucker. Orders for Class 56-17to report to Gary on 22 June1956 were cancelled and the classwas directed to report to FortRucker on 13 July 1956. Theclass began training on 17 Julyand was graduated on 21 September.

When it was decided that Wolters AFB would be used, ColJohn Inskeep was sent fromRucker to Wolters to administerthe contract. On 14 May 1956Major Gaddis left Rucker forWolters to provide aviation technical data and guidance. He selected sites for location of fourstagefields and designed the mainbase heliport.

Wolters AFB was transferredfrom the Air Force to the Armyon 1 July 1956 and Colonel Inskeep assumed command. ColonelChester H. Meek was nameddeputy post commander and ColWayne E. Downing was assistant commandant. On 13 July1956 Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker redesignated thepost Camp Wolters and on 26September the U. S. Army Pri-

THE ARMY AVIATION STORY

mary Helicopter School at Wolters became an official Armyschool.

Shortly thereafter the Southern Airways Company wasawarded a contract to provideall flight training and associatedground school instruction, plusthe maintenance of governmentowned aircraft and equipment atthe school. In 1957 Southernsigned a new contract which contained a clause allowing the contract, i f renewed each year, torun through June 1964.

The first class to be trainedat Wolters was 57-6, the ArmyAviation Transport Pilot Course(Rotary Wing) . t got under wayon 26 November and was graduated on 27 April 1957. (See pictures on page 26. The class wasdivided into two phases of training:

a 4-week officer-candidateschool type training for enlistedmen who were graduated as warrant officers upon successful completion of the course; a 16-week course in primaryand basic flight training for Medical Corps service officers belowthe rank of captain, warrant officers, and the warrant officercandidates who had successfullycompleted the OCS-type training.

The first students at Wolterswere instructed by 27 SouthernAirways instructors who hadbeen standardized during Au-

+ +.+.+++++++.+++++.+++.t +.+++++ ~ ~ FIRST HELICOPTER CLASS GRADUATES AT RUCKER ..... W1 Jack M. Hendrickson Sgt Bobby G. Bruce tt 1st Lt Donald F. Lusk M Sgt Robert W. Beechter 1st Lt Willie M. Dixson SFC Rex C. Flohr ; 1st Lt Curtis O. Greer Pvt Charles R. Hall ... CWO William L Ruf SFC Donald R. Joyce .. Capt Glen W. Jones M Sgt M. I. Keys ti 2d Lt Raymond E. Smith SFC Raymond T. Kline 1st Lt Jack C. Snipes I Sgt Michael J. Madden ;t M Sgt Donald C. Beachnew SFC Eugene E. Pricet M I Sgt Henry R. Beau SFC Lucis L Share M Sgt John F. Williams M Sgt Joseph M. Truitt Sgt Stanton C. Beedy SFC Jay L Dugger ... SFC L T. Brown .. . . .t . . . . . . . . . .

25


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gust and September at FortRucker. The students flew H-23swhich were brought in from FortRucker. Upon completion of pri-mary, a portion of the graduatesreported to Fort Rucker for tran-sition training in transport heli-copters and the remainder weresent to various Army units tofly observation and utility heli-copters.

During the first graduationceremonies at Wolters the facilities constructed by the 931stEngineer Group (under Col William N. Beard) were formallyturned over to Camp Wolters.

Wolters and Rucker each han-dled half of the primary helicop-ter training input until 1958when it was turned over in

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Army Aviation Digest - Jul 1962

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