Army Aviation Digest - Jul 1977

8/12/2019 Army Aviation Digest - Jul 1977

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viation Requirements for the Combat Structure of the rmy


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UNITED RMY VI TIO N

--------....-. 1GESJ

MG James C. Smith

COMMANDER

U.S. ARMY AVIATION CENTERA major activity of the

U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command

COL Keith J. RynoH

COMMANDER

U.S. ARMY AGENCYFOR AVIATION SAFETYA major activity of the

Inspector General and Auditor Generalof the U.S. Army

Richard K. Tierney

EDITORU.S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST

ABOUT THE COVEROur thanks to Dot Crowleyof the T 'iIIgAids Directo ..... of Tr De.I.p ...... t k.r , for this IIIOIIth's

co,.r art

26

Io1'A

~ O f A l l A N a

PITOT TUBE

JULY 1977 VOLUME 23 NUM

Views From Readers .................. ......... .............. ........ ..........ARCSA III, MAJ George R. Hall; MAJ Russell H. Smith; MAJ

Lewis D. Ray; CPT Lloyd D. McGammon ....m

Valor Awards ................ .............................................................Yano Hall .................. ..... ..... ......................................... ..... ...............A Preplanned Accident To Test A Preaccident Plan

Fly, Plan International, CPT Roger E. McCauley; CW2 FredL. Cappo ............................................................................... ........................

EPMS Corner: Enlisted Flying Pay, SFC Douglas Allen .......Six Eight Four, Please Turn Right, Roland Weldon . .

- 10 Corner: Weight A Moment ................................OPMS Corner: I Have An Answer For You , CW4 Chu

Hawk; CW4 Lloyd Washer ..... ....................... - .......... ............................

Hall Of Fame, '77 ...........................................................................Who Says I Can't Kill You, CPT William J. Ely Jr ................Aviation Center At A Glance, II ..........................................Pitot-Static Pitfalls, Barry Schiff .................................... ..................

Just Another Incident? ......................... ........................................I Knew That Was The Point Of No Return ..................Eject, Don Heyden ............. ............ .........................................................................Pea rt . . .A TC Action Line ..............................................................................Annual Writing Awards ........................................lnside BackA Moment To Relax And Reflect .................................Back

The mission oflh e U S. ARMY A VIATION DIGEST is to provide information of an operational. functionalnature concerning safety and aircraft accident prevention. training. maintenance. operations. research

and development . aviation medicine and other related data .The DIGE ST is an official Departm ent of the Army periodical published monthly under the supervision ofthe Commanding General. U .S. Army Aviation Center. Views expressed herein are not necessarily thosethe Department of the Army nor the U.S . Army Aviation Cent er . Photos are U.S. Army unless otherwspecified. Material may be reprinted provided credit is given to the DIGEST and to the author. unleotherwise indicated .

Articles. photos . and items of interest on Army aviation are invited. Dir ect communication is authorto : Editor. U S ARMY AVIATION DIGEST Fort Rucker. AL 36362.

This publication has been approved by The Adjutant General. Headquart ers. D epartment ofthe ArmDecember 1975, in accordance with AR 310-1.

Active Army units receive distribution under the pinpoint distribution system as outlined in ARComplete DA Form 125 and send directly to CDR. AG Publications Center. 2800 Eastern BoulevBaltimore. MD 21220. For any change in distribution requirements. initiate a revised DA Form 12

National Guard and Army Reserve units under pinpoint distribution also should submit DA FormOther National Guard units should submit requests through their state adjutant general.

Those not eligible for official distribution or who desire personal copies of the DIGEST can ordemagazine from the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printi ng Office. Washington. DCAnnual subscription rates are 15.70 domestic and 19.65 overseas.


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J E W S

R O ME D E R S

Sir:Hi. I was once a very skillful and

highly trained mechanic and supervisor . Aviation mechanic no less ,working on several different types ofgas turbin engines . What s that yousay? Oh , I could do to turbine enginewhat Betty Crocke r could do to apples .I could in pect , adjust , repair andrebuild the turbine engines on anumber of different Army aircraft .Yes , it was a job r quiring a certainknow -how, with all the delicate andpreci ion parts that made it work .Heavens no , all that wasn t worth ahoot i the proper TMs weren'tfollowed.It wouJd only take a fewthousandths of an inch to throw aturbin e wheel out of balance causingdamage to the bearings and set up a

vibration out of this world. Well , let s

se e , nearly 10 years in that field . Wellone day DA sent hundreds of letters tohundreds of NCOs that were neededsomwhere else within the Army. Itsbeen over a year now and I 'm still atank commander .

Sir :

SSG Willard W . HunterFt. Hood , TX

We at the U Army Re erve FlightFacility at St . Paul happen to be veryproud of the high standard and quality of our aviators. They generally flymore hours , maintain more qualifications. and maint ain a better safety andstandardization record than mo t oftheir active c o u n t e r p a r t ~ .They do allthis at probably one -fourth the cost tothe American taxpayer and then hold

down a full -time civilian job to boot.

-ry-.- , ~ Y - ~( ~ H 5 8STAN RIDE, U H - l ,l STAN RIDE, U9 STAN( R I D E , INSTRUMENT {(RENEWAL NOE, L I G H T ~~ PHYSICAL, NEW ANNUAL 1~ W R I LTHE BOSS WANTS-)~ M TO WORK OVERTIME,\BILLS, BILLS. BILLS )

I ~ - ' . . a . v - ,

gg / - - - - J ~ ~U

v

July1977

We just wonder i the authors of thenew ARs gave any thought to the Reserve Components when they wrotethe changes placing even more requirements on our aviators. We don tfeel they did and therefore submit thefollowing cartoon - not for its humorou value , i any - but a a commenton what we feel may develop into a noto humorous ituation. i. . accident s,

p rsonnel retention problems , recruiting proble m , domestic problems , etc .

Sir :

Michael D RomingerFlight instructor

SARFFACt. Paui M

The March 1977 is ue of the AV I A -TION D I G E S T wa fuJI of good and

Continued on page 3

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Major George R Hall Major Russell H Smith Major Lewis D Roy aptain Lloyd D Mc ommon

AVE YOU RECENTLY encountered the acronym ARCSA IIIand wondered what i t meant ?ARCSA III sounds as if it namessome faraway galaxy in a sciencefiction novel. But it really has amore down-to-earth meaning -especiall y to Army aviators.

As spelled out in the title

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Directorate of Combat DevelopmentsU S

nny viation CenterFort Rucker L

ARCSA III is the acronym describing a TRADOC community study .

t determines the aviation re -quirement to equip the activeArmy and its reserve componentsto fight in a high air defense threatenvironment from 1977 to 1986

A special study group wasformed at the U .S Army Aviation

Center Ft Rucker AL inJanuary 1976 to perform theanalysis for TRADOC headquarters. COL Robert L Sauers director of Combat Developments atthe Aviation Center was theARCSA III study director . LTGFrank A Camm deputy co mmanding general TRADOC was

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ARCSA III study advisor y groupchairman. Representatives fromall aviation TOE proponent centers and schools ; Headquarter s,TRADOC; DA ; and other agenciesprovided input to contribute to theresults of the study effort.

On 15 February 1977 the completed ARCSA III package wasbriefed to the U .S. Army Chief ofStaff who approved it for implementation. Indeed , the studywas not simply a study of aviation ,done in isolation by a group of aviators.

ARCSA III was intended to determine how many aircraft , whattypes of aircraft, how many aviation personnel , and where all theseassets should be located in theArmy structure. You may wonder ,

Well , what is wrong with ourpresent aviation structure?

There are a number of reasonswhy the Army aviation organization for combat must be over-hauled. For starters , the currentorganization does not adequatelyconsider the intense air defenseenvironment looming as thethreat . t was developed byARCSA II in 1967 and modified byan aviation baseline study in 1972 .Both oriented heavily on the lowintensity combat environment ofSoutheast Asia.

Additionally , new progressiveorganizational ideas such as theFORSCOM Quick Fix anoteworthy attempt to obtain themaximum antiarmor capabilityfrom existing aircraft - meritedevaluation for Armywide application. Also , the current aviation organization does not adequately integrate new technology such asthe introduction of the AH-1 CobraTOW and the new family of aircraft beginning to enter the inventory.

These are just a few of the pressing developments that madereevaluation of the aviation organization necessary .

The basic Army force considered in ARCSA III (figure 1) essentially consists of 7 corps , 24 divisions , 27 separate brigades and 6armored cavalry regiments(ACR). ARCSA III was to providethe blueprint for fitting Army aviation into these organizations. A

July 1977

GLOSSARY

TRADOC Training and DoctrineCommand

TOE tables of organizationand equipment

HQ headquartersDA Department of the Arm yFORSCOM Forces CommandTOW tube -launched , optically

tracked , wire -guidedACR Armored cavalry r e gi

mentsAAH advanced attack helicop

terUTTAS utility tactical transport

aircraft systemASH advanced scout helicopterTDA table of distribution and

allowancesAHC attack helicopter co m -

panyACT air cavalry troopsmm millimeterCONUS Continental United StatesITAADS Initial Target Acquisition

and Designation SystemCSAC combat support aviation

companyMHC medium helicopter com

panylOSS Intelligence Organization

and Stationing Stud yFY fiscal year

primary goal was to reduce thenumber of separate units andlocate all units in a division orcorps structure. Units fight withdivisions and corps ; therefore ,they should belong primarily todivisions and corps .

ARCSA III considered all theaircraft in the Army aviation inventor y plus the new advanced attack helicopter (AAH) , the utilitytactical transport aircraft system( UTTAS , the advanced scouthelicopter (ASH) , and the modernized CH -47 Chinook (CH-47D).Additionally , specific issues wereevaluated. At division level pooling of assets was examined andrecommended .

The reorganization of aviationassets in the division into a combataviation battalion similar to thatalready tested in Europe also wasrecommended.

At echelons above the division ,pooling of numerous small separate TOE units was studied. Reorganization of the aviation units inthe corps into either a combat aviation group or battalion wasrecommended.

Organizations operating undera TDA were examined to reducethe number of aircraft used inother than combat roles .

Continued on page 7

FigureForce Structure

DivisionsAc tl Ve1 Airborne1 Airmobile3 Infantry7 Mechanized4 Armored3 CR1 CCB

Separate Brigades

Active1 Berlin1 Armored3 Infantry

ioresctlve 6 5 structured)

Reserve Component5 Infantry1 Mechanized2 Armored3 CR

Reserve Component1 Airborne

Armored10 Infantry

7 MechanizedReserve 1

TotalLight DivHeavy Div

CR

CCB

TotalLight BDEHeavy BDE

Totol

1014

6

1512

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a lor AW ard

Recipients of Annual American Legion Aviator Valor Awards are from left: LTC Clarence R. Reed , CPT VictorG. Grahn CW3 Stephen L Davidson and LCDR John M. lewis . At far right is Mr . William A. Hill Post No.743 Commander

OUR MILITARY flier fromthe Army , Air Force and CoastGuard were honored with the 1977American Legion Aviator s ValorAward in ceremonies last May atFt. Hamilton , NY.

The award , established in 1953by the American Legion Post No.743 in Brooklyn , NY , is given for

a conspicuous act of valor orcourage performed during an aerial flight , in x out of combat by ara ted member of the ArmedForces.

4

Chief Warrant Officer StephenL . Davidson an instructor pilotand commandant of the U. S. Army s 222nd Aviation BattalionHigh Altitude Rescue School , FortWainwright , AK , was honored forthe rescue of two mountainclimbers on Mt. McKinley . Thehelicopter rescue took place at the15 ,OOO -foot level. The effort lastedfor more than 20 hours.

Lieutenant Colonel Clarence R .Reed and Captain Victor G.Grahn , of the Air Force s 481st

Tactical.Fighter Training Squadron at annon AFB NM werecited for their action during anF -111D inflight fire emergency ,saving the aircraft from destruction .

Lieutenant Commander JohnM. Lewis , a Coast Guard rescuehelicopter pilot assigned to CorpusChristi Air Station , TX , receivedthe award for the rescue of thecaptain of a capsized oil drillingrig off the Texas Coast. . . .

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July 1977

Yano all

omageTo A ero

Upper left : General Harrison assistsM r . and Mr s . Yano in unveilingplaqueRight : L-R COL Bahnsen, GeneralHarrison and M r . and Mr s . Yano during ceremonyLeft : (L-R) SFC Yano s brotherGlen , daughter Ren i, and Mr . andMr s . Yano following dedicationBelow : M r . and M r s . Yano examineequipm ent inside hall nomed for theirson(photographs by Rick Was se r and

Debbie Caskey)

T HE MAINTENANCE Training Division building , the largeststructure at Fort Rucker , AL , wasdedicated Memorial Day as YanoHall. I t was named in honor ofSergeant First Class Rodney J . T .Yano , a helicopter crewchief whowas awarded the Medal of Honorposthumou ly for the action whichled to his death on 1 January 1969 ,while serving with the Air CavalryTroop , 11th Armored CavalryRegiment , in Vietnam . ( See

Among The Honored , page 2,June 1973 DIGEST .

Att ndees at the dedication included Sergeant Yano 's parentsand brother: Mr . and Mrs.Richard S . Yano and Glen , ofKealakekua , HI. Brigadier General Benjamin L . Harrison , FortRucker deputy commander, delivered the dedication address .Colonel John C. Bahnsen ,Sergeant Yano s commander inVietnam and fl ying with him in thehelicopter the day he received hisfatal injuries , also participated inthe ceremon y.

Yano Hall , which contains123 2 47 square feet , is used fortraining OH -5 8 and UH-1 crew-chiefs .

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p

< 3 1 D i ~U B V B

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to 1. Injured crew chief being evacuated bycivilian crash crew.

to 2. Civilian fire deportment checking aircraft

for fuel leaks and damage.to 3. Boardmembers open occident investiga

tion kit and begin their investigation .to 4. CPT Griffin uses chalk to indicate struc

tural damage to the aircraft .

uly 1977

AYDAY MAYDAY

AY Army Guard 31727. Ic-an ' t move my pedals. We are in aspin going down 8 miles south ofMidway. " With that call began anexercise to test the reactionpre accident planning , and r craft accident investigationabilities of the Illinois ARNG . Thisexercise was part of a program entitled " The Field Aircraft Accident Investigation TrainingCourse " being conducted by theU .S. Army Agency for AviationSafety (USAAA VS) . The Illinois

ARNG has not had an aircraft accident in 6 years and the state aviation officer , C lonel LawrenceL. Hamacher , dec ded there was aneed to test the unit 's ability toreact to a major mishap and provide the aircraft accident investigation board with refresher train-ing.

Plans for the program hadbegun several weeks before . Aprogram of instruction was developed and approved b yUSAAA VS. Before the exercise

COL Hamacher briefed the g n cies outside the National Guard ,incl uding the FAA and the statepolice . He selected a location fromwhich to conduct the t ra iningprogram and coordinated with thepolice and fire departments of thesurrounding communities Theprogram was developed to test theunit 's pre accident and investigation plans ; provide 8 hours ofclassroom instruction at the conclusion of the practical exercise ;and informall y outline the~ h o r t o m i n g sand areas requiringImprovement.

The day before the program began CPT Charles K. Griffin , chiefof the investigation committee ,

and CW4 John C. Moodt , senior instructor of the investigation committee , both of the Education andEvaluation Division , USAAA VS ,flew to Chicago , carrying withthem portions of the wreckage of aprevious major accident that wasto be reenacted in Illinois . Afterlanding and parking their aircraftwithout the unit knowing of theirarr ival , they met with COLHamacher and proceeded to thearea selected for the imulatedcrash to finalize detail for theexercise .

The following morning , COLHamacher , under the guise of avalid mission , departed the Armyaviation flight activit y in a UH -1and proceeded to the intendedcra s h site . When he arrived overthe site , a MAYDAY was declaredusing a code word to advise theFAA that a simulated accidentand training exercise was beingconducted . No one knew the timethe exercise would be conductedother than it would be within a2-month time frame . The FAA at

Midwa y tower , Chicago , upon receiving the MAYDAY , activatedthe primar y crash alarm sy tern .

After landing at the pr e selectedsite , the crew of the aircraft wasreplaced by CPT Griffin and CW 4Moodt , who were to play the partsof the pilot and copilot. The crewchief , SP5 Foster , was told he hadsustained certain injuries and toremain on the floor in the rear ofthe aircraft His pos ition made e xtraction difficult for an untrainedcrew of rescuers .

Within 3 minute s after the UH -1landed , the local fire and policeunits arrived at the crash site .The y were advi ed that it was a

ontinued on page

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Pub cations required to plan an n ternat ional flight .Only the telephone land patience are missing

L Y PLAN INTERNATIONALUSAREUR S CROSS-COUNTRYCPT Roger E . McCauley and CW2 Frederick L . Cappo

175th Aviation Company AH USAREUR

T HAT CONVINCING,r do mineering , European winter has setin . The number of flying days hastrailed off , even the SIP aviatorsare walking. In an IP room ,somewhere in central Germany , acrowd huddles around a coffeepot.

By standing just outside thedoor , yo u can hear the sounds thatoften accompany the telling of wartories. Silently , without warning ,

the shadow of the operations of-ficer fills the doorway . The coffeedrinking stops and the voices subside one by one as they acknow l-edge his presence . A lone voicepierces the silence which hasgrown as thick as Stuttgart fog.

8

" What 's happening , sir? "The opera tion officer looks to

ward the interrogator . He takeshis time in replying , choosing hiswords carefully. He looksperplexed.

" I've just come from a meetingwith the CO We ' ve been given amission that requires crossingsome international boundaries .Has anyone ever planned an international flight ?

A dozen heads sway from left toright.

" Well then I' ll need some volunteers to ... "

Before he can finish , the roomexplodes with the clamor of boots

headed for the only other exit inthe room , a window three storiesup. In an in tant all that is left are12 paper cups. Th op rations officer look s distraught. Whattruck t rror in the heart of these

s a oned USAREUR veterans ?Th thought of planning an international flight

More and more Army aviatorfind them elves behind the pencilplanning international fli ghts forone reason or the other. Oddlyenough , the attack helicopterbrought the occurrence intoperspective rather suddenly.When the AH -1G HueyCobraswere brought to Germany in great

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quantity several years ago, rangefacil i t ies were found ra therlimited in this country onlyslightly larger than the state ofOregon. The search continueduntil more suitable range facilities

were located outside Deutschland.When a decision was made to gooutside this island of Army aviation surrounded by nine countriesand the North Sea, quite a fewaviators were involved in planningand flying international flights .The flights included heavy lift aircraf t for ammunition carryingduties, fixed wing VIP flights andutility aircraft flying service support. These req uire men ts andother varied and challenging tasksmake the idea of international fly

ing anything but farfetched.Planning an international flightis not as impossible as it eems,but it does require some carefulplanning and technical know -how .All flight planning should bethorough but planning an international flight calls for special atten-tion to detail. Army aircraft canplan and fly international1y filingeither IFR or VFR, with VFRflights requiring slightly moreplanning . It 's useless , though, topa g e through DOD publications

lookin g for an index referencingplanning procedures - in ternational flight routes never flownbefore - i t just isn't there. Whatyou w ill run across in yoursearch are bits and pieces of information that need to be colle cted and implemented in anorderly, logical format.

The following steps for planningan international flight were sum-marized after actually planningand flying several internationaltrips . The flights were unique inthat no previous Army flights orany flight of similar nature wereflown along the courses taken. Asn all things new, the bugs had tobe worked out. When they were,only a definite sequence of planning was left; one that got the jobdone with a minimum amount ofwasted effort. Here they r -general enough to apply for bothIFR and VFR flights , yetspecific enough to include allnecessary actions .

July 977

See lossaryPage 3

No matter what flight rules youobserve, your first move should beto scan the FLIP Planning Chart(you probably will want the lowaltitude version). It will give agood perspective of the overall op

eration and some good referencesfor more detailed attention. It alsogives an idea or two for possiblealternate routes. But since theFLIP gets printed only twice ayear, you may have to look aroundfor it. f you are lucky , some jokerjust may have put it up in the briefing room, where it should be anyway. Your next move should be togather all the low altitude enroutec har ts for the flight route. Byusing the airways as a guide , themost direct route between landing

points can be plotted. The mostimportant restricted areas will bedepicted and so will all those helpfu l , usable navigational aids.While the char ts are unfolded,choose an alternate route.

Next, the route of flight shouldbe plotted on VFR maps, if youhave the maps. f you don't , andhave never ordered maps before,sever al questions will a rise.Where do I get them ? You ' ll prob

ably spend a lot of time questioning your fellow aeronauts aboutthis. Chances are they'll replywith a shrug or an ask the operations specialist who maintainsyour unit FLIP account. You'llbe surprised at what goodies areavailable and being provided on asubscription basis. After somediscussion about charts, you'll beintroduced to the DMA Catalog ofMaps , Charts and Related Pro-ducts , Par t I: Aerospace Products. The specialist advises , I t

is all right there, but if you reallywant help , call those troops inHeidelberg , USAASDE. Phonenumber is right here in the front ofthe supp lem ent. After perUSing

ontinued on page 2

Photo depicts flight over water and over mountains on a 1.to 5 ~ O O Oscale map


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nlisted Personnel Management System

Enlisted rewmember Flight PayscalePAYGRADE YEARS OF SERVICE

under 2 over 2 over 3 over 4 over 6 over 8 over 10 over 12 over 16 over 18

E9 105.00E8 105.00E7 80.00 85 .00 85.00 85 .00 90 .00 95 .00 O 105 .00E6 70 .00 75 .00 75.00 80 .00 85 .00 90 .00 95 .00 95.00 100.00E5 60.00 70.00 70.00 80.00 80.00 85 .00 90 .00 95.00E4 55.00 65.00 65.00 70.00 75.00 80 .00E3 55.00 60.00E2 50 .00 60 .00E 50 .00 55.00E (under 4 mas)

50.00Aviation 50 .00

Cadets

If no amount is shown for a pay grade undercumulative years of service, the amount immediately to the left applies.)

sergeants; shop foremen; aircraft maintenancesection or branch sergeants; aircraft maintenanceor repair supervisors ; and aircraft technical inspec

tors in TOE/TDA direct support and general supportaircraft maintenance units and activities may beauthorized noncrewmember flying status.

Enlisted personnel may be authorized noncrewmember flying status while performing as air observers in units whose normal ground mission requires the use of aircraft for air photography, mapping and similar purposes other than combat surveillance.

Armorers of primary aerial weapons systemsmay be authorized noncrewmember flying sta tus inTOE units provided they are required to performfreguent and regular aer ial flights in performance oftheIr duties on the aerial weapons systems. These

positions are limited to two per unit.Physical Standards . Enlisted personnel who areassigned to positions ~ t h o r i z e dcrewmember ornoncrewmember flying status must meet Class 3medical standards in order to qualify.

120 Day Advance Notice. Enlisted crewmembe rswill be accorded at least 120 days' advance notification prior to being involuntarily removed from flyingduty through no fault or actIOn of their own. Theservice member may waive the advance notice by sostipulating in writing to competent authority.

Flying pay may be continued for 120days althoughadvance notice of termination is less than 120 days

July 1977

and minimum performance requirements are notmet. This will be permitted only under unusual andcompelling circumstances such as national

emergencies, short notice of unit deactivation andmanpower authorization reductions, when it is notpossible to give 120 days' advance notice of removalfrom flying duty.

Advance individual notice of removal from enlisted crew member flying duty shall be written - bycompetent authority - or verbal, provided a suitable memora ndum for record is made and it is laterfollowed in writing.

Removal from enlisted crewmember flying dutyfor cause includes but is not limited to removal forfailure to satisfactorily perform assigned duties;reclassification or school attendance based on servicemember's request; confinement; AWOL; re

duction in grade; medical unfitness; or separatioil.Enlisted noncrewmembers are not required to beprovided advance notice prior to removal from flying duties and attendant loss of flight pay.

Flying Pay Rates. Enlisted crewmember flyingpay varies with grade and years of service as indicated in the payscale extracted from the DODMilitary Pay And Allowances Entitlement Manual (see figure). Noncrewmember flying pay is 55per month regardless of grade or years of service.

For further details on enlisted flying status, referto AR 600-106 and the DOD Military Pay And Allowances Entitlements Manual.

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Six Eight Four

Please Turn Rightoland Weldon

Directorate of Training DevelopmentsU.S. Anny Aviation Center

I T WAS LATE evening and there was only the oneaircraft. The pilot had reported 50 miles west andwanted to make a ground controlled approach(GCA) radar approach. I 'd switched to themaximum 53-mile range of the CPN 18A radarscope. Sure enough, there I'd seen a target , justinside the scope's outer western edge , movingeast. Everything had checked. The aircraft ' s position, as reported by the polIt , plus the size andspeed of the target being observed , had led me tobelieve that I was looking at a C 47 type aircr aft.Still , I had to be sure.

Six eight four , what is your heading? Over. Six eight four , my heading is zero nine zero ,

came the reply.Roger , six eight four, for radar indentification ,

turn left heading zero four five for one minute, thenresume normal inbound heading, over.

Six eight four, roger turning left.After having observed the target 's left turn, fol-

lowed by the right turn inbound, I'd transmitted,Six eight four, radar contact five zero miles ~ tof

airport , continue heading zero niner zero, If notransmissions are received for one minute ....

After that, there had been little to do other thanwatch 684's target as the pilot flew the 40 odd milestoward the GCA traffic pattern. Flying at 130 knotsthis was expected to take some 20 minutes. Until theaircraft arrival in the pattern, control was to beconfined mostly to observing the target and reporting its progress through frequent position reports tothe pilot (at least once each minute).

Six eight four, four seven miles west of airport,over.

Six eight four , roger. .Six eight four, this will be a precision radar 'ap

proach to runway three two right. Runway three tworight is seven thousand two hundred feet inlength ... ,

12

Six eight four , roger .Six eight four, four five miles west of the a irport,

over .Six eight four, roger.

The target 's speed had appeared faster than normal , so I'd transmitted , Six eight four , you appearto be making good time , what is your airspeed?Over .

Six eight four, I'm indicating one thirty seven.I've got a good tailwind up here , though.

Some 40 uneventful miles and a number of positionreports later found 684 's target 5 miles west of theairport, a position from which a turn to thedownwind leg normally was made.

Six eight four , turn right heading one four zerofor downwind, descend and maintain two thousand.

Six eight four , roger, turning right to one fourzero, leaving five thousand.

The only problem was that 684 ' s target had notturned , but had continued east. The first pangs ofdoubt had crept in . What in the world's going on?

Six eight four , what 's your heading? Over, Six eigh t four , I'm heading one four zero , over.

Well , the target that I'd been controlling surewasn ' t heading one four zero, Still , it wasn't too uncommon for pilots to simulate a gyro compass out to

see if we in GCA would recognize it. And, it justmight be that the pilot's gyro was out. With this sortof thinking, I'd gone ahead and initiated a no -gyro.

Six eight four, do you understand the no -gyroprocedure? Over,

Six eight four , affirmative. Six eight four, turn right now , And hopefully , I'd

added , You should be in a right turn , over. Six eight four , roger , I'm in a right turn.

The target had not turned, Instead, it had continued on its monotonous eastbound journey, andwas even then passing over the antenna , still



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eastbound. The pangs of doubt had then turned to asick feeling , because I'd known that I had been controlling the wrong aircraft .

"Six eight four , radar contact lost, do you knowyour position ? Over. "

Shortly after that , I'd found the real68414 miles tothe west, still in a right turn. I'd then vectored thepilot to the airport where the GCA had been made ,without further mishap.

Who was the mystery target ? Well , it seems that aConvair 440 commercial airliner had passed above684 at the time radar contact first was being established. The targets of the two had apparentlymerged on the radar scope and I had begun controlling the faster Convair, which also happened to befollowing the same route as 684. The initial positionof the two aircraft being near the scope's edge probably had contributed to the misidentification. t wasnever to be explained why I failed to observe the real684 behind the faster target.

While this 1957 incident was to cause little morethan inconvenience for 684's distraught pilot, theproblems of misidentification have continued toplague radar controllers, often with serious and

even tragic consequences. Final controllers havebeen known to talk targets right down to the runway ,only to have pilots of the real targets report theirposition 8 and 10 miles on final approach. Tragical ly ,aircraft have flown into mounta ins while radar controllers were unknowingly controlling the wrongtargets .

If there is one common thread tying all the incidents of misidentification together, it would have tobe the presence of a nagging tinge of doubt, or somesort of incompatability, which in retrospect shouldhave alerted the control ler to action. In 684 ' s case, itwas the fast airspeed. In other cases , a faulty position report , and even in one case the misreading ofan altimeter by the pilot, which had controllersvainly searching an elevation scope for a descending jet aircraft at 2 000 feet , who had leveled prematurely at 12 000.

Impossible, no Impractical, yes. But, this is thecontroller ' s world. Here, nothing can be taken forgranted . Doubts must be the rule not the exception

In answer to every doubt , the monotony of procedure , exact and absolute, must be repeated withalertness and precision . For the controller to dootherwise is to err-and to err may well be tragic

Recen t ly the instructions for computing the moment in block 17 of theDO Form 365F (Transport) werect;anged in the U H-1 0 H HueyOperators Manual to clear up a grayarea tha t has been with us manyyears. The problem existed becausethe instructions for computing weightand balance did not state that themoment/100 for fuel burnoff is not

the same as the moment/1 00 for fuelweights in the fuel loading table, chart12-2, sheet 3 of 16, page 12-6, TM55-1520-210-10.

eightoment

Prior to the change, paragraph12-6t of the dash 10 instructed thecrew to estimate the weight of thefuel which may be expended beforelanding and enter this figure together with moment / 100 in the spacesprovided in block 17 of DO Form365F.

July 1977

These instructions have led personscomputing weight and balance to readthe moment for the expended fuel directly from the Fuel Loading Table.

For example, according to the FuelLoading Table for the crashworthysystem the moment/1 00 for 975pounds is 1,428. If this moment hadbeen entered in block 17 and subtracted from the takeoff conditions tofind the estimated landing condition,the calculated landing center of gravity (CG) would be incorrect.

The correct method requires the following calculations: First, estimatethe amount of fuel onboard a t land-

ing.ln the example above, 325 poundswould be onboard a t landing if 1,300pounds were onboard a t t akeoff(1,300-975 = 325). Second, from theFuel Loading Table we find that themoment/1 00 for 325 pounds is 431.Finally, subtract 431 from 1,979, themoment for 1,300 pounds, and enterthe result (1,548) in block 17 with the975 pounds of fuel consumed. Whenwe compare the CG derived by usingthis moment with the CG from theprevious method, we find there is anapproximate 2-inch difference in CG.That 2-inch error could be criticalwhen the CG is near the fore or aftlimit.

13


16/52


17/52

Managing CONUS Assignments Are

TRADOC CW4 Will Stuckey AV 221-7835FORSCOM CW4 Tom Keene 221-7836BraggHood CW4 Charlie Sturtevant 221-7835Campbell

Overseas Assignment Managers Are

Europe CW4 Chuck HawkOther Overseas CW4 Lloy


18/52

Hall Of Fame, 77New inductees into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame are L-R): Colonel Jay D. Vanderpool; LieutenantGeneral John Norton;Colonel Robert H. Nevins Jr .; Colonel Claude L Shepard Jr.; Command Sergeant Major lawrence E . Kennedy; BrigadierGeneral Robert M. Leich; and Chief Warrant Officer Four Johnnie R. Sandidge. All are retired (photo by Debbie Caskey)

SEVEN MEN were inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of

Fame 4 June at Ft. Rucker, AL, in observance of Army aviation's 35th birthday.Major General James C Smith, post commander, introduced

the guest speake r, retired Lieutenant General Robert R. Williams, national president of the Army Aviation Association ofAmerica (AAAA). The association is the Hall of Fame s sponsoring agency.

General Williams emphasized that it is the Army AviationHall of Fame and not the Army Aviation Association Hall ofFame. He explained that Aviation Center commanders havemade the Hall of Fame a major part of the aviation birthdaycelebration .

Those inducted into the Hall of Fame were chosen by asix-member Board of Trustees of AAAA. The new inducteesare: Lieutenant General John Norton; Brigadier General RobertM. Leich; Colonel Robert H. Nevins Jr.; Colonel Jay D. Vanderpool; Colonel Claude L Shepard Jr.; Chief Warrant Officer W-4Johnnie R. Sandidge and Command Sergeant Major LawrenceE. Kennedy. All are retired.

CSM Kennedy is the first enlisted man to be inducted into theHall of Fame.

Escorts for the honorees were Hall of Fame members:General Hamilton H. Howze, Lieutenant General Harry W. O.Kinnard, Brigadier General O. Glenn Goodhand, Colonel Del-

16

bert L Bristol, and Colonel John W. Oswalt, all retired; Arthur

Kesten, editor and publisher of The Army Aviation Magazine;and Ft. Rucker s Command Sergeant Major Robert L Roots.Each inductee and his escort came forward and the new

member's portrait was unveiled. The portraits will be placed inthe Army Aviation Museum section designated as the Hall of Fame alongside the 21 other members' pictures already ondisplay .

General Williams presented James G. Craig, the Army Aviation Museum s acting curator, with a plaque which also willhang in the Hall of Fame. It is inscribed with the names of the351 Hall of Fame patrons .

The birthday activities also included a static display on theArmy Aviation Center Parade Field, rides in the UH-1 Hueysimulators, the opportunity to see one of the world's largesthot air ballons, the radar laboratory used to train air trafficcontrollers and the parabolic screen used to teach navigationalskills for nap-of-the-earth flying .

The day's formal events were concluded with an HonorsDinner at the Officers Club. Attendees heard General Howzespeak on the usefulness of helicopters and airmobility. GeneralHowze is a pioneer in advanced concepts for ainnobile operations and air assault doctrine.

The new inductees increased the Hall of Fame membershipto 28.

U.S. ARMY AVIATION IGEST


19/52

ARCSA IIIontinued from page

Figurettock Helicopter ompanies

2 per Armored/mechanized division

1 per Infantry/airborne division1 per Armored cavalry regiment6 per Air Cavalry Combat Brigade ACCB)

2 battalions)3 per air assault division 1 battalion)

A t t a c k Helicopters : SinceARCSA III was not a zero basedstudy the ongoing reorganiza-tions in FORSCOM and the existing procurement schedules for attack helicopters were of significance.

In FORSCOM, 101st AirborneDivision (Air Assault) reorganization created an attack helicopterbattalion from attack helicopterassets in both of its 12-gun attackhelicopter companies and the 36attack helicopters in the aerialfield artillery battalion. Also, efforts in the 82d Airborne Divisionwere underway to increase the antiarmor capability by convertingall attack helicopters to missilefiring aircraft.

The overriding desire to increase aerial antiarmor

capability in the divisions was included inARCSA III, which recommendedall attack helicopters be locat ed inAHCs and ACTs. Therefore attack helicopters were removedfrom all the assault helicoptercompanies. As a result, ARCSA IIIdeveloped the structuring rules infigure 2 for attack helicopte r companies.

Because air cavalry is important to all divisions, the structur-ing rules in figure 3 were de-veloped for air cavalry troops:

Figure 3ir avalry Troops

1 per Armored/mechanized division3 per Infantry/airborne/air assault

division active) 1 squadron)

Figure 4

ombat Support viation ompanies1 per Armored/mechanized division2 per Infantry/airborne division1 per corps6 per air assault division

To equip the AHCs and ACTs,ARCSA III proposed conversion ofall AH-IG/Q HueyCobra helicopters to AH-lS. These can be equipped either with the TOW or used inthe overwatch role employing2.75 inch rockets and a 20 mm interim turret. Also, integration ofthe AAH will be made using aschedule to maintain an overseasand CONUS AAH balance for rotation , stationing and training purposes.

When AH -lS conversions andAAH procurements are complete,enough assets will be available toequip both the active and reservecomponent AHCs and ACTs withpreferred aircraft assets.

Scouts: The nature and missionof scout aircraft necessarily associates them with AHCs andACTs. ARCSA III considered theOH-58C Kiowa (product improvedOH-58) and the ASH. The ASHprogram was delayed 2 years totake advantage of increasedtechnology in the aircraft. As aninterim solution, UH-IH Huey aircraft equipped with the TargetAcquisition and Designation System will be fielded and known asthe Initial Target Acquisition andDesignation Systems (lTAADS).

Utility Aircraft: These includethe UH-IH and UTTAS. Reevalua-tion of ongoing UTT AS procurement plans showed them to bevalid in light of other aviationreorganizations. ARCSA III increased the l o g i s t i ~role of the

Figure 5

1 per Infantry division (reserve component) 2Medium Helicopter ompanies

per corps1 per Armored cavalry regiment 23 per Air Cavalry Combat Brigade ACCB) 2

1 squadron) 1

July 1977

per air assault divisionper theater USAREUR)per Air Cavalry Combat Brigade ACCB)

UTT AS by assigning UTT ASequipped units with a resupplymission to the heavy divisions , aswell as assigning them to light divisions with a combat assault mission. The name of the assaulthelicopter company has beenchanged to combat support aviation company (CSAC) to better incorporate the tone of both missions.

ARCSA III found that a numberIof logistical resupply missions canbe better performed by the UTT ASthan by a heavier , larger helicopter such as the CH-47. To provideeach division with an integratedlogistic and resupply capabilitythe following structuring rules infigure 4 were developed forCSACs:

CSACs in the armored/mech-anized division will have a primary mission of logistical support, while CSACs assigned to theInfantry/airborne divisions willhave a primary mission of combatassault . UTTAS aircraft also arescheduled both for air cavalrytroops and helicopter ambulancecompanies and detachments in theactive force.

Cargo Aircraf t : Current programs provide for modernizationof the CH-47 aircraft fleet anddesignation as the CH-47D.ARCSA III concurred with ongoing programs and recommendedthat the preponderence of theCH-47 fleet be in the active forcein order to be deployed rapidlyto forward areas. Consequently,ARCSA III recommended moving three CH-54 Flying Cranecompanies from the active forceto the reserve components in exchange for moving three CH-47units to the active force.

Both the CH-47D and CH-54 are

considered to possess a mediumlift capabil ity. However , the CH-47will be located in medium helicopter companies (MHC), the newdesignation for the old assaultsupport helicopter company. TheCH-54 will be in the heavy helicopter company. Figure 5 containsstructuring rules for the MHC.

Medium helicopter companieshave been increased n size from16 to 24 CH-47s. This provides the

17


20/52

I

BrigadeAviationSection

2 OH

6 UH

r

IntantryjAirborne Division

- DivisionArtilleryAviation Section

14 OH

32 OH

+13 UH

45

Figure 6

Present Structure

DivisionAviationCompany

6 OH7 UH

L

BrigadeAviationSection

2 0 H

Armored/Mechanized Division

- DivisionArtilleryAviation Section

14 OH

32 OH

+ 4 UH36

DivisionAviationComp.any

6 DH4 UH

33 aircraft available per day [75 1 27 aircraft available per day [75 1

MHC the capabilit y to modularizethe compan y :nto three eightaircraft platoons to provide support to separate units or ta s kforces as necessar y while simultaneousl y increasing the aircraftavailabilit y within the compan y.Heavy helicopter companies areto be assigned to a theater on aspecific mi ssion or need basis.

Other Aircraft : ARCSA III alsoconsidered the military intelligence aircraft OV-IB , C and D ),and the elctronic warfare aircraftRV -I , RU -21 and EH -l . I t was

found that ongoing studies concerning these aircraft generall yare reasonable and in accordancewith the Intelligence Organizationand Stationing Stud y lOSS ). Nochanges in the current organization or procurement quantitieswere recommended by ARCSAIII. Other aviation unit organizations studied b y ARCSA III withtheir respective structuring ruleare:

Division Aviation Compan y, Iper division .

Combat Aviation Battalion , Iper division .

General Support Aviation Battalion , I per corps ; I per separatebrigade Alaska/Canal Zone).

Corps Aviation Company , I percorps.

Army Aviation Company , I perTheater Arm y .

An ongoing study of helicopterambulance companies and detachments is being conducted bythe Health Services Command , Ft.

18

Figure 7

6

12

22

10

IBrigadeSupportPlatoon

16 OH

4 UH

ARCSA m

DivisionAviationCompany

DivisionArtillery

Support Platoon

10 OH

4 UH32 OH

+14UH

46

IDivisionSupportPlatoon

6 OH6 UH

39 aircraft available per day [85 1

Signal Unit ConsolidationExample)

.illi I

HHC Corps Sig Bn

HHC Sig Const Bn

HHC Sig Cbl BnHHC Sig Bd/ Cbl BnHHC Army Sig BnHHC Army Sig OpsHHC Army Sig BdeHHC Sig Gp MinusAbn Unit)

Total: 126 Aircraft

5 HHC, Corps Sig Bde : 7 5 3Totol: 75 AircraftSaved : 5 40 )

OH

1

5

421

2

254

UH

5

521

56

U-21

211

16

u.s. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


21/52

Figure

Sam Houston ,TX. For this reason ,ARCSA III did not make a recom-mendation concerning these unitspending completion of these delib-erations.

ARCSA III reviewed andscrubbed all TOEs containing

aircraft to reduce the number ofTOEs and to economize on aircraftpersonnel. Pooling aircraft in thedivision and at echelons above di-vision was recommended . Seefigure 6 for the ARCSA III recom-mended division aviation com -pany with the current divisionalasse ts pooled. Figure 7 reveals , asanexample , the reduction of TOEsat echelons above division by pool -ing Signal Corps TOEs tomaximize aircr aft a vaila bilityand reduce overhead.

TDAs were studied to reduce thenumber of aircraft used in rolesother than combat. This resultedin a 34 percent savings in aircraftin TDA positions. Training base

Headquartersand

HeadquartersCompany

July 1977

Figure 9

CombatAviationBattalion

Armored/MechanizedDivision

AircraftMaintenance

Company

requirements were included in theTDA evaluation and updated to re -flect the most curren t training re -quirement and the projected train-ing requirement for the new air-craft (UTTAS , AAH , etc. enter-ing the inventory.

What does all this mean to thedivision and corps structures ?Figure 8 shows the armored-/mechanized division structure .Shaded areas indicate new or-ganizations . All of these divisionsare to be structured alike with av-iation assets consolidated in acombat aviation battalion.

The CSAC has a primary logis -tics mission. Figure 9 shows theaviation structure of the Infan-try/airborne division. Notice thatthere are two CSACs with a prim -ary mission of combat assault andonly one attack helicopter com-pany.

Implementation: How long willit take to make the Army actually

Infantry AirborneDivision

AircraftMaintenance

ompany

ArmoredCavalry

Squadron

Air CavalryTroop

look like this? Based on currentplans , the entire ARCSA III forcestructure will be completed in thelate 1980s. However , there aresome significant milestones thatare a little closer to the now timeframe .

Based on programed de-liveries of AAH and AH 1S conver-sions we can:

Provide AHC in all active divi -sions and ACR equipped withprime assets by mid to late 19OOs.

Provide AHC in reserve com-ponents equipped with prime as-sets by late 1980s.

By fiscal year 1979 1980 you willsee through the Army aviationforce the organizational structureshown in this brief article . Theprocess of writing new TOEs forthe new units already is underwayand will be completed before theend of this year . Before you knowit , ARCSA III will be a reality inyour unit. *

Air CavalrySquadron

Air CavalryTroop

ArmoredCavalryTroop

19


22/52

Who Says ICan t KillYouAvoid My Environment

I F L THAT I should warnyou before it is too late. This article represents a betrayal on mypart and seemingly classifies meas a traitor to my own kind , but Istill question whether or not ittruly represents a substantial re

duction in odds , giving you the distinct advantage. This depends onyour attitude and how seriousl yyou interpret what I am about tosay.

My skin is colored. As an individual , I alone possess the potential strength of inflicting seriousinjuries or - more than likely -killing you . Associated with otherslike me , our combined strength isunbreakable. Our growth duringthe past decade has been phe

nomenal. We have literally spanned almost every portion of the

Captain William J. Ely Jr.Area Commander, Recruiting Force

Eugene, Oregon

globe. As we continue to grow inboth size and number so , proportionately , does the power thatsurges through us . We are too wellestablished. We have existed toolong already and will be around forcenturies to come , so it is inconceivable that we will ever beeliminated . But , our growth andstrength are only two of the advantages we possess .

We are inconspicuous . Ourcamouflage is natural. We havethe peculiar advantage of beingable to blend with almost any typeof background . At night , we areinvisible to the eye. Be it as it ma y ,however , most of our victims aresnared during the daylight hours.We rely solely on the element ofsurprise , our encounters beingsudden , violent and devastating.

Hardl y aggressive , we prefer towait in ambush , striking when youleast expect it.

Finally , we possess a uniquecharacteristic of reproduction.Any time one of us is torn down or

destroyed - within days our damages have been repaired and weare generally much stronger thanbefore . Fortunately for you , however , our replacements are muchmore recognizable.

As a rule , I and others like meprey on the naive - the uneducated. f you feel that you fall intothis category , then you will probably literally run into me sometime. t is unfortunate , for I andother strands of wire too often arewriting obituraries .

Army Aviation Accident Prevention Award of Excellence

20

Major John Kilkenny (right) , commander of the 355th TransportationCompany (Heavy Helicopter), received the Army s Aviation AccidentPrevention Award of Excellence lastMay from Ft. Eustis commander ,Major General Alton G. Post. Thecompany earned the award by flyingmore than 6,000 accident-free hoursin 74 months.

The unit has 25 aviators assigned ,flying 10 CH-54 Flying Crane helicopters. During the 6 years since thecompany returned from Vietnam , ithas flown a variety of missions including support for the rgo M er -chant oil spill and recovery ofdowned aircraft. The CH-54 is thelargest helicopter in the Army s inventory , capable of airlifting 25,000pounds. (Army photo by David Byrd)



23/52

FLY PLANContinued from pagethe catalog, you suddenly realize

what scale chart do I want?The scale of maps needed will

depend particularly on the distance to be flown. As a guidelinefor long flights, a 1:500 000 scaleprobably is best. (Rememberthose NA VAIDs? They're greatfor helping pinpoint your positionon those large-scale maps whileflying VFR.) Aircraft type may influence the scale selected. A1:250 000 scale map in an AH-IGfor a noon to 1600-hour voyagemight tend to clutter the cockpit.

While checking your route on themap, you should note if any part ofthe flight will be over mountains orwater. Check the height of thosemountains and consider the season and climatic trends before youcement your route. Over water,break out the flotation equipmentand brief the crew on wateremergency procedures.

Now dust off the DOD publication, Special Use Airspace, AP/2A- remember? The pub you pickedup by accident when your IFRstuff was outdated. In this veryimportant collection of paper andink is a listing of every restrictedarea in Europe, Africa, and theMiddle East. A check here shouldreveal any route deviations youmight have to make to avoid anyno fly areas. But it also gives

limits (vertical and horizontal),operating times and controllingauthority should a deviation beundesirable. Just maybe it will notbe necessary.

t is inevitable, and it happensevery flight. Time to research theenroute supplement, digging outthe control frequencies, readingthe aerodrome remarks and asking yourself some important questions. Is fuel available? Can I getan APU start? While reading thesupplement, interesting thingsconcerning your flight may cometo light. For instance, the airportwhere you intended to refuel isopen only 2 hours in the morningand 2 in the afternoon. Have youever heard of fuel cash paymentonly? Read carefully, you might.

July 1977

A completed O Form 1801 flight plan filed for an actual international flight

f possible, always call or teletype stopping points or destinationsahead, even the most current pub- might be helpful. DOD may notlication may contain erroneous publish the ones needed. Wheredata. are they available? Some of our

At this point, a few VFR arriv- allied countries publish a few ofalJdeparture routes or approach these, but chances are USAASDEplates for foreign airports used as will be able to obtain . and au-

See Glossary

Page 23 21


24/52

thorize use of , these for you.So far, you've done pretty much

what you might for any flight ofconsiderable distance. The routeis plotted; maps collected with theroute drawn; N A VAIDs chosen;restricted areas noted; landingpoints researched; 2283 com-pleted ; and coffeepot empty. fthis were not an international undertaking , all would be finishedexcept the flight plan and theweather briefing. In this casemake more coffee and start reading the FCG.

The Foreign Clearance Guide ismust reading for international flying. Questions concerning borderentrance requirements will beanswered in the Guide. Will yourflight be governed by diplomaticclearance , permanent overflightcode or is 7 days notice requiredprior to entry? Are tri l ingualtravel orders necessary? Whatare the custom regulations? Notonly does the Foreign ClearanceGuide impose certain require-ments, it lists the costs of hotels,the current money exchange rateand what clothing to wear tonegotiate the weather. Teletypeand embassy addresses youmight need to contact for information also are listed . There sanother little hooker - note theremark ' see classified supplement. Some sensitive info existsthat may affect your flight , particularly birds with weapons systems onboard. That operationsspecialist can help you on that orput you in touch with the rightfolks.

The whole thing is now com-municated via DOD Form 1801flight plan. The 1801 , aptly entitled the DOD International FlightPlan , is used for all flights outside the loc al areas of Army airfields in the European area. TheArmy Flight Operations Detachment (AFOD) whichmonitors all U. S. Army aircraftin the Benelux countries - Denmark, Switzerland, Austria ,Germany, and France - willsend out all required PPRs onyour request. However , sinceyou may be unusual traffic tosome foreign airfield , PPR all

22

stopping points not only as acourtesy but as a precaution.

Actually , flying across friendlyborders poses no difficulty but youwill not want to become an international embarrassment. Thereare two steps to take to avoid mistakes in this phase. First , checkthe AP /2 , Area Planning ,Europe -Africa-Middle East underNational and /or FIR UIR Procedures and see what special information is needed for crossing.Don ' t bust across the borderfollow the procedures. The secondstep, though not required , maymake things a little easier. f it ' sfeasible and possible , stop at anairfield next to your intendedcrossing site and check out the

local practice.It 's all done now. You call the

CO and are asked about t imeand i f you have checked theweather. A quick run to theweather desk and things lookgood. The aerospace environmental prognosticator outlinesall the weather patterns in aneasy-to-understand go/no-go language. What happens out of thejurisdiction of your friendlyblue-suit _ d ~ e a t h e r p e o p l e

Once on the road , your weatherbrifing is usually only as good asyou are. A few foreign forecastersdo not speak English and chancesare you won t speak enough whatever to get a good briefing. Thereis a solution . Be familiar with and

A weather map station report list and other weather information given toaviators when they requested weather briefings at foreign airfields . Theforecasters did not speak English. This is the total briefing ~ most cases

U.S. RMY VI TION DIGEST


25/52

Closeup of station reports written in accordance with the METAR code . t isimportant to have a TM 1-300, Meteorology for Army Aviation, to interpret

the reports when there is no English-speaking forecaster available

take along an FM 1-30, Meteorology for Army Aviation. This FMexplains the only internationallyused weather code, METAR(Weather Aviation Routine). fyou don't you may be surprisedwhen you ask for a weather briefing and receive a stack ofweather maps and station re -ports written in accordance withthe MET AR code. When thishappened to a pilot we know, he

resorted to drawing a picture ofmountains which were in hisflight path. The Spanish weatherforecaster, who was briefing fora field in France, paused only amoment and then drew cloudsthrough the aviator's artwork .

The MET AR code may createsome interesting conversationuntil you are accustomed to it. Aflight of three Army helicopterslanding at an airport on the

July1977

French island of Corsica wascleared to land with the followinginstructions:

Flight of three cleared to land ,left hand , CA VOK (pronouncedCavok).

There was a short pause beforechalk two queried lead on the interflight radio , about what thecontroller had said concerning theCav. I think he said the Cav isok , was leads reply.

Chalk three added , I don ' tknow what ther got against theCav , but there s nothmg in theSupplement that says we ca n ' tland .

Without further hesitation , leadreturned the tower 's call. Understand flight of three cleared toland left downwind , and the Cav isok .

As it turns ou t , CA VOK is aMET AR term meaning the pre-

vailing visibilit y is 10 kilometersor greater , no cloud below 1 ,500meters (5 ,000 feet) and no precipi -tation or thunderstorms reported .No one said international flightwouldn ' t be enlightening.

International flight planningand flying is certainl y one of themost interesting experiences anaviator can have . As an aviator intoday's Arm y, you can probablycount on one aviation assignmentin the United States Army , Europe. The tour will present man yinteresting challenge s and newlearning experiences. Planningand flying an international flightma y become only a small part ofthat tour , a secondar y consideration in regard to an assigned mission. Accomplishing it , however ,will attest to the professionalismand resourcefulness of the aviator , facing just one of the man ychallenge s of Arm y aviat.ion to -da y .

GLOSSARYAPU

CbsCODOD

FCG

auxiliar y powerunitCumulonimbu scommanderDepartment ofDefense

Foreign Clear-ance GuideFIR/UIR flight information

IFR

IPMETAR

region / upperflight informationregioninstrument flightrulesinstructor pilotweather informa-tion routine

NA VAIDs navigational aidsPPR prior permission

S 2

SIP

requiredintelligence officerstandardizationinstructor pilot

TM technical manualUSAREUR United States

VFRVIP

Army , Europevisual flight rulesvery importantperson

23


26/52

rmy via

t

Hatch stagefield 1) is the scene oprimary program training in thTH-55 Osage. All TH-55 i r s t soflights are flown at Hatch. Hanchey2) provides base field suppor

maintenance for the initial , entrrotary wing lERW) program, homefield for 100 TH-55s. Hanchey alssupports the CH-47 Chinook advanced helicopter qualification

AHQ) and instructor pilot IPcourse and the CH-54 Tarhe Icourse. Goldberg stagefield 3) where the Department of GraduateFlight Training DGFT) operatesAH-1

HueyCobra andCH-47 IP

quaification courses. Ech stagefieldbristles with IERW qualification flying in UH-1 Hueys, below. Left, anAH-1 performing nap-of-the-earth

NOE) operating in the areaTabernacle stagefield.


27/52


28/52

Pitot Static PitfallsBarry Schiff

Trans World Airlines, Captain

Reprinted from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association ADP A) Pilot

N ACCIDENT investigatorfrom the National TransportationSafety Board claims that m nymore fatalities are caused bypitot -static icing than is possible todetermine.

With resigned frustration , headds , We often accuse a pilot ofdisorientation and loss of controlwhen we know instinctively thatthe accident was really caused byerroneous flight data resultingfrom blocked pitot-static lines .But the ice usually melts before aninvestigator arrives at the crashsite and the proof is gone forever.

A spectacular example of suchan accident occurred in 1974 whena Northwest Airlines Boeing 727was being ferried from NewYork ' s JFK International to Buffalo , NY. Although the aircraftwas cleared to FL310 31,000 feet) ,the ill-fated je tliner never reachedits assigned altitude. At 24 ,800feet , the trijet entered a spin andcrashed only 83 seconds later (theaverage rate of descent was morethan 17,000 fpm).

Were it not for the voice andflight data recorders salvagedfrom the strewn wreckage , itmight have been inconceivable toconclude that such a disaster wascaused by a simple , yet lethaloverdose of pitot icing. But that ' sexactly what happened. And if aprofessional airline crew flying anelaborately equipped aircraft canfall victim to such a terminal fate ,then so can the lone , general aviation pilot flying a less sophisticated machine.

The [Boeing] 727 pilots were deceived by erroneous airspeed indications. Because of ice-cloggedpitot probes, both airspeed indicators behaved like altimetersand responded only to changes inaltitude (for reasons explainedlater). During the climb , the lAS

indicated airspeed) increased

26

steadily and persistently. Thisurged the pilots to raise the nosefarther in an attempt to arrestwhat appeared to be a dangerously fast airspeed. The action resulted in an increased climb ratewhich compounded the problem.As altitude increased , so did indicated airspeed . The pilots continued to raise the nose until theyhad unwittingly forced the aircraft to stall.

There are three lessons to belearned from this accident:

Always adhere diligently toappropriate checklists. (The 727crew failed to turn on the pitot heateven though this item was on theirtaxi checklist.)

When various instrumentsdisagree , initially believe the onethat indicates the most adversecondition . (Apparently, both artificial horizons in the 727 indicatedproperly at all times and reflectedthe dangerous 30-degree pitchangle prior to stall. )

Distrust instruments that indicate performance beyond thecapability of the aircraft. (Nearthe top of the 727 's abbreviatedclimb, the pitot-static instrumentsindicated a continuous 5 ,OOO-fpmclimb at an lAS of 340 knots, a generally impossible feat unless theairplane is caught in the violentupdraft of a thundersto rm chimney. )

We should not, however , be tooquick to criticize the 727 crew fornot recognizing their problem.Contradictory instruments can betotally bewildering.

During subsequent experimentsin a simulator , several professional pilots were subjected tosimilar flight coliditions and instrument indications. More thanhalf of them fixated on the erroneous airspeed indicator while ignoring the properly functioning artificial horizon .

Surprised? You shouldn ' t be.When a pilot takes his first flyinglesson , he begins to develop thedeep-seated habit of observingand reacting to airspeed indications. The lAS gauge becomes hisprimary key to survival. Later, heis introduced to the artificial horizon , a relatively complex devicethat is more subject to mechanicalfailure than the simpler, more reliable airspeed indicator. It is littlewonder that - in a pinch - pilotsrevert to airspeed.

Figure 1 is a diagram of thepitot-static system typical of mostgeneral aviation aircraft. Its purpose is to provide static (ambient)air pressure to the altimeter, vertical speed indicator (VSl) , andairspeed indicator as well as toprovide pitot (ram air) pressure toonly the airspeed indicator.

Many pilots are of the impression that two static ports (one oneach side of the fuselage) are provided for system redundancy. Notso. Otherwise , considerate airframe manufacturers also wouldprovide a backup pitot tube because this item is most prone toicing , for example. Dual staticsources are necess ry andequalize (balance) pressure variations that occur on both sides ofthe fuselage when the aircraftyaws (such as during turbulence) .

To determine the effect of having available only one staticsource, for example , I enlisted theaid of noted aviation attorneyRobert Cleaves. In addition toowning a Cessna 185 that would beideal for simulating various typesof pitot/static difficulties , Cleavesis an experimental test pilot.

Prior to our first flight, weplaced masking tape over theright-hand static source. Duringthe subsequent climb , all instru-



29/52

LEFT RIGHT

M IN ST TIC LINE

I COCKPIT ILTERN TE

ST TICSOURCE

PETCOCK

ST TIC SOURCE ST TIC SOURCE Figure 1

ment s functioned normal l y, usingair pressure from the left -handstatic source .

After leveling at 4, feet ,Cleaves alternately stabbed at theleft and right pedals at whichtimes the three pitot -static instruments behaved erratically .Why they did so is not mysterious .

During a yaw to the right , theonl y operational static source (onthe left ) was turned partially intothe rela tive wind. This allowed theairstream to blow into that staticport which increased the pressureIn the static line and was interpreted by the altimeter in this in-stance as a loss of 4 feet. Also ,the VSI indicated a substantialsink rate and the indicatedairspeed dropped 15 mph . (Thebehavior of the lAS is explainedlater .)

Conversely , during a yaw to theleft , the open static source was onthe downwind side of the fuselage and sensed a decre ase inpressure. As a result , the altimeter rose , the VSI indicated a climband the lAS increased .

In turbulence , the three instruments were extremel y sensitiveand fluctuated wildly betweenhigh and low indications .

July 1977

Should all three of these gaugesact similarly during a normalflight , the odds strongly favor thatone static port is clogged. By yawing the aircraft and observing thereadings , a pilot can determinewhich of the .two static sources isplugged . \

Prior to a second flight , oth static sources were covered with tapeto simulate heavily iced staticports . During the takeoff roll , everything seemed normal. But during the climb from sea level to approximately 5, feet , the VSIremained at zero and the altimeter insisted we were still on theground. The lAS gradually decreased from 9 mph at sea level toabout 6 mph at 5, feet eventhough attitude and power settingsremained constant.

Since the static sources weresealed at sea level , sea-level pressure was trapped in the static linesand prevented the VSI and altimeter from sensing an altitudechange .

Totally blocked static sourcesare extremely hazardous. Withoutan altimeter , how can a pilot execute an IFR instrument flightrules) approach or maintain anassigned altitude or remain clear

... ue zi

PITOT TUBE

of obstacles?At such a time , a pilot has two

choices. The most obvious one is touse the alternate static source.This is simply an extension of themain static line that is routed intothe cockpit to where it is withinreach of the pilot. This tube is

.sealed with a petcock so thatcockpit air cannot normally enterthe static system. However , whenthe normal static source isblocked , the petcock can beopened to introduce cockpit air tothe static instruments. Since theair pressure in an unpressurizedcabin is nearly the same as theambient pressure outside the aircraft , this restores reasonable accuracy to the pitot-static instruments.

These instruments , however,

will not be quite as accurate aswhen the normal static source isused because ambient pressure inthe cockpit varies slightly withairspeed , attitude and the positioning of ventilation controls.

When the vents are open , forex am pIe , air rushing in to thecockpit tends to pressurize thecabin. This increased pressure issensed by the altimeter as a loweraltitude . Closed vents, on the other

27


30/52

Pitot static Pitfalls

hand , often result in cabin air having slightly less pressure than theair outside and results in a higherthan true altitude indication .

When using the alternate s taticsource during an IFR approach ,open the vents fully , no matterhow cold it is outside. In this way ,the altimeter probably will readlower than true , a safeside error.

Unfortunately , many lightplanes used for IFR are not equipped with alternate static sources.This is ludicrous . When pilots canspend thousands of dollars on electronic redundancy , it is totally illogical for them not to invest 40bucks to install an alternate staticsource and provide a backup supply of stat ic air for the single mostimportant I R device: the altime-ter

Lacking an alternate staticsource , a pilot with an ailing stat ic

. system has an emergency alternative : break the glass on the face ofthe VSI Doing so allows cabin airto flow into the instrument andthen through the normal staticsystem plumbing to the altimeterand airspeed indicator. But whenbreaking the glass , try to do so

without damaging the needle.Cleaves ' 185 has an alternatesource. So , with the normal s taticports still sealed at 5,000 feet , thepetcock was opened and all threeinstruments sprang to life . Afterthe needles stabilized , we closedthe alternate source whichfroze the static system at 5,000

feet. As the flight continued , therewas no way to detect gradual altitude changes . A subsequentsteep , intentional descent was detected only by a significant in

crease in airspeed and noise level.As we leveled off a few hundredfeet above the Pacific , the altimeter and VSI were still at 5 ,000 feet.

Many pilots contend that if icingconditions are so severe as to clogup the normally ice-free staticsources , then unusually heavystructural icing would havecreated an earlier emergency .This is not always true becausestatic sources are subject to other ,

28

more insidious forms of icing .Take , for example , a pilot who

flies after a recent ra in or afte r hisaircraft has been washed. Waterdroplets and /or condensation inthe static lines will freeze afterclimbing to a sufficiently cold altitude - in VFR (visual flightrules) or IFR conditions. Bugs ,dirt , wax and blowing sand areother culprits that attack thecredability of the stati c system.

These latter items can partiallyclog a static' system, a particularly hazardous condition becausethe symptoms are difficult to detect and vary according to the degree of blockage.

To simulate this condition , weretaped the static ports and pokedvery small holes in the tape toallow only a rest ricted flow of static air pressure to the instruments .

During the climb , we noted thatthe altimeter and airspeed indicators were lagging and indicatedless than true values; also , theVSI indicated less than the actualrate of climb. This was becausethe static pressure outside the aircraft changed faster than could besensed through the pin -pricks inthe masking tape used to cover thelarger static ports.

After leveling off, the instru

ments slowly caught up and indicated correctly .The danger of partially blocked

static lines was accented duringdescent: the lAS was higher thanactual , the lagging altimeter indicated higher than actual and theVSI indicated less than the truerate of descent. We were deceivedinto believing that we were saferthan we really were.

One way to combat this problemis to temporarily open the alternate static source at least once

during every IFR descent. ,f

theneedles move significantly whenthis is done , a static pressure pro b-lem exists and the alternatesource should be used during theremainder of flight.

Figure 2 is a simplified diagramof the airspeed system and is useful in analyzing lAS errors resulting from partially /fully blockedpitot-static air sources.

When ram air enters the pitot

tube , it flows into a sealed di aphragm within the airspeed indicator housing that expands withincreasing pitot pressure. t is thexpansion and contraction of thisdiaphragm that causes theairspeed needle to move . The ramair entering the pitot tube actuallyconsists of two types of pres sure :the static or ambient atmosphericpressure of the air surroundmg theairplane and the dynamic pressure of the air caused by forwardmotion .

To prove this , consider aairplane at rest. Static air pressure enters the pitot tube and thediaphragm. Since the diaphragmis filled ~ static air pressure , whdoesn ' t It expand? Because staticpressure - from the static ports -

enters the case of the instrumentand surrounds the diaphragmSince the pressure inside the diaphragm is then equal to the su rrounding pressure , the diaphragmis relaxed and indicates zeroairspeed . (For the airspeed indicator to work properly , static aipressure must be allowed to entethe case of the inst rument to counteract the static - not thdynamic - pressure that entersthe diaphragm through the pitottube in flight.)

Assume that an airplane is in asteady climb during which the entire pitot tube freezes over withice . The air in the diaphragm istrapped. But , as the climb continues , the static air pressure surrounding the diaphragm decreases . This reduction in surrounding pressure allows thdiaphragm to expand and causesthe lAS to increase even thoughthe actual airspeed remains constant.

Conversely, during a descent

without pitot pressure , the statipressure in the instrument casincreases and compresses thediaphragm resulting in a decreased lAS.

In this manner , the airspeed indicator behaves like an altimeterand was the problem encounteredby the 727 crew mentioned earli er.

Many pitot tubes are providedwith a drain hole (see diagram) toallow water to leave the system.



31/52

Assume that the main pitot enrance is clogged but the drain

hole remains clear. What then?tatic pressure then only willnter the diaphragm through the

drain hole , pressure exactly equalo the static pressure surroundinghe diaphragm. As a result , theiaphragm relaxes and the lAS

drops to zero .To prevent icing , pitot heat

hould be used at ll tim s whenlying in visible moisture. Also,urn it on before takeoff if there 's ahance that taxiing through auddle might have splashed the

probe.Frequently check the operation

of the pitot heat on the ground by

LTERNATE r J 4 ~ . . . ISTATIC

SOURCE

uly 977

NORMALSTATIC

SOURCE

feeling the pitot probe. But don ' tgrab it. A properly operating heater will heat the tube sufficiently toburn the unwary. Also check thetube - before every flight - forforeign matter that might clog theworks.

Unless the static source of anairp lane is loc ated on the pitotprobe , an iced-over pitot does notaffect altimeter and VSI indications. A static system that is notfree and clear , however , does affect lAS even when the pitot isclear.

Assume the static ports areblocked during a climb. As a result, static pressure surroundingthe diaphragm does not decrease

Figure

as it should The diaphragm ,therefore , cannot expand as muchas it should and the lAS indicates alower reading than it should.

Conversely , during a descentthe static air pressure surrounding the diaphragm does not increase as it should. Result antly ,the diaphragm expands more thanit should and the lAS indicates ahigher reading than it should.

When a pitot or static source be-comes impaired , the instrumentscan present a bewildering displayof flight data. The best preparation for such an emergency is tounderstand the system and knowhow to interpret its messages .

. I

- DYNAMIC PRESSURE + STATIC PRESSURE = PITOT PRESSURE

- STATIC PRESSURE

The DIGEST thanks the OP Pi lo t forpermission to reprint Barry Schiff s article . Itappeared in the November 1976 issue of the

OP Pi lo t

TO ELECTRICALSOURCE

x

PITOTPRESSURE

DYNAMIC RAM AIRPRESSURE PLUS STATIC

PRESSURE)

9


32/52

JEWSO

D E R S

ontinued from page

timely articles and information .The U. S. Army Aeromedical Re

search Laboratory (USAARL) isqueried regularly about the hazards ofstatic electricity and Nomex uniforms .I 'd like to p8ss on some tips that haveproven useful .

Master Sergeant Bill Bailey 's articleon " Static Electricity , mentionedstatic electricity buildup in uniforms ,but did not provide a remedy exceptgrounding . Since Nomex should onlybe washed and neverdrycleal)ed , it is asimple task to add a fabric softener/antistatic agent to the final rinsewater. f dryed in a dryer , one of thespray or paper impregnated softenersshould be added. The result will be auniform that is relatively free of staticelectricity. Unfortunately , commercial or quartermaster laundering doesnot provide this protection .

Captain Dan R. Popham ' s article ," Army Aviation Gas Mask , was verydisturbing. t upset , especially , thosewho have and are struggling so hard tourge the development of an aviationspecific gas mask. Aviators wear

helmets , night vision goggles ,helmet-mounted sights and a plethoraof other special equipment that prevent rapid donning of any availablestandard or " converted " ground Soldier ' s gas mask. he ABC-M-24 Maskis a get-me-down-and-no-more To beoperationally effective , you mustknow you have a cloud of noxious stuffto fly through so you can trade offcontrol of the aircraft with your copilotwhile doffing your helmet and donningyour mask. Incidentally , the helmet ,night vision goggles , etc. , now needrefitting to fit over the mask straps.CPT Popham makes the statementthat , " .. .The ABC-M -24 protectivegas mask can be used effectively andsafely to ensure the survivability ofaircraft and aircrewmen .. .. " He iscorrect and quite candid in his listingof the deficiencies of this mask in theaviation environment. But I submitthat these deficiencies are so seriousthat they represent a distinct threat tomission accomplishment and eveninfluence safety during crisis situations. These deficiencies make certainmissions , i .e . medevac hoist missions ,

30

impossible. Inadequate depth perception and visual distortions and restrictions make station holding and precision hover movements difficult. Thehoist operator has a lite on the end of acable and he ca n ' t afford visual errors .The nausea and headache problemdescribed by CPT Popham , as well ashigh " drag " or resistance to respiration make use of the mask by aircrewand y medevac patients hazardous ;especIally , above 5 ,000 feet MSLregardless of the AGL . We have a longway to go I am disappointed that CPTPopham ' s one statement implies thatthe M-24 satisfies Arm y aviationsafety and mission requirements . Therest of his candid article does notsupport that , tatement.

COL Stanle y C. KnappDir , Bioeng & Life Spt Equip Div

USAARLFt. Rucker , AL 36362

Sir: .Flight instruction must be ap

proached with the attitude that aviators have unique strengths andweaknesses and because of this we canlearn from them as well as teach them.

We as instructor pilots are essentially the same in experience andability as other Army aviators . Ouronly added asset is that we havelearned the techniques and methods ofinstruction . But there is more to it thanjust knowing the techniques andmethods .

Good flight instructors must possess

qualities other than flying ability and aMethod Of Instruction certificate.Each must have a sense of responsibility , infinite patience , and an agreeablepersonality . But an individual ma y bea superb pilot , possess the aforementioned qualities and still not be able toinstruct.

In our day-to-day dealings withaviation matters , it is not enough toknow the parts of the aircraft , themaneuver requirements and thepilot's name. We are dealing inpersonalities as well as effective flightinstruction.

We were taught in training not toexceed aircraft limitations or our owncapabilities. t was constantl y stressed to exercise sound judgment ,maintain patience and use the positiveapproach . Experience has taught us todevelop perceptions into insight andteach from the known to the unknown.All these techniques and concepts areours to employ , something we havecontrol over . What about the one pointwe cannot control ? That's right - theother guy-the aviator with whom weare flying .

The human element is the weak linkin the flight instruction process . Noamount of explanation , demonstration , practice , or review will work ifthe aviator is not receptive. Personalities fall into man y different andcomplex categories too numerous tomention . t is important to realize thatdue to unique personalities the behavior of aviators differs in givensituations. Conscientious flight instructors , learning from the aviatorswith whom the y fly, eventuall y willrealize this .

have modified Murph y's Lawssomewhat and included them as" Hartwick ' s Axioms . They representsome of the absolute feelings I haveexperienced as a flight instructor .

No a v iator s a re so predictable orreliabl e that at one time or anotherthe y w on 't do something completel yunpr edictable .

In a ny g ive n flight s ituation , an ything that can go w.rong will go wrong . Left unattended , these thin 'gs alwa ys go from bad to worse.

With the po s sibilft y of se ve ralthings going wrong , the one that will gowrong will be the one that doe s themo s t damage.

I f e ve r y thin g s ee m s to be goingwell , you ha ve ob viou s ly ove rlookedsomething . .

I f you can remain calm in all theconfusion , you obviousl y don 't unders tand the situation .

Our ultimate objective concerninginstruction is to identify with theindividual personality so that theaviator ' s behavior can be conditionedto re s pond appropriatel y for any givensituation .

As a result , our responsibilities asflight instructors are much greaterthan often realized. No two aviatorsare alike and the same approach ormethod of instruction will not always

e effective . This is when we mustbecome flexible and adapt our teaching techniques to fit each aviator.Effective instruction can only occur byanal yzing the aviators and remembering that they are individuals withunique personalities. I f we fail in ourresponsibility to identify with thea viator ' s personalit y, all the instruction in the world will not produce thedesired results of training .

Unfortunately , some instructorsview training as nothing more thanrepetition and critique . The y can tellyou what is wrong , what caused it , andhow to correct it. But sometimes this isnot enough . Sometimes the reason forerror is totall y unrelated to the maneuverorthe act of flying . This impliesthat the instructor must have an in -



33/52

sight into the aviator 's psychologicalmakeup.

Currently , instructor pilots receivean introduction to psychology duringthe academic portion of their trainingand this helps them realize that eachperson is a highly complex personalityand must be handled as a uniqueindividual. But the real test is theactual application .

Take the opportunity as often aspossible and observe other aviatorswhile you are flying with them.Develop your understanding of humanbehavior by a continuous applicationof the techniques of instruction andabove all observe the paraphrase ofthe Golden Rule - teach others as youwould like to be taught.

Sir:

CW2 Dwain HartwickWarrant Officer Advanced

Career CourseWarrant Officer Career College

Ft. Rucker, AL 36362

In December 1970 General Dynamics submitted a proposal for anair-launched missile for attackhelicopters . The proposal was submitted 7 months after the U.S. Armycompleted its project analysis concerning air-to-air combat for attackhelicopters. Both the proposal and theproject analysis supported the feasibility of arming attack helicopterswith an air-to-air weapon capability .

Vietnam , which had served as anactive environment for the development of new systems for helicopters ,was in its final phases. One of the moredemanding tests of airmobility in ahigh threat environment came in thespring of 1971. The assault into Laosdemonstrated the helicopter ' s survivability . However , a threat existstoday that was not present then - thethreat of air-to-air conflict.

The current threat which supportsthe need for an air-to-ai r capability hasreceived superficial notoriety. TheMi -24 Hind represents an awesomethreat for those who may have to faceit on future bat tlefields . According to aCzechoslovakian aviation magazine itwas " .. .designed on the basis oftechnical specifications similar to theS-67 BLACK

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