Army Aviation Digest - Jun 1975

8/12/2019 Army Aviation Digest - Jun 1975

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UNITED ST TES RMYVI TIONUSAARlSCI SUPPORT CENTER

POBOX 62 577TRUCKER, AL 363 2 J 97G ST


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UNITE

MG William J Maddox Jr.COMMANDERU. S. ARMY AVI ATIO N CENT ERA major activity of theArmy Training and Doctrine Command

COL No rman W. Pau lsonCOMMANDER. ARMY AGENCY FOR AVIATION SAFETYA major activity of the

ctor General and Auditor Generalof the U. S. ArmyRichard K. Tierney

EDITORU. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST

ABOUT THE COVERThe DIGEST observes the 33rdbirthday of Army aviation on 6June with the cover photographof combat art depicting reconnaissance of German armor byan l -4 during World War II. Theart by Stephen leBailly is ondisplay at the Army Aviation Museum Ft. Rucker . The r ~ i s t isa former captain and Army avi-ator

JUNE 1975 VOLUME 21 NU MBDakto Valor, LTC Russell D.Nelson . Medevac Meadow, CPT Stephen F. Modica (Ret.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Great Debate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ArmyAviation Hall Of Fame .... , , Change, CPT Roy P. Oler . . . .Airborne Command Post, CPT Joseph T. TisonIt's Not Too Late . Free StudyMa terialTwste r CW2 Jo seph l Brad ley JrHe licopter Crew Decorated . . Views From Rea ders. . . .... .. ." Soldier, soldier all the time " . . . .. . .It Isn't Fair . . That Certtl in Feel ing, MA JJose ph J ONeill . . . Instrument Renewal Lament , SFC Pa trick Arbe nz . Beware Temperature On The Rse , Ted Kon tos . .. .. . .We ll Done, Arnold R. Lambert"Sound" Intell igence , Patsy Thompson . . . . . "You Know I Can 't Hea r You While The Rotor 's Running" . . . ... . .. . . .

2LT John Sy kes IIIUSAASO Sez .. .. . .. . ... . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . ... .. .. .. ..

The mission of the U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST is to provide information of an operator functional nature concerning safety and aircraft accident prevention, training , maintenanoperations, research and development, aviation medicine and other related data.The DIGEST is an official Department of the Army periodical published monthly undersupervision of the Commanding General, U. S. Army Aviation Center. Views expressed herare not necessarily those of the Department of the Army or the U. S. Army Aviation CenPhotos are U. S. Army unless otherwise specified . Material may be reprinted provided credigiven to the DIGEST and to the author, unless otherwise indicated.Articles, photos, and items of interest on Army aviation are invited . Direct communicationauthorized to: Editor, U. S. Army Aviation Digest, Fort Rucker, AL 36360.Use of funds for printing of this publication has been approved by The Adjutant GeneHeadquarters Department of the Army, 8 April 1974, in accordance with AR 310-1.Active Army units receive distribution under the pinpoint distribution system as outlinedAR31 0-1 . Complete DA Form 12-5 and send directly to CO, AG Publications Cente, ; 2800 EastBoulevard, Baltimore, MD 21220. For any change in distribution requirements, initiate a reviDA Form 12-5.National Guard and Army Reserve units under pinpoint distribution also should submitForm 12 -5. Other National Guard units should .submit reque-sts th ro.ugh their state adjutgeneral.Those not eligible for official distribution or who desire personal copies of the DIGESTorder the magazine from the Superintendent of Documen ts, .U. S. Government Printing OffiWashington, D. C 20402. Annual subscription rates are 15.70 domestic and 19.65 overseSingl;} copies are 1.35.


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2 TH ANNIVERSARY OFTHE UNITED STATES ARMYTwo hundred years ago on June 14th

1775 our Army was formed from asmall but devoted band of patriots who

began the struggle to guarantee the indepen-dence and freedom of our people. Out of that

struggle our Nation was born. ith the samededication that sparked its birth United States

Army has always maintained a force ready to protectthe liberties of all Americans. For two centuries it

has protected the American people fro external threatsand provided the security and stability necessary for peaceful

development. It has earned a proud heritage of contributionto the growth and development of America. Today ach soldier stands

in the ranks of that long and proud tradition. Our odern Army remainsdedicated to the task of preserving peace. On this our 200th Anniversary let

us all join in rededicating ourselves to a third centu y of service to America.

Howard H CallawaySecretary of the Army Fred C WeyandGeneral United States ArmyChief of Staff


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t this time of the Army s bicentennial anniversary it is especially appropriate to recall theacts of heroism by our most valorous men in uniform-those awarded The Medalof onor

EOR MOR E THAN twomonths in 1971 the Army of theRepublic of Vietnam (ARVN) inMi litary Region II (II Corps) hadbeen engaged with strong NorthVietnamese forces for control ofcommanding terrain extendingsoutheast from Ben Het to KontumCity in Kontum Province. The52nd Combat Aviation Battalion(CAB) was committed in supportof ARVN forces because therewere no operational VietnameseAir Force (VNAF) helicoptersq uadrons in Military Region IIat the time.

The preponderance of utilityhelicopter support was furnishedby the 227th CAB's A Company(Chickenman) which was attachedto the 52nd and commanded byMajor William E. Adams. Hiscompany was reinforced with elements of the 10th CAB, 17th Aviation Group.ntelligence reports and estimates indicated a concerted enemyassault against the defenses of elements of the 22nd ARVN Divisionat fire support base FSB) 5.

On 23 May at approximately0530 hours, the 28th North Vietnamese Regiment mounted acoordinated attack against FSB 5.The 22nd Division reported 139enemy killed in action andprisioners of war; west of Dakto,107 and 22 mm rockets werelaunched into the 22nd DivisionForward Command Post at TanCanh and Dakto.

Continued heavy fighting on the23rd required intense resupply efforts by helicopter into the FSB onthe 24th. At 1300 hours on the24th, Stallion 26 in a UH-l Hueyfrom the 10th CAB) was shot downwhile on approach to the FSB.The aircraft crashed on the northern slope of the defensive perimeter. One crew member thehelicopter crewchief) though crit-

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ically injured , survived. He wasrescued by ARVN Soldiers andevacuated to the command bunkeron the firebase. The Vietnamesecorpsmen administered emergencymedical treatment and made available an AN/PRC-25 radio for thecrewchief to communicate with theU.S . advisors and myself at theForward Command Post (CP).It was apparent from the crewchief's radio transmissions thatsophisticated medical attention wasurgently needed.

Later that day my Battalion S-3,Major (then Captain) GeorgeHeard, coordinated a fire supportplan with the U.S. advisors atthe 22nd AR VN Division ForwardCPo This fire support plan withcoordinated tactical air supportwas intended to neutralize enemyautomatic weapons emplacementsaround the firebase and along anapproach / departure corridor forthe emergency extraction on 25May of the injured crewchief andtwo other wounded Soldiers.

Chickenman-6 had been working the Dakto-Tan Canh-Ben Hetarea of operations for an extendedperiod and the aviators had fullknowledge and appreciation of theterrain. Major William E. Adam svolunteered for the miSSion of effecting the rescue on 25 Ma y ,weather permitting.

Major Adams , with elements ofhis 1st Platoon commanded byCaptain John D. Curran, assembled his men at Dakto airstrip onthe morning of 25 May. Coordination was finalized with the AH-lHueyCobra gunship support to beprovided by the 361st Aerial Weapons Company and the 57th Assault Helicopter Company.

Adverse weather delayed thearti llery preparation and tacticalair support until about 0900 hours.Once initiated, tactical air fromthe VNAF 72nd Air Group struck

target areas to the north , eastand west of the firebase andAR VN artillery from three location concentrated fire down thenorthern slope along the flightcorridor.

Voluntarily, Major Adams, Captain Curran and their crewmenaccepted the mission and lifted offDakto at about 1210 hours joining their escort gunships for themercy mission. Major Adams approached to the south and at 600meters from touchdown began taking heavy automatic weapons firefrom positions along the north andwest quadrants. Undaunted by thefusillade, he continued his approach determined to accomplishthe mission. He successfully maneuvered into the helipad and tookaboard the injured crewchief anda wounded AR VN battalion executive officer.

Suddenly, indirect fire began impacting all around the he1ipad.Knowing the danger, Major Adamscourageously began a departure tothe north for return to Dakto. Hisflight corridor literally erupted ina blaze of muzzle flashes fromenemy weapons positions. Hecalmly and collectively transmittedto me: Getting heavy fire andthen there was a blinding explosion in the vicinity of the swashplate assembly or main rotor mast.

The ai rcraft crashed less than1,500 meters from Dakto airstripand all personnel aboard were lost.

Major Adams' untimely deathtypified his outstanding leadershipqualities. He never demanded fromhis men but led by example andalways gave more than he asked.In this case he gave his life in

a gallant effort to save a fellowSoldier.

Major Adams was posthumouslyawarded the Medal of Honor inAugust 1974.

U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


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JUN 975

aktoVaLonTe Russell D Nelson

Director Technical Research and ppl icatio nsU. S rmy Age ncy for Avi ation Safety

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those special few who have put God and country above all else. Men like thisrepresent freedom they represent The United States o America e re gr teful

I FIRST MET Warrant OfficerLouis R. Rocco in PhuocVinh , Republic of Vietnam. Thena Sergeant First Class, Rocco wasa real contributor- the type ofsupervisor who could think Appropriately, he was assigned as anadvisor to an Army of the ,Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) medicalbattalion. My unit was the 15thMedical Battalion, 1st Air CavalryDivision.

SGT Rocco enjoyed talking shopwith other Americans and. vi,sitedu.s quite frequently to establish adoser liaison. He was a conscientious worker striving to learn ourtechniq ues 0 that he could trainhis unit and not slow our extraction efforts when we picked upthe wounded.

Although SGT Rocco was anadvisor to a medical battalion, hewas not "in the action" enough,so he sometimes replaced my medic and flew with Medevac 2 o rThe Wild Deuce-as referred to bythe units we served.

On I May 1970, when theCambodian incursion began, I wassent to a Special Forces outpostto provide closer support to theincursion task force. I was assignedto support the 25th Infantry andthe 1st Ca val ry Division. Aftertwo weeks SGT Rocco' s ARVNbattalion moved in to support theAR VN companies working in thearea.Everything broke loose on aboutthe 20th of May and for threedays Medevac 2 was kept busyhustling wounded Americans backto the Special Forces c a m ~ Onthe 23rd of May, I had to "chopdown a tree" to extract a wounded American and then fly backto Phuoc Vinh to get a new setof rotor blades for my DH-IH.While I was at Phuoc Vinh; SdTRocco dropped by and asked fora ride to the Special Forces camp

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with me. I agreed to take him.En route the next morning,Medevac Delta (medevac base

operations the Special Forcescamp) called in an urgent missionto e x t . r a ~ t several critically wounded men from one of the companiesto which SGT Rocco was as advisor. SGT Rocco said that hewould like to go along to helpmy medic. I agreed.We flew into the Special Forcescamp, offloaded supplies, . pickedlip an extra chicken plate for SGTRocco and took off. Upon arriving at the pickup site, two AH-lHueyCobra g u n b i ~ d s (PreciseSwords 12 and Precise Swords12A) made contact and were readyto give me the necessary firepowerbeing full of nails and rockets(f1echette and high explosive 2.75inch rockets). After getting a briefing from the ground troops, Ipicked my approach direction, coordinated with the gunbirds andproceeded to make a high speedlow altitude approach to the LZ(landing zone). We began takinglight machinegun fire; PreciseSword s 12 returned the fire as Iflared the ship for touchdown.Two slugs hit my chicken plateand a third hit my knee. Uponlanding, my copilot , L T Cauberreaux, looked to me in jest to tellme I'd landed rather hard-th enhe realized I was hit. Immediatelyhe took command and decided to"get outta there.". Pulling pitchhe yelled to the gunships that wewere getting out. Suddenly , theentire ridge line opened fire. Inoticed our rpm (revolutions perminute) going past 5,500 andreached out to key the mike fora MaY9ay- "The Wild Deuce isgoing ~ o w n XU-5606, MAYDAYXU-560.6 "

The tail boom flew away fromthe ship and we dropped about50 feet to the ground; the tanks

of the ship burst into flames. SGTRocco, I guess, was thrown fromthe aircraft which was on its rightside in full bla,ze. -I unhooked myseat belts as SGT Ro cco cameclambering into the . ship andbodily threw n1e through the shattered windshield; he then assistedLT Cauberreaux from the aircraftand returried third time to pullmy wounded medic from the fire.(One of my gunriers .also had beenthrown free of the crash andknocked l:lriconscious.)

SGT Rocco, realizing we werestill short one man , returned tothe raging inferrio but could notfind the other gunner who waspinned beneath the aircraft. Thetwo gunships continued their runsagainst the enemy positions in anattempt to provide us cover. SGTRocco began shuttling us to coverbecause the North VietnameseArmy (NVA) battalion was sti llpouring automatic weapons firetowatd us .I tr i ed to run but my legs~ o u l d n t function so SGT Roccohalf-shoved, half-dragged me tothe tree line and then returned tohelp the others. As he was leadingLT Cauberreaux . o cover, twoenemy bullets ripped across Cauberreaux' chicken plate. SGT Rocco hat . led us to safety with a broken hip and wrist; additionally,while extracting the crewmen fromthe wreckage he had sustained severe burns on his hands. Di sregarding excruciating pain, he continuedto administer first aid to hiswounded comrades until hiswounds and burns caused him tocollapse and lose consciousness.As stated in Warrant OfficerRocco 's citation for the Medal ofHonor , "His bravery under fireand intense devotion to duty weredirectly responsible for saving threeof his fellow Soldiers from certain death."

U. S ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


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eoevac eaoowPT Steph en F Mod ica U. S rmy Reti red

JUN 975


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Practice touchdown autorotations are credited with saving livesand equipment. They are also identified as agentsresponsible for major accidents and injuries. Are they reallybeneficial or should they be abolished? How do Army pilotsfeel about this matter? What. DA s policy concerning it,how did it come about and what is it designed to accom pi ish?

Prep red hJ ' The V. S. Arn:a'y gency fo1 viation 5. ' t ill cooper tioll w ith D e mty j or Standardiz al4 oU. S. rmy viation Center

U. S. RMY AVIATION DIGEST


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To BE OR NOT TO BE?That was the question Shakespeare's Hamlet had to wrestlewith. Recently, the same questionwas asked with respect to practicetouchdown autorotations - shouldthey be continued or abolished?Some felt the vaccination poseda greater threat to the patient'shealth than the disease. Othersembraced the opposite viewpoint.Each side mustered strength andsupport as it armed itself with factual data. Strangely enough, thesewere not two opposing factionsgearing for battle. On the contrary,they represented members of thesame team, mutually seeking answers that would enhance Armyaviation safety.

The controversy reached a climax early in October 1974 whenthe U.S. Army Forces Command(FORSCOM) informed Headquarters, Department of the Army(HQDA), that based on its mishap experience, It is this command's conclusion that the requirement to routinely practicetouchdown autorotations duringannual standardization flight evaluation is not in the best interest ofthe Army FORSCOM wenton to recommend that HQDAdelete the requirement for pilotsto demonstrate proficiency in the

JUNE 1975

performance of touchdown autorotations during annual standardization flight; require pilots to demonstrate proficiency by terminating autorotations with power;and require the IP or SIP to demonstrate one practice touchdownautorotation during every annualstandardization flight evaluation,with the pilot following throughon the controls.A look at FORSCOM's mishapexperience readily shows the basisfor these recommendations. During FY 1974, FORSCOM reporteda total of 28 accidents. Of these,25 percent (7) occurred because ofpractice touchdown autorotations.These resulted in two injuries anddamage costs of almost half a million dollars. Then, during the firstquarter of FY 1975, FORSCOMreported 2 accidents. Again, 25percent (3) resulted from the practice maneuver. Coordinating informally with other services, FORSCOM learned the following: TheNavy normally prohibits practicetouchdown autorotations outsidethe pilot training (school) environment. The Marine Corps restrictsperformance of this maneuver byindividual aviators; and when anautorotation is to be demonstrated,it is performed with an experiencedand proficient IP at one set of

controls. Within the Air Force, itis the major command's prerogative to determine if practice touchdown autorotations will be performed.

Certainly FORSCOM's conclusion and recommendations werebased on valid observations andmerited serious consideration. Ifin fact, their accident experiencewa s representative of experiencewor ld wide , a change in policymight very we ll be in order.HQDA promptly requested theU .S. Army Aviation Cen ter(USAA VNC) to st udy the matterand submit any recommendationsfor changes to DA policy deemednecessary. In addition, the U.S.Army Agency for Aviation Safety(USAAA VS) was tasked with providing pertinent data and coordinating findings and recommendations with the Center.

All touchdown autorotation mishap experience for fiscal years1971 through 1974 was researched,and applicable data involving UH-1 series, OH-58, T/ AH-1G andOH-6 aircraft were collected andassembled for analysis. Since thesole purpose of autorotation training is to enab le pilots to cope within-flight emergencies, the study wasoriented towards the requirementsfor such training as indicated byaircraft reliability; training effecti veness, as reflected by successfuland unsuccessful autorotations;and costs for accidents resultingfrom practice touchdown autorotations.

During this 4-year period , aircraft reliability showed a markedimprovement. However, this increase in reliability was due primarily to the exceptional performance of the UH-l which in FY1974 was involved in only 7.1 inflight emergencies per 100,000

o ntinued ge 30

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On Army aviation s 32nd birthdaylast year, the Army Aviation Hallof Fame was dedicated and thefirst seven members were inducted.The AVIATION DIGEST has featured each of these during the intervening year. On the 14th of thismonth, seven more will be inducted. The DIGEST will continueits HaU of Fame coverage with abiography on each new inductee

LTG Harry W O KinnardWhen he was a Major General)

RMY VI TION H LL OF F MET I E U T E N A N T GENERAL..l...JHarry W O Kinnard wasrated an Army aviator in 1962 andwas a seasoned authority in airborne operations before he becameinvolved with and applied his experience to the testing of airmobility concepts. Under his commandand leadership, the th Air Assault Division (Test) was formedin 1963 and established the superiority of airmobility in maneuversagainst the 82nd Airborne Di vi-sion. Subsequently, he formed theArmy s first airmobile division, the1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) ,primarily from assets of his testdivision. From this organization ,which provided the Army s firstlarge scale airmobility capabilities,came the aviation techniques, tactics and doctrine which have beenadopted throughout the U . S.

Army. He deployed this newlyformed division to the kepublic ofVietnam where it was immediatelycommitted to combat and continued to confirm its intrinsic valueon a daily basis. Employing highlyinnovative techniques and ideaswhich emphasized the use of aerialrocket artillery, rappelling fromhelicopters, night vision equipment, and the refuel-rearm pointsystem, the division demonstratedthe value of the combined armshelicopter team in several significant and victorious campaigns.Later as the commander of theU. S. Army Combat DevelopmentsCommand, LTG Kinnard extendedairmobility doctrine and contributed materially to the refinementof air assuIt operations before retiring in 1969.



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Logistical Support of rmy Aircraft Time for

CH NGECaptain Roy P. Oler

Aviat ion Staff OfficerConcepts and Studies DivisionDeputy Commandant for Combat and Training DevelopmentsU. S rmy Transportatio n SchoolFort Eustis VA

H ow MANY TIMES have you heard youraviation maintenance officer say to your unitoperations officer, "Listen to reason John f Ican't get the tools, parts or maintenance supportto fix 'em, you can't fly 'em "?

How many times have you gone to your unitsupply officer to direct exchange (OX) a set ofNomex only to hear him say, "Gee , I'd sure liketo help you but we're out and I don't know whenwe ll get any more in."?

Undoubtedly you have heard your technical supplyofficer say, I have to scrounge everything we needand you guys just don't appreciate it "

These are only a f w of the reasons why thesupply support structure for Army aircraft, aircraftsystems components and aviation unique and / ormanaged items of equipment are undergoing exten-sive study for possible revisions in doctrine andapplication.


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Peacetime supply support doctrine and wartimesupply support doctrine have historically borne littleresemblance to each other. Peacetime doctrine isshadowed by manpower reductions, budgetary restraints and an overall lack of a sense of urgency,while wartime doctrine is amplified by a whateverit takes to get the job done attitude. However,these factors alone do not a supply system make.During the first stages of the war in the Republicof Vietnam it was recognized that the then presentsystem for logistical support of aviation was incapable of supporting a theater of operations whichrelied so heavily on Army aircraft. This was due,primarily, to a lack of centralized control overaviation materiel and a supply and maintenancestructure that was unable to stay in step with therapidly increasing number of aircraft and theirsupply and maintenance requirements.

From this recognition of a need for change, ageneral support group for aviation maintenance andsupply was formed. This group was to provide acommodity oriented and vertical management structure that would achieve the goal of providing onestop support to its customers. The idea was toreduce the number of different channels an aviationunit had to rely on for total support of its aircraft

EDITOR'S NOTE: In the July issue of the DIGEST,the U.S. Army Transportation School will take amore current look at this subject, as well as reservecomponent training: new materiel developments andthe current status of the MOS 7 career managementfield (CMF) development.

and thus increase availability by intensively managingaviation materiel and maintenance assets.

The results, after the implementation of thissystem, soon surfaced. Demand accommodation anddemand satisfaction rates for requisitions began torise while not operationally ready supply (NORS)rates and order ship time OST) rates decreased,both resulting in higher availability rates for aircraft.

This type of commodity oriented maintenance andsupply structure proved successful even though itwas in contravention to the then present doctrine.However, we must remember that this era consisted of the whatever it takes to get the jobdone attitude which did not impose a large numberof restraints for the implementation of a workablesystem.Based on experience in Vietnam, conceptual anddoctrinal changes in aircraft maintenance haveemerged. Some of these changes are in the field,

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while others are still being studied, tested andevaluated. Such changes, and coming changes, are IDSM integrated direct support maintenancewhich is incorporated into aviation units having alarge number of aircraft to support. The three-level maintenance concept which haamalgamated direct and general support maintenancproviding a single intermediate maintenance facilitybetween the aviation unit and the depot. Project Inspect which is considering the feasibility of extending inspection requirements onvarious types of aircraft. CONAM concept of night aircraft maintenancewhich is studying the possibility of performing maintenance on aircraft using minimum lighting at night And SAMS (standard Army maintenance system) which is envisioned as a maintenance management system responsive to each of the various levelsof command.

On the supply side of the logistical house thereare also changes in the mill. A few such innovationare: Direct support system DSS) which, in peacetime is designed to deliver repair parts directly todirect and general support units. DSS has beenin use for several years.) Direct support unit standard supply systemDS4) which is a fully automated information andmanagement system designed to operate at theretail level of supply. Standard Army integrated logistical systemSAILS) which is also an automated informationand management system but designed to operateat the intermediate level of supply.In the area of supply and maintenance amalgamation, the logistics community is presenting thecommodity oriented general support COGS) centeand modular oriented direct support (MODS) concepts for scrutiny. Even though these concepts weredesigned for conventional materiel, there is possible application for their use in aviation as wilbe shown later in this article. However, alterationare necessary because aviation maintenance andsupply are not treated in the same manner as iconventional materiel.

There are two other concepts that will impacon the total logistics picture. These are the echelonabove division (EAD) concept which already hasbeen approved, and the EAD expanded concepwhich still is being studied.

The EAD concept was designed to eliminateunnecessary layering and duplication in upper levecommand functions. This resulted in the eliminationof the Field Army Support Command (FASCOMand has subsequently led to the merger of theTheater Army Headquarters (TA HQ) with the



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Theater Army Support Command Headq uarters(T ASCOM HQ).

The EAD expanded concept recommends theelimination of the Materiel Command (MATCOM)wit its subordinate depot system, and the TheaterArmy Support Command (T ASCOM). This wouldresult in the decentralization of supply and maintenance function to the Theater Army Area Command (TAACOM) support groups, and centralizemanagement of controlled items only at the TA HQ.

In light of the above-mentioned concepts andothers not mentioned, the U. S. Army Transportation School at Fort Eusti s, V A is conducting astudy entitled "Transportation Aircraft Supply Support Structure" (TAS 3). This study is proposingan aircraft supply support structure that S systemsoriented and possesses an intermediate distributionpoint between Continental United States (CONUS)depots and aviation related units. However, thisstudy encompasses more than one might think ifjudging from the brief description just given. T AS 3hopes to produce a system that will provide: A structure that is viable in peacetime, wartimeand the transition period between the two; A structure that will provide TOE (table oforganization and equipment) staffing for missionsthat have only been implied missions in the past,e.g., assem bly and retrograde of aircraft;

A structure that will provide not only commodity oriented support in the area of aviation related class IX supplies (repair parts), but in aviationrelated class II (tools and clothing), and aviation related class VII (major end items supplies as well; A structure that will fill voids in aviation supplysupport that will be created by the implementationof impending doctrinal changes; A structure that will fill voids in present aviationsupply support doctrine;

And a structure that will interface with emergingautomated supply and maintenance managementconcepts.

The TAS) study is considering the feasibility offorming an aviation support center that is in linewith the COGS center concept. This center wouldbe located in the corps and would be under thecontrol of the Corps Support Command (COSCOM).The aviation support center would consist of thefollowing elements:

One or more A VIMs: An AVIM (aviation intermediate maintenance) being a company which willprovide direct support general support DSjGS)supply and maintenance to its customers. TheAVIMs will support divisional maintenance unitson a designated basis and nondivisional aviationunits on an area basis.

One T AS: A T AS being a transportation air-

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Captain Roy P Oler is currentlyworking on the conceptual studyTransportation Aircraft Supply

Support Structure TAS 3 atthe U. S Army TransportationSchool, Fort Eustis, VA. He hasa B S degree in Education

craft support company. The T AS will be located ator near a major airfield and will provide fuel andoil analysis, an aircraft component collection point,an aircraft assembly and retrograde point and anaviation supply point. The aviation supply pointwill handle all aviation related classes II VII andIX supplies. An air transport element: The air transportelement will provide a distribution and evacuationcapability to the center. However, the aviationsupport center will not be fixed in size as is aconventional maintenance battalion. Instead, it willbe tailorable in that its size will be determined bythe number of aviation units that t will be requiredto support. This capability will be achieved throughmodular design, which is in line with the MODSconcept, with the ability of adding or deletingmodules as the need arises. For example: f theAVIM is not required to support CH-47 Chinooksor CH-54 Cranes, then its aircraft maintenancebranch will not contain these sections. f the corpsrequirements are relatively small (e.g., during peacetime) perhaps an air transport section would notbe needed at all, in which case the corps movementscontrol center (MCC) would be tasked with thetransportation mission. The size of the variouselements of the T AS also can be regulated by adding or subtracting teams based on workloads, thenumber of supply line items to be maintained, andthe number of supply transactions that t;lke place.

The aviation support center is envisioned as asingle channel for aviation maintenance and supplysupport. The maintenance officer would receivebetter maintenance support, the technical supplyofficer would receive better demand accommodationand demand satisfaction on requisitions and theaviator would receive better support in the areaof flight eq uipment and survival gear.

The time for change is now while we are in apeacetime environment and not later when we maybe engaged in another war; but, we must notallow restraints to totally govern or shadow ourdoctrinal changes. We should temper these restraintswith the concern for success that is contained inthe "whatever it takes to get the job done" attitude and devise the best system possible to meetthe needs of the service.


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employment of anIRBORNECOMM ND

PT Joseph T TisonProject Officer oncepts DivisionDeputy for DevelopmentsFort Rucker

DURING THE VIETNAM. War, we witnessed the emerg ~ n e of the command and contro helicopter. In the early yearsof that war, commanders juryrigged radios in helicopters to actas airborne command posts from

w h i ~ h they could observe and influence the battle. The capabilityfor irsthand observation of thebattlefield was enjoyed to a higherdeg'ree than ever before in thehistory of warfare. This was duelargely to the expanded use of thehelicopter and the absence ofsophjsticated antiaircraft weaponswhich allowed commanders to re

directly over the scene ofbattle.

Recognizing the potential off e r ~ d by the helicopter in this

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POSTin a high threat environment

environment, General WilliamWestmoreland, American commander in the Republic of Vietnam, in July 1964 requested thata heliborne command post communications console be developed.The additional radios availablethrough the new communicationsconsoles further facilitated control,making the command and control(C C) aircraft a valuable andeffective innovation of the VietnamWar. However, little thought wasgiven to command and controlhelicopter tactics. Premission planning for employment of the C Caircraft usually involved nothingmore than selecting an altitudethat would provide vertical separation from other aircraft in thearea of operations and decidingwhether to use right- or left-handorbits.

Recognizing that airmobile andair assault operations are here tostay, the survivability of the helicopter on the modern battlefieldhas been a matter of much thought,

planning and development throughout the Army. Obviously, conditions in future wars will not allowcommanders to observe battlesfrom remote sanctums 2,500 feetb o ~ e the ground. Command andcontrol helicopters employed in ahigh threat environment must usespecific tactics to survive. Beforediscussing these tactics, it mightbe wise to define the following:

High threat environment Apenemy combat posture whereinmodern, sophisticated weapons andtechniques create a highly lethalsituation with the intention of establishing control .over territoryand airspace contiguous to t h ~ tter:ritory. Such a posture couldinclude armor, field and antiaircraft artillery, surface-to-air mis:-siles and tactical fighters whichwould be directeq by radar, infrared, optical, e1ectro-optiGal andvisual means, and might be supplemented by electronic warfaremethods to incluqe jamming anddec;eption.



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Terrain flying: The tactic offlying in such a manner as toutilize terrain, vegetation and manmade objects to enhance survivability by degrading the enemy'sabil ity to visually, optically orelectronically detect or locate theaircraft. This tactic involves a constant awareness of the capabilitiesand position of enemy weaponsand detection means in relationto available masking terrain features and flight routes. Terrainflying of necessity involves flightelose to the earth's surface andincludes the tactical application oflow level, contour and nap-of-theearth (NOE) flight techniques asappropriate to counter the enemy'scapability to acq uire, track andengage the aircraft.

ommand and control: The exercise of authority and directionby a properly designated commander over assigned forces inthe accomplishment of his mission.Command and control functionsare performed through an arrangement of personnel, equipment,communications, facilities and procedures which are employed by acommander in planning, directing,coordinating and controlling forcesand operations in the accomplishment of his mission (AR 310-25).Airborne command post: A suitably eq uipped aircraft used by thecommander for the control of hisforces (AR 310-25). FM 57-23,Airmobile Operations, " labels thecommand and control aircraft asthe airborne command post. Hereafter, it will be referred to bythat title.

Helicopter operations in a highthreat environment will be confinedto terrain flying levels to minimizeexposure to enemy antiaircraftweapons and electronic warfareprocedures. Since flight at 'theselevels will limit observation andcommunications, the question ofwhether an aircraft operating atterrain levels can effectively function as an airborne command post

JUNE 1975

IS one that warrants discussion.The req uirement for command

observation and presence is thebasie consideration for employing

n airborne command post in ahigh threat environment. Althoughdecentralizing control to the lowestechelons of command will minimize this req uirement, there remains a valid need for airbornecO TImand posts during airmobileand ai r ' assault operations. Theseoperations present unique command and control problems, especially during the initial assaultphase where operations may coverextended distances and req uirerapid communications between major force elements. The airbornecommand post would a l l o ~ thecommander' t move about theoperational area without restrictions due to terrain and thus maintain close command and controlof his forces. '

A feasible solution for employingan airborne command post in ahigh threilt environment wo 'uld beto have the airborne commandpost accompany an element of theairmobile force to the objectivearea. This would preserve the surprise find shock action of theattack and place the commfinderin a position to observe the actionand make timely decisions. Thistactic would make use of 'suppressive fires from artillery and ' c1qseair support to reduce the probability of encountering threat weaponsalong the route of flight and inthe landing zone LZ).

Once in the area of the objective, the airborne command postwould move to alternate positionsto observe and communicate withassault elements, always using terrain as a mask from detectionand engagement by enemy weapons. To 11IJ1lmIZe e-?Cposure toenemy weapons, the aircraft woulduse popup techniq ues to observethe activity on the LZ. After theassault force is established on theground, t ~ e airborne command

post could remain masked untilthe situation dictateq commandpresence, then move at terrainflying levels directly to the sceneof b a ~ t l e Information concerningpositions advantageous to command and control could be furnished by aerial scouts. The airborne command post must Ilsepositions that offer maximumcover and concealment since thevolume of radio transmissions inherent in command and controlwould make it especially susceptible electronic detection andjamming.

Continuous operations in thearea of the forward edge of thebattle area (FEBA) will req uirethat an airborne command postskil fully employ all the techniq uesof terrain flying as well as makemaxinium use of the combinedarms team support and suppressivefire weapons systems. Contingencyplans . must include provisions for~ l o w i n g the command post to betransferred to a forward locationon the ground in event the enemyantiaircraft or electronic warfarecapabilities have not been successfully suppressed. In this situation,the airborne command post wouldremain in a rear holding areauntil the threat had been suppressed and tlie tactical situation warranted 'airborne command observation and presence.

T h e r ~ is nothing new to befouns in the above. Army aviatorsare aware of the thre3:t that' willexist on b(ittlefields of the future.But in ~ p i t e of this threat, aviatorsoperating within the mission commander's scheme of maneuver areknowledgeable of the combinedarms teqm concept and can applythe techniq ues of terrain flying ina high threat environment. Theywill ensure that the advantageswhich the airborne command postoffered commanders in Vietnal'llare translated into C C proceduresneeded on the modern-day battlefield.

13


16/52

LTHOUGH THE FederalAviation Administration

(F AA) will start compiling and collating entries for the 1975 AnnualAviation Mechanics Safety Awardson 1 July, it is still not too late toregister. Entries will be acceptedthrough 3 December 1975.

The FAA established the program in 963 to give recognitionto the aviation mechanics makingan outstanding contribution to airsafety by maintenance practices. Itis open to all active aviationmechanics including those in theArmed Forces.Fifty awards are made for thegeneral aviation mechanic-one foreach state. f a winner is locatedin Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands, additional awards are made.

From the general aviation statewinners, one award is given ineach of the 2 FAA regions. Inaddition to these one award perFAA region is given to air carrier mechanics. From the regionalwinners, two national awards arepresented-one air carrier mechanicand one general aviation mechanic.

Three classifications for theselection of winners are considered: For the suggestion of a design or improvement to anaircraft or powerplant or anyof its components that ledto or resulted in increasedreliability and / or safety inaviation.

4

IT S NOT TOO LATETo Register for

the 975 nnual viation MechanicSafety wards

For the suggestion or development of a maintenanceand / or inspection procedurethat contributed significantlyto safety in aviation. For the constant demonstration of high level professionalism and excellence inthe performance of his dutiesas an aviation mechanic thatled to or resulted in increasedreliability and / or safety inaviation.Entries for or from aviation me

chanics in the Armed Forces mustalso be applicable to civil aviationuse.

The official entry form is FAAForm 1210-1 Entry For AviationMechanic Safety Award whichmay be obtained from the localFAA office.

Winners of a state award receivea permanently mounted FAA certificate inscribed with the Department of Transportation seal and

citation signed by the FAA administrator.

Regional winners receive a permanently mounted metal plaqueengraved with the agency seal andcitation signed by the FAA adminstrator and appropriate regionaldirector.

National award winners receivea cast medallion created for theagency and mounted in an exhibition frame.All winners are offered a tuitionfree resident or correspondencetype maintenance training courseof their choice originating at theFAA Academy in Oklahoma City,OK. Regional and national winners are enrolled in the AviationMechanics Club and are ensureda suitable certificate and associatedlapel pin.

State winners in 1975 will receiveawards on 5 March 1976 andregional winners on 30 March1976. National winners will be presented awards on dates sched uledby FAA headquarters, generallyduring the first six months of thecalendar year. IiiiiiI

AR 672-2 Decorations Awards and Honors, National andInternat ional Awards effective 1 May 1975 establishes policiespertaining to awards given by nonfederal organizations.The AVIATION DIGEST is planning a comprehensive articlecovering all medals and awards, official and unofficial availableto Army aviators. The article will include eligibility req uirements,deadlines and methods of applying. Readers are req uested to sendinformation regarding local awards, official or unofficial notnormally included in official government publications to Editor,U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST, P. O. Drawer P, FortRucker, AL 36360



17/52

FRSTUDY MATERIALFOR NON-RESIDENT COURSESOF INSTRUCTION

The Department of Army-Wide Training Supportwill provide non-resident courses of instruction studymaterial free of charge locally or by correspondenceto enrolled eligible members of the Armed Forcesactive or reserve and to other authorized personnel

ELEVEN CAREER AND SKILLDEVELOPMENT COURSESARE AVAILABLE

Flight Operations Coordinator Course OH-58 Helicopter Repairman Course UH-1 Helicopter Repairman Course Aircraft Maintenance Entry Course Flight Training Preparatory Course Aviation Accident PreventionManagement Course

Army Aviation Command andStaff Course

Warrant Officer Senior Course Aviation Warrant OfficerAdvanced Course

ATC NCO Basic Course ATC NCO Advanced Course

SFC Jack Ehman Department of Academic TrainingU. S Army Aviation Center receives his diploma fromMajor General William J. Maddox Jr. SFC Ehman is thefirst student to complete the Air Traffic Control Basicand Advanced NCO Correspondence Courses. He en rolled in the ATC Basic Course in June 1974 andcompleted it in April 1975. He enrolled in the ATCAdvanced Course in September 1974 and completedit in April 1975

ONLYTHRTHINGSTO O

1. Complete one copy of DA Form145 Army CorrespondenceCourse Enrollment Application.

2. Submit completed DA Form145 to your commander for indorsement.

Individual subcourses also are available

3. Forward the completed application to: Department of ArmyWide Training Support U. S.Army Aviation Center P. O.Box J Fort Rucker AL 36360.

JUNE 975 5


18/52

16

CW2 Joseph L Bradley Jr.

Evacuation Pilot82nd Medical DetachmentHelicopter Ambulance)Fort Riley KA

HEN MOST OF Fort Ri ' le y ' s aviators are leavingwork returning home after shufflingpapers administering to unit duties or flying various assigned missions there remains a crew aroundthe clock at the 82nd Medical Detachment They also would notmind going home to a warm mealor stopping at the club for a coldone. Their job is to wait and wait

\SE

they must for they may be neededas they were one day in Septem ber1973.I was driving home with visionsof steak dancing in my head. Although I was the second-up copilot I had a 30-minute periodin which to return to the airfield if I was needed to ly . Thenecessity of my availability alongwith several other crews became



19/52

apparent all too soon.About 45 minutes after a normalduty day, the unit was notified

that a twister had completelyobliterated a 40-unit trailer parkin Salina, KA. The Kansas Highway Patrol had req uested that anevacuation helicopter be sent tothe area but had no informationon casualties. After approval, firstup was off with our commandingofficer (CO) and another pilot inhot pursuit in a second UH-l HH uey aircraft. The helicopters werenow on hand if they were neededin the area of destruction. Unitoperations alerted all available pilots and crew mem bers and begancoordination with civil authoritiesand our aircraft in the area. ThankGod and early warning that theaircraft were not needed for whatcould have been a terrible andtragic event. The residents of thetrailer park had taken refuge ina storm shelter and not onecasualty was reported.

The two aircraft now began asystematic search along the tornado's path through the Salinaarea. No casualties were seen sothe aircraft returned to Salina andrefueled. Later, these two crewswere to view something that isindeed rare.With the two aircraft airborneonce again, the CO decided todepart the area and return to FortRiley and have the first-up crewreturn to the tornado's path andfollow its northeastern track tosearch for victims. Then-beforethe eyes of the CO and his crewa funnel dropped from low lyingclouds north of Interstate 70, nearAbilene. They started to give information about the location,heading and approximate speed ofthe funnel to the Highway Patroland Flight Service Station (FSS).Subseq uently, this information wasbroadcasted by commercial radiostations to warn the isolated, unsuspecting people in its path. Thepersonnel on duty at Detachment

JUNE 1975

8, 16th Weather Squadron at Marshall U. S. Army Airfield, FortRiley, KA, used this informationand tracked the cell on theirweather radar. The CO's aircraftfollowed the tornado at a safestandoff distance. With eveningdarkness now totally obscuringvisual search, the base weatherradar became the eyes for ourmission.

t worked Word was spread,and none too soon for the peopleliving in Clay Center. The funnelslashed through the middle of thetown, scattering debris in a widepattern of havoc. But most of thepeople were in areas of safety,thanks to the fast warning. Onlya few people were injured andnone were killed.

Our ships followed the twisterinto Clay Center; and, as it left,we landed by the hospital whichalso had been damaged. Coordinating with the hospital directorsand the police, we waited for wordto evacuate the injured. That wordwas slow in coming for mostpeople had found shelter and werenot hurt.

The decision was made fromsurvey of the devastation that moreassistance would surely be needed.Our second-up crew was calledin to deliver an emergency supplyof distilled water , plasma and otheremergency medical supplies. Afterloading those supplies aboard ouraircraft, we cranked, receivedclearance and headed for ClayCenter. With the aircraft in ahauling the mail attitude, flighttime to Clay Center was 20 min

utes despite extraordinarily turbulent air and strong winds whichseemed to change direction everyfew miles.

The point on the horizon, whereClay Center should have been,was dark as a cave. Navigationwas simple. We followed the appropriate outbound radial fromManhattan VOR (very high frequency omnidirectional range) and

stayed clear of the ragged edgewhich was getting worse. Weatherdetachment personnel had reportednew and more violent cells appearing on their scope. Flying became more difficult with the ceiling deteriorating and patches ofheavy rain. We increased our instrument lighting to maximum tocounter the brilliance of the lightning now seemingly all around us.Our final inbound vectors weregiven by our crews already in thelanding zone. Shooting a steepapproach to a totally blacked-outarea with a water tower to theright side, a radio transmissiontower on the left side, and astrobe light as our target with a30-knot crosswind and a drizzlingrain will put the hair on your neckat razor's edge.

After landing and unloading theneeded medical supplies we briefedour detachment personnel on theground about the worsening weather conditions. We remained on theground to aid in searching thesurrounding area. We then evacuated a patient suffering fromshock and a hospital attendantwith a fractured arm. Our returnto Fort Riley was uneventful.

We refueled, restocked on chewing gum and were off again. Oursecond trip seemed bumpier yetwith winds at 50 knots at 2,100feet indicated Impossible esoon found out it was not

At Clay Center we were amazedat the streams of cars stopped onthe road. Hundreds of cars weretrying to enter Clay Center tocheck on people they knew or tosightsee. Although these vehicleswere unable to enter the darkenedcenter of the town due to policeroadblocks and debris, they didform a perfect X which indicated the center of town.Again we found the strobe andwere talked into an approach.I heard something in my earphoneswhich made me want to crawlunder my seat: Funnel entering

7


20/52

town from the southwest " GreatA flash of lightning afforded us

scant seconds to scan the horizonfor that tube of death. The pilotat the controls was maintaininga 50-knot indicated airspeed at ahigh hover, at least that is whatthe airspeed indicator read. It wasapparent from my observation,that we were stationary over thestrobe light.

The next few seconds were impossible to digest at once. Theman holding the strobe light tookrefuge in a nearby ditch. The windshifted and the aircraft started todo 360-degree turns, a flash oflightning, the water tower was now20 yards to our right. Full power,get away.

The spinning stopped, "Funnels,there are two funnels " Anotherflash of light, my God, there isthe radio tower 5 degrees off ournose and 200 feet our superiorin altitude Rain, blinding rain.Turn right to miss the tower. Thecrewchief and medic almost simultaneously exclaimed, "Funnel at3 o'clock-funnel at 9 o'clock "The bird held together, we heldtogether. "DUSTOFF Six, 484 isgoing home."

8

"OK," was the response. Witha tremendous tail wind we werehome in 10 minutes.

Two crews and readied aircraftremained in Clay Center ready toevacuate seriously injured citizens.Our flying was ended. The fourof us quietly sipped 12-hour-oldcoffee, sweating in the cool air.Questions ,were swarming in ourears, but we did not hear them.We were home. Fort Riley, KA,never looked so good.

There are scores of other accounts that could be rendered fromthat night and the days that followed. Many Fort Riley personnelrisked more than personal discomfort to offer their help to thosein need. This was my own personal account and I have thoughtmore than once about it.

I learned many lessons and reinforced many more. This aviator,as all Soldiers, saw that hypothetical point where quality training makes the difference betweensuccess and failure. Duty, mission,performance plus training equatedin favor over one's "thresholdof fear" to accomplish the essen-

tial mission at hand. Trainingmade the crew's reactions to thestimuli both correct and unconsciously reflexive, thus assuring asafe and completed mission.I reinforced the lessons of correctly adhering to established proced ure and policy. In this case itwas a thorough weather briefingand preflight, as well as adheringto proper communications procedures. The latter, without which itwould not have been possible forClay Center to communicate to theoutside had it not been for aircraftfrom units of the 1st Aviation Battalion (Prov) in the air, maintaining a radio link via airborne radio.Contingency plans for rapid deployment of "DUSTOFF" crewsand aircraft were used. Mobilization by engineer units and supportthey needed was rapid and effective. Before daybreak the nextmorning the engineers were clearing rubble. For the troops conducting ground search, fresh supplies and equipment were rollinginto town as needed.

For all these people involved inthe effort to help this strickencommunity and for myself. hiswas just another day's work, ut

.a good one

YAH-63 Begins Ground Runs

After final instrumentation and checkout, Bell Helicopter s ground test YAH-63 has begun ground runtests. The ground test vehicle is the first o threeprototypes being buil t by Bell as their entry in theArmy s Advanced Attack Helicopter program

Ship number two, the f i rst f lying prototype, isscheduled to f ly this summer and number three is infinal assembly. After extensive testing, both aircraftwill be delivered to the Army for competitive evaluationin May 1976



21/52

Helicopter CrewDecorated ForMt Katahdin Rescue

HE CREW MEMBERS of ahelicopter belonging to the112th Medical Company AirAmbulance), Maine Army National Guard have been decoratedfor their part in the rescue of fivestranded mountain climbers fromMt. Katahdin ME.The rescue occurred last Feb-ruary during the dead of winter.The crew braved arctic winds andcold to pluck the frostbitten moun-tain climbers off the treacherousmountainside thus saving theirlives. A sixth climber elected toremain on a ledge and perished.

JUNE 1975

Major Eugene L. Richardsoncommanding officer of the 112thand pilot of the chopper that madenumerous missions to rescue theclimbers, received the Air Medalfrom Major General Paul Day.His copilot Captain Paul W.Wheeler, also received the AirMedal while Staff Sergeant Jay A.Tennant medical aidman receivedthe Army Commendation Medal.The crewchief, Specialist 6 EdwardF. Harvey was also selected to re-.ceive the Army CommendationMedal.

In the citations accompanying

the award to MAJ Richardsonit was pointed out that all hadrisked their lives braving tempera-tures 25 degrees below zero withan almost constant chill factor of100 degrees below zero. Winds of70 knots continually buffeted theaircraft making control difficultand hazardous. Approaches tolanding zones were made throughnarrow mountain passes filled withdangerous swirling winds.

The citations also noted that ifthe rescue mission had not beencarried out the five young menall would have died.

9


22/52

JEWSROE DERS

Sir:Your Army Aviation Hall of Fametribute to LTG William B Bunker inthe January 1975 issue of the DIGESThas been read with interest.I n addition to being Father of the

Helicopter , GEN Bunker will lon g beremembered for other contr ibutions hemade to the Army. He was an ever-inquisit ive intellectual , innovator, administrator , manager, teacher and logis-tician. As GEN Frank S. Besson, Jr.sa id in his Bunker Hall dedication cere-mony remark s on 21 July 1970 at the

20

U.S. Army Logi st ics Management Center:Throughout hi s years in AMC -and really always- Bill Bunker hada deep and continuous interest in

expanding and improving educational facilities for logistics andmanagement training. The ArmyLogistics Management Center wasone of his prides and joyHe was not a man of many words,

but he was clearly a man of actionwith an instant perception, an intui-tive grasp, and a basic simplicity

which marked all hi s deeds. He wasgifted with a patience to listen, thetalent to trust and the drive todecide. These characteristics arc hi slegacy to those who serve in thefutureWe at the Army Logi st ics Management Center are proud to have our aca-demic building bear the name of BunkerHall (see below).COL Don A. Wi lkin son

Commandant, U.S. ArmyLogistic s Management CenterFt. Lee, V A 2380 I

U. S RMY VI TION DIGEST


23/52

gorski s cornerTwo hundred years ago today TheContinential ArDlY was forDled.

Sir:I have recently been appointed as Director of Alumni Relations for EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University. EmbryRiddle, which was founded in 1926, hasmore than 50,000 alumni; however, ourpresent records indicate only 7,000 active members. Our 50th anniversary willbe in 1976 and we are planning manyfestivities at the University throughoutthe year. Interested Embry-Riddle alumni contact the University at the following address:

Director of Alumni Relation sEmbry-Riddle Aeronautica l

UniversityP.O . Box 2411Daytona Beach , FL 32015

JUNE 1975

That saDle day red tape andsecond l ieutenants were invented.

John E. Rollin sDirector of Alumni Relation s

Sir:have reviewed yo ur article REP

CON (UNELKO Rain Repellent andSurface Conditioner), Federal stocknumber 68501 39-5297, and found itquite interesting and beneficial see Feb75 DIGEST, page 22).

Could you please advise where andhow I may purchase a quantity of th ismaterial? Thank you.

SFC ALVIN K. FRITZ (Ret.)USARNG

To get additional information aboutpurchasing REPCO N, write to:

nd that s the way it was, twohundred years ago today

Sir:

C.C. Austin Company3412 Lenox DtiveDayton, OH 45429

We wo u ld appreciate it if the following could be li sted in your magazine:12-27 JULY 1975:

National Parachuting ChampionshipsTahlequah Municipal Airport, OK

For more information contact:Norman E. HeatonExecutive Director , U.S. Parachute

AssociationP.O. Box 109Monterey , CA 93940

Telephone Number: 408) 373-2708Michael F . TrufferDirector of Special Projects

21


24/52

Dear Sir:l owe my life to Louis Rocco and to those others who

participated in the rescue of my downed crew. Had it notbeen for the heroics of Sergeant First Class, now Warrant Officer, Louis Rocco, the rescue of Medevac 2 and crew wouldnot have been undertaken.

At 1100 hours on 24 May 1970 Medevac Delta receivedan urgent medical evacuation request from the Asleep Dumps52 Charley element of the 9th Army of the Republic ofVietnam (ARVN) Airborne Brigade operating northeast ofKatum five miles inside Cambodia.Medevac 2 answered the request and headed for the pickupzone with two accompanying AH-l HueyCobra gunships.Medevac 2 was taken under fire on approach and shot downtrying to take off. The UH-1 H crashed and burst into flameson impact. Because of the heroic actions of SGT Rocco (avolunteer medic aboard the aircraft) the crewmen survived andmade it to the safety of the friend ly AR VN perimeter. Although su rr ounded, they were not without help.

One of the Blue Max gunsh ip pilots, LT George Alexander relayed coordinates and critical in formation. H is cal l and theprevious Mayday resulted in some 5 to 20 aircraft converging on the scene. Three we re medevac ships hoping for achance to rescue their comrades.

The first attempt to extract the wounded was by MedevacI LT Henry Tuell, who was forced away from the pickupsite by concentrated enemy fire. Although LT Tuell had heavyAH-I Cobra gunship protection, his ship received innumerablehits a nd he was wounded in the hand by an enemy bullet.The rescue attempt was aborted and the pilot nu r sed the bat-

tered ship and wounded aircraft commander to Quan Loi.The second extraction attempt was executed two hour

later by Medevac 12 L T John Read. LT Read tried to geinto the landing zone (LZ) using a low level high speed entry with rocket preps by the gunships but had to break ofhis attempt when the enemy bullets disable.d his engine andpunctured his fuel cells . The ship was unflyaple but LT Readwas able to safely land the aircraft in a nearby clearing. Hewas rescued immediately.

At about 1800 hours on 24 May, after six hours on thground, we notified Medevac 6 and Sureshot 6 (the medicabattalion commander) that the friendlies, in our estimationand in the estimation of the /\ R VN advi sors on the groundmight not be able to hold out through the night because othe lack of ammunition, food and water. The unit had nobeen resupplied for two days. We advised Sureshot 6 that anarmored tank company from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment was two miles to the north and requested coord inationwith the taskforce commander in using them in a rescueattempt. After communicating with the taskforce commanderSureshot 6 advised us that the tanks could not be releasedHowever, a battery of 155 mm howitzer and a battery of 8inch guns were assigned to begin a barrage encircling thefriend li es. .

Following a full one-hour barrage, Medevac 2 1 CWORaymond Zepp, accompanied by four heavily armed Cobrasattempted the third rescue try. The mercy helicopter was welcomed by heavy small arms fire-the four Cobras returnedrockets and mini-gun fire into the tree line. Medevac 2 a lsohad to abort his attempt at rescue due to combat damage to

Sir: Three scenes of drama and action depict the job of medevac rescue crewsOn pages 2 a nd 3 of the January1975 issue of AVIAnO DIGEST theacronym AAFIF is defined as Automated Air Facilities Intelligence File.In fact, it is the Automated Air Faci lities Information File (AAFIF).

The AAFIF is produced and maintained by the Defense Mapping AgencyAerospace Center in St. Louis, MO.The AAFIF has existed since 1961 asan integral part of the DoD Free WorldAir Facility and Flight Information Library. t contains detailed informationon operating areas and support facilitieson approximately 49,000 airfields in thefree world. One of its uses is the updating of the Defense Intelligence Agency's(DIAs) Automated Installation Intelligence File. So that there is no misunderstanding, let it be pointed out thatDIA is charged by DoD Directive5105.21 with the respo nsibi lity for developing producing and providing basicintelligence.

COL Wallace W. Keehr, USAFDeputy Director for Plans,Requirements TechnologyDefense Mapping Agency

Thank you for calling this error tomy attention. I understand that arelatively recent change to regulationschanges the word intelligence toread information in this title toreflect accuracy. Editor.

22


25/52

hi s radios and an electrical fire. He made a successful precautio nary land ing a nd was rescued immed iately. Nig ht fal lap proached ra pi dly and stalled fu rth er resc ue operations un ti ldaw n .D uring the ni ght , the friendlies we re heavi ly at tacked th reet im es, necess it a ti ng the ca ll ing of artil lery fires e.(tre mely closeto the friendly peri jneter. The a rtill ery ba rr ages and cl ose,well coord in ated gunship cover pro tected the ill -supp li ed, surro un ded friend l es througho ut the nig ht , acco untin g fo r threevery large seconda ry ex pl os ions and 4 1 confirmcd cncmydead.Com menci ng at 0930 o n 25 May, four successivc ai rst ri kcswere ca ll cd in to help wea kcn encmy resistance. T he a irst rikesended at abo ut 1100 hou rs. T he 155 ITIm ba ttery a nd th e 8-in ch ba tt ery then bega n a ba rrage of white phosphorus (WP)in order to lay a heavy smoke sc recn for the forthco mingattem pt of resc uing the crew of Medevac 2 and his pa ti ents.Additio nal WP was pumpcd into thc arca by four Cobragu nshi ps immcd iatcly pri o r to the rcscue attempt.At 45 ho urs th rcc UH- I mcdevac hcli coptcrs sncakcd intothc LZ and prcpa rcd to cvac uatc Rocco a nd thc oth crwounded Soldiers. Upo n li ftoff thcy were engaged by conccntra ted auto ma tic sma ll arms fire. Ships one and two - f l ow nby Medevac 6 CPT M ichae l Hage rty, a nd Mcdevac 12, LTJohn Read - safely departcd th e hot LZ. However, shi p nu mber three, flow n by Medcvae 25, CWO William Sa ll cnge r,was hit. It se ttl ed to the grou nd a nd bega n to bu rn . T he sixCob ra gunships on sta tion began mak in g low level mini-gunruns and pumpi ng 40 mm ba rrages in to the enemy posit ion.Under fire, the gun shi p s com pany com mander, in a 8

- . - - - ~~ -c

model dropped into the LZ and rcsc lcd o ~ e whohad bcc n aboar u Mcdc\ac 25.Th e nex t day nine Si lver Stars were impact awardcd for thcindividua l hcriocs d i ~ p a y e d th rough thc 24 -h our resc ue a tte mpts of the crcw of Medevac 2. Abo, o n that day, thcfr iend lies at XU -5606 wcre ex tractcd and la tcr th at eveningth e grid square XU-5606 la ter to be named Mcdevac Mcadow, was ob literated by a 8-52 a irs trike.

CPT Steve Modica received injuriesin an attempt to rescue woundedRVN soldiers which caused his re-

tirement from the active Army. CPTModica lives in River Ridge L andin the hearts and minds of thou-sands of readers who owe their livesor their loved one s lives to Ameri-ca s fighting men who are willingto sacrifice hat others may live


26/52

M AJOR GENERAL RobertM. Danford, a key figurein the birth of Army aviation,died on 2 September 1974 at theage of 95.While serving as Chief of FieldArtillery in 1941, General Danfordwas a dedicated advocate of making light aviation organic to theField A r t ~ u e r y Early in 1941, hewas corresponding with BrigadierGeneral Horace Whittaker, thecommander of the 45th InfantryDivision, who was a firm believerin the potential of the light aircraft. Then, General Danford wasmost impressed by Major WilliamW. Ford's article Wings ForSanta Barbara, which appearedin the May 94 issue of theFIELD ARTILLERY JOURNAL.[This article was reprinted in theJune 1974 issue of the AVIATIONDIGEST.]

In the summer of 94 GeneralDanford, highly satisfied with theperformance of light aircraft inongoing Army maneuvers, visitedthe British Artillery School atLarkhill. The British experimentsfurther impressed General Danfordand when he returned to theUnited States he obtained permission to evaluate the airplanes inthe Louisiana Maneuvers. [SeeThe Army Aviation Story, Part

I, June 1962 AVIATION DIGEST.]The Louisiana Maneuvers wasan unq ualified success as far asproving the worth of light aircraftorganic to the units they served.Backed by division and corps commanders, General Danford recommended to the War Department

24

~ S o l d i e r , soldithat light aircraft manned byArtillery officers be made organicto division and corps artilleryunits.

Major General Leslie J. McNair,Chief of Staff at GHQ-and otherprominent general officers-werenot convinced. Consequently, General McNair ordered a test of General Danford's proposal. The testled to the formation of the famousClass Before One, which in

training exercises validated theconcepts that General Danfordchampioned at the Washingtonlevel. Finally, on 6 June 1942the War Department ordered theestablishment of Army aviation.

Altho ugh ini tially skeptical,General McNair soon became afirm supporter of Army aviation.Reports of the value of the aircraft in combat were particularlygratifying to General Danford.Typical was the statement of aGerman Panzer officer: Our Panzers feared nothing-yes, we didfear those damn little planes thatcame over. Then we hid; even riflefire would mean that we would getit [an artillery barrage] in threeminutes.

General Danford's spirit of soldierly service was typical of boththose who formed and those whohave continued to develop the concepts of Army aviation. Perhapsthis attitude is best reflected inColonel Danford's own words.When he was being promoted andtransferred to Washington, eachbattery of his 129th Field Artillerywas formed and marched to hisquarters. He bid them adieu, saying in conclusion, Soldier, soldierall the time "

Sir:t will take a long time

many files for tidbits of inforpite my being his son-in-law from the Army Mutual Aid as a former director. I was nere nee to dates.

I can give a little more ins[see article at the left] conHe was, in fact, an extremelymy staff when I was stationed i

We rarely spoke of the war,he proudly said, I was aafraid of nothing, absolutelyWhen those damn little planesand hid. We knew if they saartillery very quickly.

They must have been easythem down?

Never, he said. We o u lNot even one rifle was allowed

That's very close to the gknowing what a struggle heapproval for the Artillery to hcivilian, incidently, knew nothrelationship to the Artillery.

General Danford was interwife and close to the gravesitery with modified military hoon September 20, 1974.

I [am sending] an excelleArtillery when he did his fine jo

I hope this will be of help.

~U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


27/52

ll the time "Danford's many,

unknown to me des-For instance a letter

mentioned General Danfordthat. The letter made no ref-

former Panzer officer s remarksU.S. Artillery spotting planeshigh level Austrian civilian on

1952.I asked him where he served,

We Panzers were, there was just one exception.

we got into the woodsyour

said, didn't you try to shootof attracting attention.

my father-in-law about it,of Staff in gettingand flyers. My Austrian

about my father-in-law or hisof his

the West Point CemeMemorial Chapel

of him as Chief of Field

B. WELLS (USA, Ret.)06820

JUNE 975

Major General Robert M anford

25


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6

Adapted from an article of the same name that appeared in theCanadian Forces FLIGHT COMMENT, October 1970

HAT'S YOURS? You surelook beat ""Boy, I've had one heck ofa day-gimme a beer-and all be-cause of one guy ""What guy?""Old Super Snoop.""Who?""Captain Dooley, the aVIatIOn

safety officer That guy can stickhis nose in more people's busi-ness than anyone person I know.Don't see why we put up withhim. Never gives anyone a min-ute's peace

"You won't believe the thingshe does Won't stay in his officeand work. No, he roams all overthe place looking for things togripe about. Bet he's even afteryou to keep the bar dry so the

U. S ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


29/52

elbow benders won't slip and busttheir chins.""No, not yet.""Well, he will, just wait. Asafety officer should stay in hisoffice and not bother people. Heshould have you fill out a few

forms every once in a whilehe's got to have something toreport, but he should never rockthe boat. This guy is snoopingaround all over the place.

"You know, the aviation safetyofficer really has it made. He hasa pipeline to the old man. Playit right with a few rose-coloredreports-fill it again, please-andhe can even get himself promoted."But this guy-you'd never believe him You know those pilesof dirt the contractors left overby the south helipads? This morning this character had a detail outsmoothing them over. Said theymight cause a chopper to tilt ifone should accidentally land onthem. A million to one chanceand he's worried.

"We've hardly had any accidentsaround here in 2 years, and evenif we did it would probably besome jerk who didn't know hisjob.

"And have you noticed howslow the Hobart drivers are moving these days? None of themwill go faster than 15 miles perhour. That's his doing Turns ina report on them any time theyput on a little speed. Says it'sunsafe. Why, some of thoseHobarts will stop on a dime andgive you 5 cents change. Unsafemy foot I say let the muledriversgo as fast as they can so theycan get the work done quicker."

"Another beer?""Yeah. Can't drink much,

though, gotta fly tomorrow. Wherewas I? Oh yeah, Captain Dooleyand his foolishness. Did you knowhe had the men picking up cansand other trash? And this morningtwo men were cutting weeds. Sayscans and paper and even weedscan fly up and damage rotorblades. He just wants things looking pretty. Next thing you knowhe'll have pansies planted everywhere.

"He collects rocks and boltsand all sorts of debris. Got thisstuff all over his office. He keepstrying to find out where it comesfrom, as if that makes a difference.He's got FOD-mania.

"Now he's checking tool boxes.Wants a checklist on each one.He talks to the mechanics andwastes their time by showing themflight safety movies. Asks all kindsof nutty questions about moraleand what kind of personal problems they have. He really believesthat if a guy's unhappy he's morelikely to have accidents.

"Gimme another. Yesterday Isaw some commotion over by thepaint shed and I went to seewhat was wrong. There wasDooley raising cane. o m e o n ~ hadput a 5-gallon can of lP-4 in withthe paint. Said that paint ane JP-4should not be stored in the sameshed. Told everyone about an explosion in Vietnam [see "Fire,"May 1972 DIG EST] when lP-4,paint, oil and some other cleaningmaterials were stored together.Now isn't that silly. That happened way over there, not here."" Another?"

"Yeah, just one more; flyingtomorrow. Don't want old snoopychecking on my drinking. Knowwhat he's doing now? He's advertising. Yeah, advertising Readan old DIGEST. It said he shouldsell safety [" Advertising, The Keyto Selling Your Safety Program,"May 1967 DIGEST]. Now hethinks he's a super salesman.Everywhere he's got signs , everywhere. When you come in thegate there's one and when youleave there's one. He's even gota safety display over in operations.

"I think it's all for the birds.He's been here 2 years working24 hours a day, minding everybody's business, printing checklistsby the tons, worrying everybodyabout accidents, looking for dustand dirt in the hangars, showingmovies, gIvmg lectures, writingmemos, letters-and you knowwhat?"

"No, what?""It 's a complete waste of time

We haven't had an accident inthese parts for years ""You mean like about 2 years?

Ha ve another?""Can't. I'm all out of ready

cash.""No problem. They're free tonight. Dooley just got promoted.""You're putting me on I don'tbelieve it That just shows thewhole system is unfair. Here this

young smart pants, hardly drybehind the ears, gets promotedand for what? And here I am,twice as much seniority as he has.I always support the mess, laughat all the CO's bum jokes andwhat happens to me?"It just isn't fair." ;jj;--4

Third Sikorsky UTTAS Flies The third f l ight prototype o Sikorsky Aircraft sYUH-60A Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System(UTTAS) has been flown. The number one aircraft wasf lown late last year and number two was f lown earlythis year The UTTAS is a high-technology, squadcarrying helicopter.

27


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ertain

Ever had one of those days when thingsdidn't seem to e going according toHoyle ? If so, you ve probably had thatcertain feeling ; it should have promptedyou to exercise extreme care while evaluatingthe circumstances that evoked that feeling

Major Joseph J. 0' NeillArmy Advisor-New Jersey National Guard

~ T E CANNOT fly scaredl all of the time; nor can wefly with relaxed composure at alltimes, secure in the knowledgethat the machine, the people andthe environment are error free andnothing untoward can occur. But,we can develop an ability to alertourselves to situations which giveus a key that all is not well witheither the machine, the people orthe environment.

There are literally hundreds ofsituations which can arise thatshould alert the professional aviator. When this happens he shouldmentally begin to review the operation in which he is participating

28

to make sure he is aware of allthe risks involved. I have listed afew situations in an attempt toillustrate my point. For lack of abetter phrase, I call this alertingof the senses that certain feeling. An Army aviator shouldget that certain feeling whensituations similar to the ones listedbelow arise: The operations NCO discoversthat the aircraft you were originally sched uled to fly was taken foranother mISSIOn and he says,Well, all we have left is 176.

The young instructor pilotgiving you a local standardizationride agrees that your autorotationwas done to MOl (methods of in-

struction) standards but says, Letme take it around and show youhow to do one with zero groundrun. A supposedly highly experienced aviator with whom you areflying for the first time refusesto use a checklist.

The POL (petroleum, oils andlubricants) man parks his truckas close as possible to your aircraft prior to refueling so that hewill have to unroll the minimumamount of hose. The dash 3 on the aircraftyou are preflighting states UHFtransmitter weak-range less than3 miles on 241.0 MC. This hasbeen signed off by an entryground check OK when the

aircraft is parked less than 100yards from the tower. The commanding officer of astateside slick company says thatthey are preparing the aircraft for

airmobile training with infantryand you see the passenger seatsand seat belts being removed fromall aircraft.

You are greeted by a blanklook from the officer in chargeof an aerial gunnery range afterasking him where aircraft withloaded weapons abort to in caseof an inflight emergency requiringa running landing.

A grad uate of tricycle gearfixed wing school proclaims, after 5 hours in the 0-1 Birddog,that he doesn't see too much problem with landings in a tail dragger. The operatIons officer of aslick company prepares to givea briefing for an airmobile operations without benefit of map, overlay, air movement table or operation order.

Your copilot on an instrumentflight arrives at the airfield 30minutes prior to scheduled takeoff time without computer, pencilor charts and announces, Man,do I need a cup of coffee.

Have you ever encountered similar situations? Let us hear aboutthem.



31/52

Instrument enewalLamentAOne ct Play

bySergeant First Class Patrick Arbenz

Operations NCOICLibby AAF Ft. Huachuca AZ

PLACE: SomewhereTIME: SometimeCAST:Aviator: CPT Ohso SadOperations Officer: MAJ Tryedmy BestFEB President: COL Stick it Toem

Friend : lLT Liveit UpInstrument Examiner: LTC Flunkem All

S ENE I USASTRATCOM conference roomCOL Stickit Toem: This Flight Evaluation Board(FEB) has been called to decide the outcome ofCPT Sad's failure to renew his instrument certification.

M l Tryedmy Best: Sir, as CPT Sad's operationsofficer, I would like to state that this aviator waswell aware of the pending expiration of his instrument certification and that the 60-day lapse period was about to expire. He elected not to become properly prepared and in so doing failed tosatisfactorily complete his instrument renewalcheckride in the prescribed timeframe.COL Stickit Toem: CPT Ohso Sad, do you haveanything to say in your behalf?

CPT Ohso Sad: Yes sir, I would like to - - -fade to past.S ENE The beach in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico- March 973lLT Liveit Up: (grounded aviator) Come on Sad,you don't have to be back to duty til next week.

Let's take a dip and hit the club.

JUNE 975

Does this sort of thing only happen to the otherguy Do you see yourself here Ready for thatcheckride Is your lapse period quickly comingto an end tart early and stay on flying status

CPT Sad: I really should get back, I've got myannual writ Monday and I should be studying.

lLT Liveit Up: No sweat, anybody can pass thewrit without study- IT'S OPEN BOOK.CPT Sad: e l l ~ I guess it's OK. My ticket is good

until 5 May, and they always give that 60-daylapse period if you're not ready---fade.

S ENE III Airfield Operations (somewhere in Arizona)-IO May 973

M l Tryedmy Best: CPT Sad, my operations sergeant tells me that you still need to retake yourannual written exam and that you lack 5 hoursinstrument time for your minimums. How do youexpect to be ready for your instrument renewalcheckride this week?

CPT Sad: Well, sir, I meant to come to you aboutthat last month. I think that I am going to needsome time to study before I can pass my annualwrit and I really need about 1 hours of instrument refresher before I will feel right abouttaking my checkride - - - fade.

S ENE V U-6A Beaver cockpit somewhere overArizona-141uly 973

CPT Sad (sweating): I couldn't have sir, it's righthere in the book-where did I see that.LTC Flunkem All: Yes, Captain, you did and for

your information that isn't an airfield you aremaking your approach to, it is Highway 82. Howdid you get your ticket anyway - through correspondence courses? - - - fade to present.

COL Stickit Toem: Yes, Captain, we are waitingCPT Sad: Yes, sir, as I was saying, there just wasn't

enough time to get all the required time in the airand do the study that I needed and then weatherwas a big factor. . . .

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TH GREAT DEBATEcontinued f ro ge 7)hours of flight as compared to11.8 for the OH-58 12.7 for theAH-IG and a high of 39.6 for theOH-6.

While the accident rate fromemergency autorotations declinedsteadily during the 4-year periodthat from practice touchdown autorotations remained relatively constant. It is noteworthy that although the OH-6 accounted forless than 3 percent of the hoursflown during FY 1974 it was involved in 31 percent of all thepractice touchdown auto rotationaccidents that occurred during thatyear. In each instance the sequence was almost identical: ahard touchdown followed by abounce or fuselage rock with themain rotor striking the tail boom.

During this 4-year period theAH-I G autorotation accident rateclimbed steadily and as with theOH-6 the AH-IG accidents recorded in FY 1974 possessed striking similarities: hard touchdownsto sod areas followed by bounceor rotor blade flexation with consequent damage or destruction ofthe aircraft.While the number of emergencyauto rotation accidents involvingAH-IG and OH-6 aircraft has decreased over the past 4 years thecost in terms of autorotation training accidents remains excessive.Performance of successful touchdown auto rotations in both ofthese aircraft demands a high degree of aviation skill and instructor pilot proficiency. The narrowskid tread and high vertical centerof gravity of the AH-IG togetherwith the difficulty experienced bythe aviator in judging aircraft attitude make the touchdown phasein thi s airc raft extremely critical.Similarly the shock mounted skidsand the limited vertical clearancebetween the main rotor blades andthe tail boom of the OH-6 increase the possibility of damageduring touchdown. The problem

30

H.1} iii

OH 58iIji;AH.1 G

.\ COH 60 10 2 3 40

In-f l ight emergency rate per 100 000 flying hours by type aircraftFY 71 through FY 74

with the OH-6 is further amplifiedby its high rate of in-flight emergencies.Collectively the four modelsstudied amassed nearly /4 millionhours of flight during FY 1974and were in vol ved in 118 in-flightemergencies necessitating autorotations. Of these 14 re sulted inaccidents establi shing an exceptionally high ratio of 7.4 successful autorotations for every accidentthat resulted from emergency autorotations.

UH l. During the period FY1971 through FY 1974 the inflight emergency rate of the UH-ldeclined to the lowest level of themodels studied and 50 of the 57emergency autorotations performedwere successfully completed. Theemergency autorotation fatalityand injury rates decreased from .5fatalities and 5.9 injuries per 100000 flight hours in FY 1971 to 0fatalities and 1 1 injuries in FY1974. The practice touchdownautorotation accident rate remainedrelatively constant throughout the4-year period and in FY 1971Army pilots sustained .04 fatalitiesand 3 injuries as a result of practice touchdown autorotation accidents every 100 000 hours of flight.In FY 1974 this rate decreased too atalities and .2 injuries .

OH 58. Of the four models stud-

ied the OH-58 has shown the mostsignificant improvement in reduction of the overall accident rate aswell as in the number of accidentsresulting from in-flight emergencies. In addition the number ofsuccessful to unsuccessful emergency landings completed increasedalmost sixfold. During the 4-yearperiod covered by the study thetraining autorotation accident ratedecreased and significantly no fatalities occurred as a result of either training or emergency autorotations.

T AH l G. The overall accidentrate decreased sharply in FY 1974to 15.3 . The in-flight emergencyrate of the T/ AH-IG decreasedfrom 30.8 emergencies per 100 000flight hours in FY 1971 to 12.5 inFY 1973 then rose to 12.6 in FY1974. A steady and fairly steep decrease in emergency autorotationaccidents was also effected duringthis period. On the other hand thetraining autorotation accident rateincreased from 1.6 per 100000flight hours to 4.2 in both FY1973 and FY 1974. The emergencyautorotation fatality and injuryrate declined during this periodfrom 1.3 fatalities and 8.8 injuriesper 100 000 flight hours in FY1971 to none in FY 1974. Duringthis same period no fatalities andthree injuries occurred as a result



33/52

UH.1..H.58

OH.6 o 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

rotor inertia, it is felt that the inflight emergency rate of this ai rcraft 11.8 / 100,000 hours) and itsnormal operating mission justifythe continuance of autorotationtraining based on the assumptiontraining reduces emergency autorotation accidents. Current autorotative techniques and trainingprocedures appear highly effective.

T1AH-I G touchdown autorotation training appears effective inreducing accidents as a result ofemergency autorotations. H ow-

Percentage of successful emergency autorotationsi ncludes forced landings and inCidents FY 71 through FY 74

ever the cost in terms of trainingautorotation accidents has beensubstant ial. Considering theT1AH-I G in-flight emergency rateand the high degree of skill required to land this aircraft successfully in autorotation, continuedtraining in emergency proced uresis justified. That no T / AH-IGautorotation trammg accidentshave occurred during any formalcourse of instruction over the pastthree fiscal years suggests that increased emphasis on IP proficiencystandardization and close command supervision could improvefield experience rates.

of practice touchdown autorotations.

OH 6. The in-flight emergencyrate of the OH-6 was exceptionallyh

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Army Aviation Digest - Jun 1975

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