Army Aviation Digest - Oct 1963

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DIRECTOR OF ARMY AVIATION ACSFORDEPARTMENT OF THE ARMYBrig Gen John J. Tolson

COMMANDANT U. S. ARMY AVIATION SCHOOLMaj Gen Clifton F. von Kann

ASST COMDT U. S. ARMY AVIATION SCHOOLCol Robert F. Cassidy

EDITORIAL STAFFCapt Richard C. AnglinFred M MontgomeryRichard K TierneyWilliam H. Sm ithDiana G. Williams

USABAAR EDUCATION AND LITERATURE DIVPierce L WigginWilliam E. CarterTed KontosCharles Mabius

RMY VI TION1GESJOCTOBER 1963 VOLUME NUMBER 1

CONTENTS

LETTERSAIR MOBILITY, Cen Earle G Wh ee ler . . .COLUMN SUPPORT BY ARMED HELICOPTER, Capt \Villiam P Griffin. . .YOU-THE IDEA FACTORY, Richard K Tierney Y-ABC, Capt farris G McMicken . . . WHAT ABOUT AVIA TION'S FUTURE STAFF OFFICERS?

Capt T. J Shaughnessy and Capt Pierce Robertson . WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A FELLOW FREEZES TO DEATH,

Capt William H. King THE PIGEONS PLAYED PING-PONG, James M Knight . WHERE THERE'S SMOKE .. . 'U-8 LANDING GEAH, Ted Kontos . . .CRASH SENSE . . PROOF POSITIVE, Col Robert r. Hamilton . . . .DEAR BILL, Capt Max B Hoyt . . . . . . Insid B

The mission of the U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST is to provide information ofoperational or functional nature concerning safety and aircraft accident prevention, trainmaintenance, operations, research and development, aviation medicine, and other related dThe DIGEST is an official Department of the Army periodical published monthly uthe supervision of the Commandant, U. S. Army Aviation School. Views expressed heare not necessarily those of Department of the Army or the U. S. Army Aviation SchPhotos are U. S. Army unless otherwise specified. Material may be reprinted giving crto the DIGEST and to the author, unless otherwise indicated.Articles, photos, and items of interest on Army Aviation are invited. Direct communt ion is authorized to: Editor-in-Chiej U S. AT1ny Aviation Digest Fort Rucker AlabamUse of funds for printing of this publication has been approved by HeadquartDepartment of the Army, 27 November 1961.To be distributed in accordance with requirements stated in DA Form 12.


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Sir:Recently, a group of about 2

aviators were sitting around aconference table in Saigon discussing a long list of aviationneeds. Their experience rangedfrom a couple of fairly recentlieutenant 3-2's to three MasterArmy Aviators. The discussiondrifted to the new transistorized E6B type computer.

Now I know this next is goingto draw howls of anguish frommany of the professional circles,particularly teachers in the linstrument schools, but I asked thegroup for a show of hands onthe following question , Howmany of you, except in the annual written examination, regularly use the wind face of yourE6B? Not one hand went up

Another subject of the day wasthe requirement for the development of a kneepad or clipboardfor inflight paperwork, etc.Should it have: a pencil sharpener, a light attachment, or maybe a warning buzzer for minimum altitude?

Realizing that there are thoseold timers who rely simply on

OCTOBER 1963

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a half dozen sharpened pencils,a small plain tablet, and a miniature watchchain computer, Ilead into my presentation of n-other mousetrap. I didn't saybetter, as to my knowledge I amthe only one who has used it toany extent, and all aviators possess personalities. You will note,however, that on the present DAapproved flight progress card,which we were told a few yearsago to standardize upon and shutup, space is provided for onlyone ATe clearance. Now whohas ever fired off down the runway and gained a thousand feetwi h only one clearance?

This mousetrap started in 1957when a visiting Army Aviatorfrom HumRRO, Fort Rucker,sent me one of those metal clipboards from the book store. Ifooled around with that thing forabout 3 months. It wouldn't fitunder the yoke of an U -6, wasbuilt to mount fore and aft onyour leg, and finally, it was justa plain metal clipboard 12 lincheslong and 6 inches wide with afull length, tough spring flap.

In disgust I threw it into thebottom right-hand drawer of my

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desk along with the shoe polish,brush, and Brasso-but I didn'tquit worrying about it.After about 6 months of this,I hauled the culprit out, headedfor the machine shop and: a.Rotated the leg base so it restedon my leg, port and starboard,with a little offset for my righthanded writing comfort. b.Lopped off about three inches ofthe bottom segment. c. Shortened the top flap down to E6BcO, llputer face size and roundedthe edges. d. A few well placedrivets did the rest.

Checking in various knucklebusting cockpits disclosed that Ihad something workable. Now to. . . shhh . . . design a newprogress card.

First, we need a section forthe 175 sequences in flight planning, plus a change in destination, then there is the inevitable,going IFR from VFR with theaccompanying computation of analternate. Of course it is nice tohave the above items in thesame sequence that the FAA ra dio operators record them. A

ontinued on p ge 8

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ACLEAR AN D distinct need existsto get airmobility in the rightconceptual perspective, both withinthe Army and out.As I s it, airmobility fits into

our continuing and overriding aimof progressive improvement in ourcombat effectiveness. I n pursuingthis objective, everything we buy,use and do has to contribute directly to the success of the soldier inbattle.Accordingly, our moves in airmobility should be kept in this contextboth conceptually and equipmentwise. The statutory Army mission isto perform prompt and sustainedcombat on land. All Army organizations and equipment must be testedby those two qualifiers, prompt andsustained. This means in turn thatour view of airmobility has to reflectthese qualifications. We see airmobility as the use of Army aircraft to

move people and things in the combat zone and to furnish aerial platforms for our weapons and firesupport systems. We are seeking todo this along two general lines:

First by improving the effectiveness of particular activities andweapons systems involved in groundoperations by specific appl icationsusing aircraft.Second by developing an integ rated concept for the use of a i rcraft of various types in I eu ofground vehicles to improve thebattlefield mobil ity, and thus theeffectiveness in certain operationalenvironments of entire Army units.Specific aircraft applications in-

OC10BER 963

clude primarily command and control, observation, reconnaissanceand target acquisition together withsome battlefield logistic support appi ications. These uses derive fromthe faster pace of ground operationsand the greater ranges of Armyweapons systems. Ground commanders must make more rapiddecisions based on more accurate,wider-range, more current information. Visual observation fromthe ground or from l ight aircraftoperating at or behind the line ofcontact no longer serves many ofthese purposes. For example, thedivisions need and have developedimproved aircraft and sensors toprovide surveillance throughouttheir area of influence. This does notmean that the Army seeks to invadethe Ai r Force role of tactica I airreconna issance. I f the I ght a rti IIeryobservation airplane constituted nosuch invasion, then neither shouldthe more advanced aircraft observing for improved weapons.Service roles and missions are notreally at issue. What we are seekingis to attain full effectiveness ofArmy combat means.

The airmobility concept, whileincluding the specific applicationsI just mentioned, also combines aircraft for battlefield transport, aircraft for immediate and continuousfire support, and aircraft for battlefield logistic support into an integrated concept of operations. In thisintegrated concept, surface meansof transport, and some surfacemeans of fire delivery are replacedby aerial means. This would give us


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ime, i t is prudent to test the concepts thoroughly before proposingthe i r ful l -scale implementation.This is essentially the approach weook with the ROAD reorganization

lan. Accordingly, we expect theth Air Assault test program, asonducted by the Armyand by StrikeCommand, to be a fair, unbiased,thorough Iy profess ona I exam nat ion of concepts, organization, andequipment that appear to offer verygreat promise for increasing ourArmy s combat effectiveness.

This is why I insist that the doctrinal and field tests keep airmobility in a ground combat context. AsI see it, the decision in any combataction still depends on exploitingfirepower and mobility in propercombination and relationship. Mobility, as such, can make only minorcontribution to the decision i itsrelationship to firepower is unbalanced.The air cavalry combat brigadeproposed within our airmobile organization concepts deserves closescrutiny particularly, and of coursethe proposed appl ications of the

rmed hel icopter signify great po-

tential. For example, think of thehel icopter - tank - infantry - arti Ileryteam.

While i t is true that new ideascatch on slowly in any army, i t isa Iso true that any idea that advances combat effectiveness material izes in spite of all opposition.As incredible as i t sounds today,there was a t ime when the breechloading rifle was considered unacceptable by the Army because i twould encourage soldiers to wasteammunition.

M y point is that as the Army develops in this decade, I am anxiousto keep practical aspects foremost.The demands upon us are many.Our resources as generous as theymay appear to be are in fact limited. Our many commitments to thepresent and to the future competecontinually for these resources. Thiscompetit ion is frustrating, but it isnevertheless a healthy thing, because it forces us to put fi rst thingsfirst. This is why I insist that combateffectiveness and our mission ofprompt and sustained combat onland receive our priority attention.


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olumn upport bCHARRED remains of ninevehicles blocking the roadmade Captain Jones the newcompany commander wince ashe looked out at the ambushsite that had caused the death ofhis predecessor.

One swift, violent engagementhad changed Alpha Companyfrom a full strength organiza-tion of fine fighting men to aunit of reduced strength and lowmorale.The need for better planningand training to meet any futurecomba of this type was plainly

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Captain William P Griffin

indicated. Captain Jones was try-ing to absorb all the detai ls-the area the type of terrain thefiring positions, the plan of am-bush and all the other finepoints of this attack.He had talked to the officersand men who had been in thisaction amd made them repeat allof the details they could recall.He was trying to dissect this am-bush for all of the learning pointshe could gather and then i ithappened again while he was incommand the company coulddeal with this enemy in a way

that would end their attackonce and for all.

Captain Jones was boiling. Hcursed rnwardly at the mistakemade by the former compancommander. Yet he realized thaany commander could have suffered the same defeat i he wernot fully prepared for this typof combat.

Capt Griffin is assigned toU S. Forces Korea. He was winning author in the Seconn.nuaZ Digest Writing Awards

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elicopterIn his mind he could picture

the smirking smug faces of theguerrillas now safely hiddensome distance away. Thethought of those silent butchersfeasting on American rationsand boasting of their easy killturned his stomach.

This was not the work of bandits and overnight raiders but atactical attack well planned andwell executed by a trained dis-ciplined force. The guerrillas inthis area deserved a lot moreconsideration than he had previously given them.

OCTOBER 963

After inspecting the area thoroughly interviewing his men andinterrogating the local natives hewas able to visualize what hadhappened.

The site had been a narrowroad with a half-mile downgrade. At the bottom of thisdowngrade a bridge spanned asmall stream. The hills to theright and left of the road werenot jungle but vegetation wasthick enough to conceal a largebody of men.

The ambush had begun whenthe bridge was detonated under

a tank in the advance guard.The point had been allowed topass over the bridge and thenhad been taken under fire by acontaining group farther up theroad.The main body of guerrillashad opened fire on the 2 vehicles closed in the trap. Theguerrillas had dropped an abatisacross the road at the rear of themain body of the convoy to sealin the trapped vehicles and toblock the rest of the convoy.But the guerrillas had underestimated the strength and ag-

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LEGENDmRIENDLY FOR ESBasic unit: 1. security party 2 blocking group 3 main grO Up,4. command group

gressiveness of the point andthis plus the indirect fire weapons within the convoy had finally forced them to withdraw.

After the explosion signaledthe destruction of the bridge, thepoint had immediately openedfire along the sides of the road.This fire had dispersed the guerrillas who were assigned to destroy them. The point then hadreturned to the bridge and taken

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all possible targets under fire.These fires enabled the noncomsin the lead vehicles to gain control of their men and begin laying down a base of fire. The addi ional fires from the 81mmmortar established fire superiority, and the guerrillas withdrew.

Upon returning to battaHon,Captain Jones again studied theambush minutely to correct anysimilar trouble in the future. He

had inspected the terrain; analyzed the conduct of the attackand the tactics employed, theconduct and disposition of thecompany in this action its organization, and all the detailshis officers and noncoms couldrecall . He realized that every action of this type would be different, yet similar. The guerrillaswould probably organize an ambush along definite set tactics only varying organization anddisposition according to targetterrain and available weapons .Their basic unit would probablyalways contain a security partyto seal off the area a blockinggroup a main group and a command group. See map.)\ With this basic organization in\ mind, Captain Jones began plan-ning future action against suchan attack.

First he must instruct his officers and men in the tactics ofan am bush. He had to prepare

the men both physically andmentally for correct reactions tothis type attack. Control of themen and their fires by ensuringchain of command down to thelowest rank was to be assured.The immediate return of fire todestroy a roadside enemy mustbe stressed in training. Controland communications problemsmust be discovered and corrected . Convoy discipline must bestressed. Indirect fire weaponssupport must be planned and theweapons dispersed so not allwould be destroyed in one group .The M-79 grenade launcherwould be used more and riflegrenades of HE high explosive)and WP white phosphorous)types would be issued to extendthe range of fire. The individualtricks of the infantryman forcombat must be reviewed or re learned. He increased bayonettraining and surprise targetshooting.

Although Captain Jones

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wasn't a psychologist, he knewthat no matter what he did, theinitial shock and surprise of anambush would be hard on histroops. Only by instilling inthem a fierce, aggressive attitudeand showing them what theywere up against, could he overcome this major obstacle.

An order from division gavehim one of his finest weaponsagainst the ambush: an aviationelement that would be availableto him in the event of futuremovements of this type. Hetrained with it in every way heand his subordinates could planand imagine.

Since the division was responsible for so many areas, thenumber of aircraft availablewould be small. Nat en Ough tomove the entire company, butenough to lift two squads at atime. In addition, the companycould expect two helicoptersarmed either with rockets ormachineguns. The use of theseaircraft at night was limited butstill effective. In training withthe aircraft, a picked platoonworked constantly in an airtransported role and was considered the element to be used inthis capacity i the need arose.In training with march columns, the armed helicoptersserved as aerial observation postsand vertical attack groups. Extraammunition and POL for the aircraft were carried with the company, since the aircraft were toremain with the company for theduration of any mission.

The areas of interest to thebrigade were studied carefullyby Captain Jones. He arrangedflights over all routes to theseareas for his officers and seniorNCOs to acquaint them withterrain problems and characteristics. The brigade aviation officer assisted Captain Jones in hisplanning.

Six weeks later the company

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was committed to the relief of avillage. Guerrillas had sealed offand were besieging the town ofPoksong, and were too strong forany unit of less than companystrength to drive off. The localdefenders were holding wellenough , but they could not contain the guerrillas indefinitely.

The only aircraft available tothe relief column were the twoarmed helicopters and threetroop-carrying helicopters, eachcapable of lifting eight men .

Captain J ones organized hismen for combat. He realizedthat after reaching the flat, ricepaddy area 3 miles from Poksongthe sites for ambush by a largegroup of guerrillas would be al most nonexistent. Only harrassing fire and mines would haveto be considered.

The attack area would be nearenough to the town to ensurecontrol before the final assault,and objectives around and within the town were assigned. Because of the nature of the attackand the determination of theguerrillas to destroy the town ,Captain Jones felt that if tankscould be attached, they wouldnot only aid in the movement tothe town but once there, wouldalso serve as a good base of firefor his maneuvering troops.

The organization for the marchcolumn was as follows:Point-two jeeps with threemen each with mounted machineguns, one tank, one ar mored personnel carrier.

Advance Guard-second platoon, one tank, one jeep, three2 -ton trucks.

Command Group was in anAPC between the advance guardand the main group, with an al ternate command group in therear guard.

Main Group-Third Platoon,Weapons Platoon, supply andsupport vehicles, and commogroup.

Rear Guard-First Platoon,elements Of first and secondsquads, alternate commandgroup, and one armored personnel carrier.

The armed helicopters wouldprovide flank security and serveas a vertical fire group. The ra dios with the advance guard andwith both command groups netted with the helicopters. Alternate signals were planned forplacing fire on desired targets.No target would be taken underfire until approved by theground control radios, for Captain J ones wanted to controlthese aerial fires.

The fire teams assigned to thethree helicopters were membersof the First Platoon who hadtrained with these carriers.

Number 1 helicopter-eightmen: one section leader (a senior NCO) , one squad leader, onefire team of five men, one M-79grenadier.

Number 2 helicopter-eightmen: one squad leader, one fireteam of five men, and one M-60machinegun team of two men.

Number 3 helicopter-eightmen: one squad leader (alternate section leader) , one fireteam of five men, and one M-60machinegun team of two men.

FM radios to net with the helicopters and relay to the companywould be carried by the squadleaders.

This air-transport group wouldmove by bounds from open areasand be airborne during thoseperiods that the march columnwas passing through close terrain. The section leader wouldhave tactical maps of the area.He was to constantly monitorthese areas as he moved in theevent he was directed to the areato defend the column. His missions would be by designatedarea from the company commander.

Captain Jones visualized that


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the commitment of this unit tothe rear or flanks of an attackingguerrilla band would worry themenough to make their leader either shift some of his troops orfires. This would allow a fasterbuild-up of fire superiority fromthe ambushed troops and forcethe guerrillas to evacuate the position for fear of being annihilated. No plan of attack could beconcretely formed because onlythe guerrillas knew the intendedarea of attack. But with maps ofthe area, this vertical assaultgroup could move across theiravenues of escape and trap themas they moved out of the area;take the guerrillas under firefrom the rear or flank, presenting such a threat to their safetythat they would move to escape;or physically reduce the ambushelements by assault.The column was moving to therelief of Poksong at 1325 hours.On the main road leading to thetown, about 10 miles away, aguerrilla leader waited andwatched. The guerrillas had beenassigned this avenue of approachto prevent any roadbound reinforcements from reaching Poksong. Kill all you can and delayas long as possible was the order.This band of guerrillas, numbering 100 men, was the samegroup that had so successfullyengaged Alpha Company 6weeks earlier. The band hadmoved into this area the previous night, prepared positionsand received instructions for theattack. The band was largernow, due to the success of thelast ambush, and they wereeagerly awaiting the chance todestroy another American group.Perhaps this time an assaultcould be made. Then their stomachs would be filled with Yankee food and their pockets withall the valuable items the Americans carried.

to

The guerrilla leader smiledand pictured himself riding in anAmerican vehicle up to the town Iof Poksong, acknowledging con- u ngratulations and receiving anoth-

upporer promotion for his successfuldefeat of the Americans.

His thoughts were suddenlyinterrupted when he observedthe overhead flight of two helicopters with strange lookingpods or boxes protruding fromtheir sides. The lead helicoptersuddenly dived at the bridge. Aseries of staccato eruptions camefrom the helicopter, raking thebrush on both sides of thebridge. The rounds plummeting down the sides of the roadzinged and sputtered in the foliage. One man, crouched nearthe bridge, was spun around andlay dying with a .30 caliberround in his chest. A moment ofpanic overtook another manhidden nearby. He bolted for themain group. The helicopter didnot return, but continued itsflight. The guerrillas spent theremaining few minutes in a stateof great anxiety.

The guerrilla leader guessedcorrectly that the helicopter hadnot discovered his men but hadmerely used his fire to ensuresafety of the bridge. However,this was the first time he hadseen an armed helicopter, andhe was disturbed by the firepower exhibited.

The helicopter pilot had 0 bserved the area and noticed itsfavorable characteristics for anambush. He had reported the location and received permission tosearch by fire for any guerrillaelement. He had not noticedanything unusual after the firing,but continued circling the area.

The guerrillas' demo mancaught sight of the lead vehiclesand almost lost his morning ricewhen he realized that not onlywas there a tank with the point,

but also some of the troops werecarried in an armored vehicle.This group, the point, wouldhave to be allowed to pass. Hethought of the danger comingback on him after he detonatedthe bridge. He vividly recalledthe counterattack by the APe inthat last ambush.

When the APe within the advance guard reached the bridge,the demo man pulled the wire.The explosion destroyed the vehicle and signaled the beginningof the attack. The barks andsputters of guerrilla weaponsbegan. Raising himself from hisspider hole, the demo manlooked out at the burning remains of the APe and smiled.At that moment his head wasripped off by the automatic fireof the armed helicopters makinganother pass at the bridge andraking the brush with their fire.This is it, thought a rifleman,as he leaped from the vehicleand began returning the fire. Theroar of the weapons from theroad and the whine of high velocity rounds into the hillsidemake it difficult to use the oldcrack-thump method of locat

ing target, but the sector he covered with M-14 rounds gave himthe feeling that he was clearinghis area of guerrillas.

f the rifleman could havepenetrated the wall of brush, hewould have seen one man slumpover with a 7.62 round that wentfrom his shoulder to his stomachand one of his richochets surgically remove the elbow from aguerrilla AT (antitank) mantaking aim at the tank in thecolumn. The assistant AT man

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When the guerrilla leader sawthe helicopters discharging

Ie troops he gave the signal toe copter withdraw. His yellow smokestreamers weren t necessary.

might have been able to relievehis gunner and destroy that tank,bu after seeing his comrade onthe ground bleeding with a shattered arm and hearing the whineand singing of thousands ofmetal hornets, he lost all his lovefor combat, panicked and ran.He didn t run far. A WP riflegrenade exploded in a small treeabove him, and he died writhingon the ground.

The helicopters, receiving orders from the company, directedrockets into the hill area andthen covered the landing of thethree carrier helicopters to therear of the ambush site.

The area was almost as overgrown with brush and smalltrees as the hill in front, but twoof the helicopters were able tohover several feet above theground and allow their troops todescend by ropes. The third helicopter landed slightly to theright of the other two andquickly discharged its troops.However, just as takeoff beganit was hit by a number of automatic rounds from a guerrillaabout 100 meters up the hill.The pilot was wounded but thecopilot continued the climboutand several minutes later landedoutside the ambush area near therear of the company. The pilotwas given first-aid and a hurriedinspection of the helicopter wasmade. Little damage was notedexcept for the left front side nextto the pilot; the copilot electedto fly the copter back to the lastoutpost, 2 kilometers away. Thepilot and the crewchief waitedfor evacuation by the remaininghelicopters.

OCTOBER 1963

Most of his men had already be un to move. Many of themwould never move again. Theoverwhelming fires from thetroops on the road preventedtheir immediate evacuation, butthe guerrillas moved wheneverthey could.

Small arms fire from the roadwas sporadic now, but troopswere moving up the hill andmortar rounds were tearing intotrees above the guerrillas. Theycould feel the closeness of thebayonets and panic was replacing discipline.

The guerrilla leader and several others were on the rearwardslope of the site moving down atrail, when they were ambushedand cut down by one of thesquads that had debarked fromthe helicopters. The terrain allowed some of the guerrillas toescape and hide from the troops,but the survivors were few andtheir problems were not over.The wounded had to be hiddenand cared for which would increase their security problemsand slow down the return to asafe area, and military patrolswould be hunting them soon.

Captain Jones recalled thetroops to continue the march, re organized and moved again toward his objective. Woundedwere evacuated swiftly by thetwo remaining troop-carryinghelicopters. Ammunition was redistributed and the march continued. The column had beendelayed less than an hour. Incomparison to the loss that couldhave been sustained without hispreparation, it was a most successful operation.

The point had lost one APCand two men, but had repelled

all other attacks and forced thewithdrawal of the guerrillas. Theloss of vehicles and personnelhad been relatively light.

The guerrilla leader at Poksong was having difficulty. Thedefenders had put up too stronga fight and he was taking morecasualties than he expected. fthis fight continued muchlonger, his unit would begindrifting away; and the failure ofthe attack would mean us re lief and possibly his execution.

This was a change from guerrilla warfare, and was a type ofcombat he did not appreciate.But the town had to be destroyedto enable supplies for guerrillaunits to continue in this sector,so an all out attack would haveto be made, regardless of thecasualties.

Luckily, an ambush elementwas holding the American reliefcolumn from reaching the area.He wasn t worried about them.No one could come through thatambush in less than 3 or 4 hours.

The guerrilla units for the assault were in position and readyto move out when CaptainJones unit roared into the areaand launched its own attack. Theassault by trained troops, supported by fire from tanks, mortars and armed helicopters,caught the guerrillas in the mostvulnerable position possible. Thepursuit was a continuation of theassault. WHh the return of thehelicopters that had transportedthe wounded from the ambushsite Captain Jones was able toplace troops astride escape routesand destroy more of the retreating enemy.

That evening as Captain Jonesprepared the company for movement, he paused to reflect on thefine job his men had done. In sixshort weeks Alpha Company hadlicked its wounds, put its prideback in its pack, and annihilateda highly skilled enemy.


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YOU the idea factoryichard K Tierney

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BOVE THE BEST. This is afamiliar slogan in Anny

Aviation circles. It's catchy andin three words reflects bothpride and environment. Bushortly after being written on ahot summer day in 1953 at FortSill, Okla., it was thrown in awastepaper basket. Its authors(as is often the case were unaware of its real value.

Fortunately, the slogan wasrescued by an outsider, placedin the proper channels, and laterapproved by the Department ofthe Army as the official sloganof the Army Aviation School.

This idea was just one of manygood thoughts that hit the wastebasket that day-and every daysince. Many more good ideasnever get as far as the wastebasket. They are discarded be fore even being jptted down.Yet, all improvement begins as athought in the mind of man. fArmy Aviation is to reach its ultimate capabilities, then all ideaswith potential must be carefullyexamined.

Too many of us will not t kethe time to write or sketch outan idea and submit it. Still, wefin the time to sit around andcriticize the Army for not havingdone this or that. This situationdoes not necessarily exist because people are lazy, but simply because:

They do not know how tosubmit their ideas.

They are apprehensive ofcri icism of their ideas and / orjournalistic efforts.

e They feel they do not havetime to write them up.

e They feel that it is notworth i t tha t the Army thinkstroops in the field cannot comeup with good ideas because theyare either too inexperienced or



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in a position to see thebig picture.

SUBMITTING THE IDEYour idea does not have to be

in triplicate on an electricNor does it have to

spaced on legal-sizedconsist of not less than

words with accompanyinggraphs, charts, and

It can consist of a few pencilany typef paper available to you in-

luding rough sketches i fnecessity is

hat you get your point acrosscan be done easily by fol

this simple format:Explain

WHAT is wantedWHY it is neededWHAT it will replace ifappropriate)HOW it will be usedHOW it will increase comba effectiveness

A good rule to remember is todiscuss each point until you feelyou have told the whole storyAnd remember, only you knowwhat you are thinking.

When you have completed awriteup, either submit it throughchannels or directly to the U. S.Army Combat DevelopmentsCommand Aviation Agency

USACDCAVNA), Fort Ruck-er, Ala. Your suggestions andjournalistic efforts no matterhow practical or radical will notunder any circumstances be crit-icized or adversely affect yourcareer. nly your ideas andtheir value to the Army are im-portant.

f you are a poor writer, CD-CAVNA will decipher your mes-sage. But this consumes valuabletime, and it is d.mportant to makeyour point as clearly as possible.OCTOBER 963

How much time does it take tosubmi an idea? Of course thisvaries, but in most cases a sug-gestion can be wri ten in thetime we allow for daily coffeebreaks.

IT S WORTH ITThe Army feels that troops inthe field are in one of the bestpositions to manufacture ideasthat increase combat effectiveness. While they may not be see-ing the big picture, they are see-ing the important picture of howequipment and organizationfunctions in simulated or actualcombat situations. Even though

he may be relatively inexperi-enced, the man in the field isworking in the environmentwhere previously undetectedflaws and shortcomings usuallycome to light. The Army recog-nizes that all requirements areuser requirements and that thetroops in the field are the bestqualified users.

Many feel it is not worthwhileto submi a suggestion because itusually takes many years beforean idea is seen as hardware oreffected as an important TOEchange or tactical maneuver. Buti f an idea increases the combateffectiveness of the Army today

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or 2 years from today, it iswort it

What happens to a suggestionreceived at CDCAVNA? Youcan rest assured that it is thoroughly evaluated. When appropriate, it is consolidated withsimilar ideas to eliminate duplication of effort. f an idea hasmerit, CDCAVNA recommendsa priority and writes up recommendations, justifications, or aformal requirement. t is usuallycoordinated with aircraft usersand then forwarded throughthe Combined Arms Group atFort Leavenworth, Kan., toCombat Developments Com-

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mand (CDC), Fort Belvoir, Va.,and the Department of theArmy. The idea may be set asidefor possible use in the future; itmay be included in a study program-or instigate a study program; or it may be placed byDepartment of the Army inother channels for procurement,production, test and evaluation,and finally incorporation intothe inventory.

Indeed, this is a time consuming process. Numerous delays arecaused by monetary problems,priorities, and comprehensivetests and evaluations. These delays are built into the system, but

they do offer advantages. Theyallow adequate time to plan andconduct an orderly R D programto improve the immediate andlong range combat effectivenesof the Army. But this system canproduce effective results only along as ideas continue to flow infrom the field.

WH T TO SU MITWhile most ideas should be

sent to CDCAVNA, some routine improvements on standardequipment should be submitteto other agencies in accordancwith AR 700-35. For examplesuch ideas as moving a handle toimprove cockpit safety or placing larger wheels on a helicopteto improve ground handling armore expeditiously handled inot.her channels.

I t would be nice if all ideafell neatly into categories thacould be easily routed to thproper agency. But since thedon't, i f you can't decide wherto send your idea, forward it toCDCAVNA and they will placit in the proper channels.

CDCAVNA works on projectthat fall into two general categories: those involving materiaor hardware and those that concern theory, doctrine, tacticsand organization. Many projectfall into the glamourous classsuch as proposals for an all purpose Vj STOL aircraft like thone shown above right o(more seriously) a heavy observation aircraft, or even a complete overhaul of the Army'organization and tactical employment.

Many CDCAVNA projects ardefinitely not in the glamouclass, but are much closer to thaverage Army Aviator, such asnew flight helmet or a pilot's clipboard. You have probably knowof many of these routine needfor years, but have not bee

U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGES


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aware that CDCAVNA was interested in such nonglamourousideas. Also many Army Aviatorstend to over ook these everydayneeds, feeling they are smallpotatoes, not worth wastingtheir time on. (Except of coursefor delivering occasional verbaltirades against the Army for notdoing something about this orthat.) Fortunately, there arethose who realize that they rethe rmy and they re doingsomething about this or that.

CDCAVNA PROPOS LSAs pointed out, it is sometimesdifficult to determine through

which channels an idea shouldbe worked. One such projectrecently completed at CDCAV-N A is the proposal for a blindflying hood suitable for attachment to the APH-5 flight helmet.As a training device, this ideacould have been submittedthrough other channels. However, the Army deemed it moreexpedient to work this projectthrough CDCAVNA.

OCTOBER 963

Since a suitable hood does notexist, combat developments thoroughly investigated numeroushood ideas submitted from thefield. (See DIGEST, Mar 1960,Sep 1960, Aug 1961. Study re vealed that a hood should bedurable, water resistant, collap-sible, and weigh 5 ounces orless. It also must be easily re movable from the helmet withone hand and suitable for usefrom the right or left hand seatsof Army aircraft equipped forinstrument flight.

A desirable feature recommended for the hood is that aportion of top panel be transparent to permit the wearer tosee controls mounted on the ceil-ing of the aircraft with minimumtilting of his head.

5


18/52

CDCAVNA's hood recommendations have been forwarded tohigher levels for further consideration.

PI lOT li PBO RDSYou may not have to wait

much longer for a standard legmounted clipboard to use duringflights in Army aircraft. CDCAVNA is recommending a clipboard that can be used duringday or night operation by eitherleft or right handed pilots. Itwould hold checklists, maps, instrument navigation charts, letdown approach plates, and otherdata required for the conduct ofa mission.

After extensive investigation,combat developments has concluded that off-the-shelf clipboards are not suitable for usein all types of Army aircraft.Consequently, procurement of anew item appears to be the onlysolution.

Specifically, CDCAVNA saysthe clipboard must weigh 2pounds or less, be durable, compact, and designed to be firmly(but comfortably) attached to either leg above the knee.

Clips or other holding devicesat the bottom and top must beoperable with one hand and havea two-position, stay open or stayclosed capability.

The clipboard must also include a feature to enable the pilot to quickly change information visible to him to a secondpage and back again (such asfrom an en route navigationchart to an instrument approach chart and back to theen route navigation chart).

Among other essential featuresCDCAVNA is asking that theclipboard contain a battery powered, low profile light which will6

perform adequately for periodsup to 6 hours but not impairnight vision of crew personnel.The clipQoard must also have aqu c k disconnect capability,space to store two pencils, and apencil sharpener.

CDCAVNA has forwarded itsrecommendations to higher headquarters.

PROTECTIVE HE DGE RThe APH-5 helmet does not

fully meet the needs of ArmyAviators and crewmen. Consequently, combat developments

/l

has worked out characteristics ofa proposed new headgear whichis scheduled to be developed foruse by 1967.

The helmet is to be comfortable and provide increased protection against CB agents andacoustic and ballistic penetration.It should be olive drab in color,weigh not more than 3 pounds,and be capable of being wornfor up to 8 hours without unduediscomfort and for 7 hours under stress conditions.

Once donned, the headgearshould be easily operable with



19/52

one hand and should pernlit aliquid intake to the wearer whileit is furnishing CB protection.

Combat developments is proposing that qualified personnelbe required to properly fit thehelmet to each aircrewman atthe time of issue. t is suggestedthat the flight surgeon be assigned this responsibility. Afterinitial issue, the helmet shouldnormally be fitted for studentsat the Army Aviation School,thus elinlinating the need foradditional flight surgeons andlogistical backup at other locations.

The proposal for a new helmethas been forwarded to higherlevels.

PROTE TIVE RMORA standard joke about protec

tive aviation rm r envisionseach Army Aviator being issueda dishpan full of sand beforeeach flight.

On the serious side, combatdevelopments is proposing a system or kit to protect pilots andcopilots of Army aircraft fromprojectiles. The kit (or system)should be fire resistant and notexceed 100 pounds 65 poundswhere protection for only oneperson is required).

Protection would be linlited tothe torso from projectiles firedfrom positions below a horizontalplane passing across the shoulders of the pilot and copilotwhile the aircraft is in straightand level flight. t is essentialthat the kit protect against multiple hits striking more than 6inches apart. Equipment designmust include quick release ordisconnect features to permitrapid exit from the aircraft.Recommendations for such a kitOCTOBER 963

or system have been forwarded to higher headquarters.

In addition to classified highpriority projects, CDCAVNA isworking on many other moreroutine projects. An example isthe off-the-shelf procurement oflightweight flight gloves. Suchgloves should be availablethrough normal supply channelsin the near fu ture--thanks to

the efforts of combat developments and those in the field whotook th tim to write up theirideas and needs.

Other ideas being worked onat CDCAVNA include a nliniature MB-4 computer and selfsealing fuel tanks. Many otherprojects are under study. f yourideas are not among them, it sy ur fault-not the Army s.

I

7


20/52

ELCOME to the unit,Specialist 4 Gordon. I'mSergeant Conway, Mohawk linechief."I'm glad to be here, Sergeant.

I've really been anxious to getto work on these things. Theonly Mohawk experience I haveis school at Rucker. We covereda lot of material in those fourweeks. I worked hard and en-joyed the course, but I'm notsure just how much I retained."Well, Gordon, that's whatthey make TMs and sergeantsfor. Just stick to the books, andI'll always be around to help youout. I've been with these aircraftfor a couple of years. It's a goodship, but you really have to knowyour stuff and keep your headout or you'll kill someone. Thris

8

aptain Farris G McMicken

ship has safeties on top of safe-ties, but like they say a littleknow edge can be a dangerousthing. You liked the course backat Rucker, huh?"Yes, Sergeant. It moves fastand there's a lot of book work.I guess it's about the hardestcourse I've been through. Yousure feel like you've done some-thing when they finish with you.That crew of instructors sureknow their stuff You'd thinkthey made the Mohawk. I guessthe best part was the ejectionseat and the engine. That elec-trical system was just too muchfor me. I have a lot of respectfor that seat, but I feel prettyconfident working with it."

Yea, Gordon; it's just likeworking with any kind of ammo.

I used to be with 155s. f youhandle it right it's perfectly safe.Guess it's invaluable to the pilotsthough. They really seem to be-lieve in it. Seems to make the'ole' Hawk the safest aircraft theArmy's got.

Sergeant, there's so much tothat turbine engine. I think Iknow generally how it works,but there are so many f.ormulasand numbers associated with it.Capt McMicken is SectionChief OV-l Mohawk Fixed

Wing Branch Advanced Main-tenance Division Department ofMaintenance USAAVNS FtRucker Ala.Artwork by Mr. W. Ward

Norfolk Va.U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


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It seems no one could remember all that.""Remember the good 'ole'TMs, Gordon Just settle down;

get the rest of your gear squaredaway and your personal problems out of the way. I'll see youback here at workcall tomorrow.Sergeant Brown will give youthe poop on the barracks andhelp you get squared away."

"See you later, Sergeant Conway. Thanks."

"Hello there, Specialist Frazee.How's everything?"

"Sergeant Conway I haven'tseen you since Korea Someonetold me they had a hard-nosedsergeant down here with the Mohawks. I guess you've got themall shaped up as usual."

"I don't know who told youthat Frazee. These ships downhere require good, careful maintenance. It's not like the old L-19. You know I give everyonejust what's coming to them, nomore and no less."Just kidding, Sergeant Conway; I know that you go rightby the book. Open it to thechapter and verse and a guy canknow just what you want. Anychance of me getting over tothese Mohawks?"

"Ever been to Mohawk school,Frazee?"

"No, sergeant, but I've had alot of experience on a companyturbo back home."

"That's no good. The best wayfor this MOS is to go to school

at Rucker. There's no guessworkand little room for error whenworking on these things. Well,I'd better get on it; I've got workto do."

"So long, Sergeant. I guess I'llbe an 0-1 mechanic forever. Ishould have joined the CoastGuard. Those guys always haveit better."

"So long, Frazee."Sergeant Conway glanced up

at the status board. "Well," hecongratulated himself, "we canreport a 100 percent flyable toOperations again today. I can'tsee why other units complainabout maintaining these birds.Mechanically the engines aresimpler than recips. I think people having trouble just don't follow through on parts requestsand supervising these troopersthat wo 'rk on 'em. These troopsget good training before we get'em. They just requ1re a bit ofsupervision.

The door opened."Good morning, Gordon. Did

you get all squared away in thebillets?"

"Yes I did, Sergeant Conway.The other GIs were very helpful. They sure seem to like thisoutfit. I saw some of our friendsfrom our old uni t -you remember 'Slick,' 'Charlie Brown,''Blackie' and 'Ole Crazy.'"

"Yes, 'Flash,' lot of the 'ole'gang are here. Let's take a lookaround the shop and ramp area.Most of your work will be out

here on the ramp. Let's walkdown this way. You'll be crewing 770 there on the end. It hasbeen one of our best ships, andI'll expect you to keep it thatway. It will take a lot of hoursand effort."

"No sweat, Sergeant. I'm anxious to get after it.""Let's stand here in the shade

and make sure we understandeach other. There's no changefrom when you used to work forme-just different equipment.You'll see equipment here thatyou didn't see in school. You'llremember they had the YOV-1and a couple of OV-1Cs. That'sprobably the only "Y" bird thatyou'll see. Here we have OVlAs, Bs, and Cs."Each of these aircraft servesa different primary purpose.You'll soon learn that there is agreat difference in Mohawks.Each type not only varies fromthe others, but Mohawks varyfrom serial number to serialnumber. Let's go over here andlook at these two A models."

"Gee, Sergeant, how can youtell an A from any other type?"

"You'll soon learn, Gordon.Many differences are obvious,but you'll have to get down andread serial numbers on somecomponents to tell the difference. On these two A models,the difference isn't really so obvious until you try to start 'em.See that button up there on theleft eyebrow panel?"

"You mean the one that says' interrupt crank'?"

"Yes, that's the one. Remember that when starting, youpunch that button for ' interruptcrank' in case of a hot start orsomething.

"Sergeant, that's the same waythey were back at Rucker."

"O.K., now let's look at thisother A. Look at the same buttonup there on the left eyebrowpanel."

9


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"Well, I'll be i t says 'ignition'over the very same button "

"That's right, Gordon. Thevery same button does exactlythe opposite thing on each ship.Notice that on the other shipthe stores selector switcheswere there on the pilot's instrument panel."

"This one had bomb racks too,Sergeant. Where's the switchpanel?"

"Look up there on the overhead panel."Well, I'll be. A person couldsure get confused going fromcockpit to cockpit on the verysame models."

"Gordon, the biggest difference, as far as you are concerned, isn't quite so obvious.Even the engines are different.On these older models the engine life depends a lot uponmodifications. MWOs have beenperformed on some engines thatextend the overhaul time.""It looks like a mechanic likeme is going to have a time remembering all of this.""A few of these things you'llremember because you use theknowledge every day-such asthe difference in starting procedures. However, every TM describes which serial numbers the

section you are reading pertainsto. You'll want to pay careful attention to this."

"Thanks, Sergeant; I'll remember that.""I don't think you'll have anytrouble i you do. Over there atthe rear of the ramp is a B model. Can you see any differencefrom here?"

"The wings look longer.""They are 3 feet longer. Thatgives it 6 more feet of wing

span. This gives the ship amuch higher service ceiling.

"What's that big, long, blackthing hanging beneath it?"

"That's SLAR, Side LookingAirborne Radar. SLAR is themain mission of that type ship.

"They use those things on U-8s, too, don't they?""Yes, they do. But this is a

much more powerful ship andbetter suited for carrying SLARequipment. What you can't tellfrom here is that that ship hasmore horsepower than these Amodels. It has the new T53-L7Lycoming engines."

"We only studied the T53-L3at school. Is there much difference in the L7?""Not too much. Just a fewchanges which update the L3.It gives the pilot 95 more horse-

/

ONE MORE MECHANIC WITHOUTPROP R TRAINING, AND I LL QUITI

2

power. The old L3, you'll re member, put out 1,005 horsepower. This job puts out 1,100.They say that soon the A modelsover here and all others will havethe L7.

"All the rest of our ships areC models. We use those, just aswe do the A's, for aerial photography-plus, they have infraredequipment installed. This infrared stuff is pretty well classified.This C model is a bit heavierthan the A model. There's not awhole lot of difference as far asyou'll be concerned in workingon them.

"I always thought that a Mohawk was a Mohawk. I didn'tknow there was a family ofthem."

"Yes, Gordon. you've seen theA, B, and C Mohawks, butthere's still more.""More types of Mohawks?""Yes, you'll remember the

YOV-l back at Rucker. There'sstill a few of those around."

"Sergeant Conway, I thoughtI knew all about Mohawk maintenance after having to study somuch in school, but, like yousaid, I'll always have the TMsand your experience to lean on.

"Right, Gordon, I'll see youafter chow."

"So long, Sergeant Conway.. . . Let's see, there's the oldYOV u sed for photographyand visual surveillance. TheOV-l is used for the same thing,but is a newer aircraft. Thenthe OV-IB over there; that onelooks a bit different, flies higher, and is used for side lookingairborne radar. The OV-IC isthe only one used for infrared.Although each has its modifications, they are all good for visual surveillance and are capableof both day and night photography.... I think this new assignment is going to be interesting. I like it here."u s ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


23/52

- - - -

what about

OFFICERS

Captain T J Shaughnessy and Captain Pierce Robertson

ARMY AVIATION has untoldI l wealth in good aviators.The Army on the whole hasmany good staff officers. Butwhat about the combination-theaviation staff officer?It is becoming increasinglydifficult to find a good aviationstaff officer one who is orientedin the broad spectrum of aviation activities and well foundedin tactics employed by the combat ground elements. Any officercan do the job-particular y ithe work is rudimentary andnot too challenging. But we'retalking about the officer whocan be assigned to any unit anddo a superior job for aviation.OCTOBER 1963

The man we need must have aknowledge of the capabilitiesand limitations of all aircraft inthe Army inventory, be cognizant of regulations, be currentin supply and logistics procedures, and be aware of maintenance and supply problems. Hemust also be abreast of changesin tactics pertaining to methodsand techniques employed byground commanders and aviation commanders. Above allthis staff officer must have a coolhead, a discriminating eye, andthe good judgment gained fromprofessional experience. Wheredo we go to find the genuinearticle this all round, triple

threat aviation staff officer?Aviation commanders find

themselves faced with this serious and controversial problemcreated by the unexpected andrapid growth of aviation. Thenumber of experienced officersavailable is not sufficient toIneet the present demand. Therejust aren't enough to go around.We now have a great influx ofnewly trained aviators, a few ofw hom are senior in rank. They

Capt Shaughnessy and CaptRobertson are with the Com-mand and Staff Division Depart-ment o Tactics USAAVNS FtRucker Ala.

21


24/52

are needed to fill the staff posi-tions required in the ROAD di-visions, the new Air AssaultDivision, and aviation jobs athigher levels.

Li tle difficulty will be experienced employing the more senior officers in staff positions.These officers will adapt, but thevast majority of new aviators donot have the professional background or training and are,therefore, scarcely prepared tocope with the problems theywill confront as aviation staffofficers. Graduates of branch ca reer courses are taught firmconcepts in staff procedures butare not exposed to the more in volved and more detailed problems related to the specializedarea of aviation command decision-making.

We in aviation realize that wehave increased the store of aviation knowledge and the theoryof its application beyond belief.Yet, we have made it correspondingly difficult for aviationcommanders to keep themselvesor their staff officers trainedand abreast of these new developments. These problems, i notgiven consideration now, willaffect all aviation units, tacticalunits employing aviation, andevery aviator. They will affectthe type leadership receivednow and in the years ahead.This is but one of the ironic sideeffects caused by Army Aviation's accelerated growth.The aviation staff problem existing today was expressed bytwo senior officers overhearddiscussing their problems aftera flight. Their conversationgradually drifted to a morepressing topic of command. Wewill call them Lt Col Pato Foresight and Lt Col BillMcHindsight. Not surprisingly,their conversation reflects thechanging attitude and thinkingof many of our officers today.

Colonel O'Foresight, did youget the impression that thepeople in ATC were rather impatient this morning?

Well Colonel, I thought theywere attempting to hurry us,and at the same time bring usup-to-date on the proper reporting procedures, SID departures,and changes in the holding patterns.

What you're saying so po-litely, Pat, is that ATC was impatient with me, not us. I'mafraid I'll have to admit that mymind was on other matters. Thetruth is, I haven't given toomuch thought to flying in thepast few months, not since Itook over this new aviationbattalion. I've had so darn muchwork getting the battalion organized, and I haven't been ableto get an experienced staff together to carry much of theload. All the problems that comeup are new ones. It's not likethe good old days.

I understand your situation,Bill, and I can sympathize withyou. I've had similar difficultiesover in my outfit. It's toughfinding time enough to remaincurrent and proficient, eventhough I've been rated 16 years.However, my staff has performed remarkably well considering the short time theyhave worked together. Theystay on top of problems or po-tential problem areas. Oh, I'lladmit, I had a few anxious daysafter I was hustled off to takeover the new outfit, but thingsfell in place. It wasn't a spontaneous development at all; mystaff required training but I feelthey are all officers with an extraordinarily high level of individual aptitude and co,mpetence.

You were fortunate, Pat, toacquire all that ability. How didyou luck out, or did you handpick your personnel?

Neither, Bill. On one of mytrips to Rucker, I heard of theaviation staff officers' course,and, after a little investigating,I realized that this course hadreal value. I could have kickedmyself for not looking througha school catalog first. It wouldhave saved me a considerableamount of time, but then I al-ways do things the hard way.Nevertheless, I took advantageof my discovery and decided tosend two of my more experienced officers. These officerswere well grounded in aviationand had considerable flying experience, but were not wellacquainted with aviation staffmatters.

As a result of their attendance, I was particularly impressed with their performanceand completely sold on the value of the staff course. Sincethen, I have instituted a policyof scheduling my potential staffofficers into the course.

All of what you have told meis great, Pat, but it doesn't solvemy predicament. First of all,I don't have the officers to spare;and secondly, the time lostsending them to a long courseof instruction wouldn't be practical.

Bill, I don't think I succeeded in getting my pointacross very well. When I stumbled onto the idea of sending myofficers to the staff course, Ididn't have an excess of personnel. I doubt if I had any moreofficers available than you havenow. I could not have sparedany of my staff officers for anextended period, and that'swhat convinced me to try thisaviation staff course. It onlylasts three weeks. Yet, by an intensive schedule, the studentsbecome familiar with currentorganizations, equipment, characteristics of aviation units, andare given a working knowledge



25/52

of employment, staff procedures,and the principles of operation.

"The course also includes anextensive guest speaker program which provides the students with the latest information on concepts and doctrine,supply procedures, commandand staff relationship, and someadditional considerations involved in aviation maintenance. Probably the most valuable aspect of the course, whichis often overlooked, is gainedfrom the students' exchange ofnew ideas and techniques asthey apply their ideas to thetest-tube type map exercise.Bill, I believe I saved timeoverall by sending my officersto school for three weeks. Theywere given an up-to-date liberal education in aviation staffand command functions. I don'tknow of any other school whichwould have suited my purposeto a greater degree. The officersI sent are now oriented to aviation staff problems. Where elsecan you find a concentration ofmodern Army Aviation thinking, particularly where it is soclose to the center of ArmyAviation research and technological development?"

"You've sold me, Pat I wasskeptical about sending my offi-cers away to school when we began our conversation, but nowI think you have helped solvemy problem. Let's finish ourcoffee and file out so I can getback to my office. I want tocheck the school quotas, and getseveral officers in this commandand staff course."

"Good enough, Bill, let's go.I'll check the weather.

At first sight, it may seem oddthat a conversation like the onedepicted above could have takenplace. Possibly it has beenoversimplified. Nevertheless, of-ficers from units similar to that

OCTOBER 963

commanded by Colonel McHindsight attend the ArmyAviation Command and StaffOfficer Course each time it ispresented. The instruction theyreceive is interesting and diversified, and includes subjectssuch as: Army Air Traffic Regulation and Identification Systems and Organizations, Operation of the Army AviationElement in the Division Tactical Operation Center, Automatic Data Processing Systems,Concepts Pertaining to the AirAssault Division, and Conceptsfor Future Organizations. Allsubjects are intended to emphasize the vast amount of information used today by ouraviation staff officers.

Whether all aviation unitsreceive the best possible leadership and management in theyears ahead depends in part onthe way our new commandersand staff officers face or ignorethe staff training problem. Willthe young aviators just goinginto staff positions be prepared

to recognize and deal with aviation staff problems as they aretrained to recognize and handledifficulties encountered whileflying? They will be i allowedto d v l o p their abilitiesthrough proper training andschooling. Our potential leaderswill meet the challenge createdby the rapid expansion of ArmyAviation; and they will becomethe aggressive aviation officersneeded to assume positions ofresponsibility.

In passing, stop a minute andreflect. Could you fill the shoesof an aviation staff officer and doa truly professional job? f youranswer is in the negative, whynot check with your G3j S3people about a quota for thenext Army Aviation Commandand Staff Officer Course at FortRucker? The course is open toboth active duty and reserveofficers. The Army Aviation expansion program dictates a needfor more active duty people toattend. The reserve componentsare always well represented.


26/52

EAR TROOPS,The topic for this monthconcerns cold weather, and thehuman body's response to it. Ofcourse, we shiver and get goosebumps, but let's go a little beyond that. First, let's review afew tech orders as to how thebody regulates its own temperature, and the methods by whichit will react to thermal stress.Then we will see what can gowrong, how to prevent it, and,as a last resort, how to treat itif necessary.

You will recall that only ashort while ago it seems, wewere discussing heat stroke andother summer hazards. But, ofcourse, unless you are flight-planning for Hawaii or Timbuctu, you can lay that informa-

24

r

of old niury rAF tlOWo ~ I \ T H

aptain William H King

tion aside until come grass. Buthold on to a few of the basicprinciples for a moment, be cause they do not change withthe season. Let's give them alow-Ievel-short-Iook again.

The body's thermostat ishoused in sort of a commandpost, deep within the gray in terior of the brain. There a fewBetz cells lounge around, giving an occasional glance to theTWX messages feeding into itfrom the peripheral receptorsthat is to say the skin scouts,posted out there on the body'sdefense perimeter to take noteson the time, temperature reading wind velocity, etc. Generany speaking, these scouts arewell-trained specialists, w h oc r ryon during all kinds of

weather (expecting the occasional weakling who shows upat the hospital about 0400 anddrags the MOD out of bed).These scouts' MOSs show themto be specialists in thermal reception, as distinguished fromother receptors who may specialize in pain, touch, or bodyposition sensations. They areusually reliable throughout alife span, unless one is befallenby a certain social disease, orsugar diabetes, which we wilnot discuss further at this time.

Meanwhile, back at the ranchthe Betz cells take note of the

This article is reprinted fromthe ir orce lying Safety Of-ficers Kit.U s ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


27/52

latest info, and i a cold snap orheat wave occurs, they get upoff their dendrites and do some-thing about it They have a sortof hot line by which they candispatch messages to the offen-sive platoon. Under conditionsof extreme heat, you will recallthat the reaction will be to in-crease the blood supply to theskin, thus dissipating body heatby radiation. t will also be lostby sweating and evaporationand, to a minor extent, via res-piration and other routes. Underconditions of extreme cold, thereaction is just the opposite.Blood is shunted away from theskin to prevent loss of heat, andalso to route it to the more vitalorgans of the body, from thestandpoint of survival, such asthe stomach and liver, the heart,and, of course, that commandpost.

You see, those Betz cells area rather selfish lot; at least theyreason, that i they go, all co-ordination and chain commandwould be lost, so they protectthemselves and other areas es-sential to life at all cost. f nec-essary, this is done at the ex-pense of the less essential, peri-pheral areas. Now, no one wouldlike to think of his fingers ortoes, the tip of his nose, or hisear lobes as nonessential, but ithe Betz cells are faced with asurvival situation, such areas asthese will head the sacrificiallist.

Obviously, this is not thewhole story and several otherfactors, both external and in-ternal, should be considered. Ex-ternal factors, other than tem-perature, include wind and mois-ture, especially the latter, whichmake things worse. Internally,

anything which interferes withblood supply is going to furtherjeopardize the safety of thosefingertips, already blanchedwhite for the sake of those Betzcells. Certain rare diseases andcertain drugs can do this, butneither are likely to be presentfactors i you have just bailedout over North Dakota. How-ever, nicotine can also constrictblood vessels, and i you're stillsmoking your two packs a day,perhaps you'd best fly south-ward like the geese. Of course,external pressure can also cutoff blood supply, and, while youare not very likely to be wear-ing a constrictive tourniquetaround your arm or wrist, manypeople will try to achieve simi-lar results in the lower extremi-ty by stuffing a size 12 foot andseveral layers of thick socks intoa size 10 boot.


28/52

It's just no good. Wheneverthe blood supply to a part of thebody is decreased, that part notonly suffers from lack of heat,which the warm blood brings,but also from lack of oxygen,those vital O2 molecules whichare hand-carried by the redblood cells floating in the plasma. And, as you all know, without oxygen, the organism simplydoes not survive. Just as the en tire body will not survive a totaloxygen lack at high altitudes,just so a member part, such as acold nose-tip or that cold, aching big toe, will fail to survivei f its share of the O2 fails to arrive on a continuous schedule.What ensues is n e r o s i s ~ o r simply death-of the tissue cells;when precipitated by cold injury, this is commonly knownas frostbite.

Preventive measures are obvious from a consideration ofthe above. First, strengthen thebody defenses. We humans lackthe thick skin of a walrus or thepolar bear's fur. Therefore, (iffor no other reason) we adornourselves with other insulating materials, namely clothes.Clothes in themselves are notwarm, of course-obviously notwhile hanging in a cold lockerroom, but they do serve as insulators of the body's own heatwhen properly applied. You engineering types can tell us thatinsulation works best in layers,and that several layers ofclothes, or gloves, or socks withair space between each layerwill work better than one thicklayer. Of course, the quantity ofclothing worn is limited by other considerations such as the desire to remain mobile-to ambulate, to respirate, and even tomicturate.

And don't forget the bloodsupply-especially not to thoseparts which are farthest removed from the mainline of sup-

6

ply, and nearest to the hostileelements. Clothing should notbe too tight or constrictive, certainly not about the arms or legsat any point. Remember thatmoisture is an enemy, and predisposes to frostbite. In a survival situation, not only avoidgetting wet, but also avoidworking up a sweat, as socks orareas of clothing saturated withperspiration are likely to giverise to painful discolored areasof skin beneath. These are thewarning signs of frostbite, andi f they do occur, despite all ofyour careful planning and precautionary measures, treatmentshould be instituted at once.

Treatment can be quite simple, and probably would have tobe, in order to be of any practicality in a survival situation.Dry and warm the cold part.How to do that on a cold nightin North Dakota? Place the in jured hand inside your jacket,next to your warm abdomen,where those Betz cells haveshunted the blood supply, or afoot under your buddy's armpit, after removing those wetsocks. Remember that your ownbody may be the only source ofheat available-heat derivedfrom digestive processes andother chemical reactions withinthe body, and distributed by theblood stream.

f you are fortunate enoughto have a campfire, do not-repeat, do not-warm the injuredpart directly from the fire, asyou may further damage it byburning. The injured tissues arevery susceptible to further damage, which has been caused inmany cases by open-flame heating, or vigorous rubbing both ofwhich are to be avoided. Theproper method of utilization ofthe campfire is to melt somesnow or ice in a suitable container and immerse the injured part in tepid water. When-

ever gentle warmth is applied inany suitable form, the commandpost will get the message, relenta little bit, dilate a few bloodvessels, and let those 0 2-ladencells flow through in greaternumbers. Then things are looking up again. Of course, professional medical care should beobtained i f your first-aid effortshave been too little or too late.Surgical care is often neededfor the treatment of frostbite;even amputation of the part issometimes necessary. Those n-gers and toes may not be essential to life, but we have sortof grown accustomed to havingthem around, and the above outcome is to be avoided i f at allpossible.Well, we're not quite goingto make it to the bit about thefellow who freezes to death. Letit suffice to say that the unabridged version has the Betzcells, barricaded in their command post, finally succumbingto the overwhelming forces offatigue, cold, decreased bloodsupply, and oxygen starvation,as the curtain descends.

But let's hope that that neverhappens to any of us. With alittle bit of luck, and the knowledge and employment of a fewsimple principles, it will not.

Wear clothes. Dress for whereyou are flying, as i f you mighthave to walk back. Wear shoesand gloves. But not too tight.Keep susceptible areas of skinclean and dry, as best you can.Guard your nose and ears.(Cup your hands over your faceand breathe the warm air intothem; cup your hands over theears and massage very gently,etc.)Well, that's it for this month.You've survived beach partiesand are firmly launched intofall-so, play it cool man-but,stay warm. . . . ,



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THE PIGEONS PL YED PINGPONGAND V RYON LAUGHED.

HE ROOM was dark butthe light from the motion

picture screen danced on thefaces of the students. With ashrug, a cigarette, and a yawn,students in the Methods of In struction Course settled downfor what they anticipated to bea sleep period.

As the pictures flickeredthrough the light and lens however, there were small telltalenoises of attention, discernibleby even the most naive instructor. The students had locked

0 ,TOBER 963

James M Knight

their concentration in on theflutter of pigeon's wings and themeasured vocal tones of a behavioral psychologist.

TH EXPERIEN EThe motion picture was

called Learning and Behavior.Through a series of feeding experiments, Dr. B. F. Skinner ofHarvard University had pigeonscounting, turning, fighting and,yes even playing Ping-pong. Bygiving the birds food only whenthey behaved as he wanted them

to he shaped and molded theiractions. The pigeons learned thedesired behavior at differentrates, but even the dullest bundle of feathers, placed in a givenMr. Knight is an EducationSpecialist Standards Division

Director o Instruction USA-AVNS Ft Rucker Ala. He hasattended th.e Automated Instruc-tion Workshop conducted byHumRRO at Fort Benning Ga.and the Management ScienceTraining Institute N. Y. N. Y.

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situation and reinforced carefully, would learn what Dr. Skinner wanted it to learn.

As the pigeons played Pingpong, there was general laughter throughout the classroom. Toa casual observer, the ring ofnlerriment would sound natural,a typical response to an incongruous situation. But to any experienced instructor sensitive tostudent reactions, the laughterwould indicate a negative empathy, an "I've got the point onlytoo well" response, and "Eventhough it's funny, I'm not a bitsure I like it "

Although Dr. Skinner emphasized that human behavior ismore complex than pigeons'behavior, the student was madeto wonder just why he walkedthrough a red light occasionally,and why he worked more effi-ciently when he was rewardedwith a raise or even a simplepat on the back from his boss.To the more astute viewers asomewhat more frightening as-pect to this "reinforcement theory" penetrated their thinking:

the controlled bending of twigsto shape the mental trees. tlooked like a basic course inbrainwashing The student knewhe was not a pigeon (wingedvariety anyway), but he wasmade painfully aware that hewas a member of the animalkingdom, homo sapien, with aset of behavioral patterns thatcould be shaped and moldedmuch like the pigeons .

With an apprehensive attitude,the students took a IO-minutebreak in preparation for the sec-ond hour in New Developmentsin Training.

When they reentered the class-room no instructor was in sight.The only movement in the roomcame from flashing red letters onthe large screen which read:GOOD MORNING, GENTLEMEN. THIS IS AN AUTOlVIATIVE LESSON; PLEASETAKE YOUR SEATS.

The students obeyed ratherquizzically. Just as the classclown was about to make a nervous wisecrack, the flashing stopped and the following directionsappeared. Your lesson this pe-

Teaching Machine

EARPHONES

~ J 6mmOUT OF SEQUENCE 8mm0 S REEN 35mmADVANCED STILLI FRAME IRESPONSE

PROGRAM

1ANSWERFRAME OR QUESTI ON WRITEANSWERHERE CHANGE OFFD28

riod is on the uses of automationin training. At this time removethe machine from the rack beneath your desk. Place it directlyin front of you. Turn the startbutton to the ((ON position. Thegreen light above the start but-ton should appear. If it does not,check your floor plug. Carefullyread the direction in the screenof the machine and begin.

The students removed thelightweight plastic machinesfrom their racks and placedthem on their desks. The face ofthe machine appeared to becomplex, with a multitude ofknobs, dials and openings (seeillustration) . However, whenthe start button was turned toON, the screen on the machinerelieved their anxiety by in stantly projecting in vivid colora beautiful woman with thesewords across the screen. Goodday, gentlemen. I'm your visualtutor. Please place your earphones on and punch the 16mmbutton to the right of the ma-chine. I'm anxious to serve you.

With a quick adjustment ofearphones and a punch of a button, each student received oraland visual directions on usingthe machine. He learned that inthe opening labeled "frame" aquestion or bit of informationwould appear. He was to respondby writing his answer on a roll-ing piece of paper labeled "written answer." When the answerhad been written, he was topunch the "change" button andthe written answer would moveup and under a square of clearplastic. At the same time, thecorrect machine answer wouldappear in a space just below thestudent's answer for comparison.

Directions also indicated thatmultiple choice questions wouldappear occasionally on thescreen, and responses would notbe made by writing the answer,

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but by punching the responsebuttons labeled A through F, appearing on the bottom right ofthe machine. The lovely tutorended her directions by saying,Your lesson today is on the fun-damentals of automation. Donot worry if you punch thewrong button I ll be with youthroughout your program. Yourfirst frame of information isready for you. Please begin. Themachine screen darkened, andthe students began the program.

OCTOBER 963

The process was relativelysimple . Read the question, writethe answer, punch the changebutton, and the machine's answer appeared beneath the written answer. A new question alsoappeared in the frame opening.

"Hey," a student exclaimed,'Tm not making any mistakesThis is easy material "

And so it was, for complex materials on critical path analysisand computer design had been"broken down" into small, logi-cal steps and each frame designed to shape the response desired. Each student worked athis own rate, and the programed material was made interesting by the frequent use ofmotion pictures and slides tosupport or teach a point in theprogram.

f a student made a technicalmistake, like punching thewrong button, the tutor wouldappear on the screen and directhim to punch the OUT OF SEQUENCE button. This would re turn the student to the point inthe program where he made histechnical error. An ADVANCEbutton was also provided forthose students who felt theyknew the material being covered.By punching the ADVANCEbutton, a test would appear onthe screen and the student woulduse the response buttons to an swer the questions.

f all questions were answeredcorrectly, the student would beadvanced to a new or more complex area of study. f he failedthe test, the lovely tutor wouldappear on the screen, tell him toplace the earphones on and, inquiet, warm tones, give the student a personal message abouta valiant try, but nevertheless,send him scurrying back to hispoint of departure.

As the novelty of this newexperience in learning woreaway and students began to use

the machine routinely, they remembered the flutter of whitewings and saw again the pigeonsplaying Ping-pong. This time, noone laughed. They understood.

THE LOGIBefore you "write off the experience you have just read as

being a rather poor attempt topenetrate the "twilight zone,"let us look at two major facts:

Thousands of lessons are inexistence today that are designedand formulated like that the students received in the related experience. The lessons are calledprograms and the method isusually referred to as ProgramedLearning. Two-thirds of theschool systems in the UnitedStates are using some form ofprogramed learning.

At least a hundred machines on the market today incorporate all or some of the features of the machine used by thestudents in the experience. Theyare commonly referred to asTeaching Machines.

The experience the studentshad was not based on a projected technology. It is today's sci-ence, and fortunately it seemsto be just the beginning.

The basis for this revolutionin education is ProgramedLearning, a method evolvingfrom a theory that stresses control over the interaction of thestudent and the subject to belearned. Some educators feelthey must go back to ancientGreece and the Socratic methodof teaching to give this newmethod of learning dignity andprecedence. There is a parallel,but for all practical purposes themodern developments date fromDr. S. L. Pressey at Ohio Statein the early 1920s. He developed a testing device that isconsidered a forerunner ofteaching machines as we knowthem today. Dr. Pressey did not

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USAAV S Programed Learning StatusFor the past two years the U. S. Army Aviation School has

been active in applied development of a new method of instruction called auto-instruction or Programed Learning. The following subjects are being programed by interested facultypersonnel and are in various stages of completion: VOR Navigation, Evaluation, Moisture, Weight Balance, Administration of Tests, and 3-Part Organization. Other services arecompleting programs that will have value in the AviationSchool -curriculums and interested departments are evaluatingtheir usefulness for these courses.A civilian contract has also been drawn to program theacademic portion of a complete course. This contract is pendingthe availability of funds.

The USAAVNS Library has 30 programs, ranging from thefundamentals of spelling to college calculus.

receive support in his ideas,and it was not until 1954,through the efforts of Dr. Skinner at Harvard University, thatprogramed learning receivedproper recognition.

The basic principle underlying programed learning is re inforcement. With pigeons thereinforcement is food, with human beings it's the self-awareness that he is respondingcorrectly to questions andlearning the lesson. A lesson isconsidered programed when material to be learned is brokendown into small logical stepscalled frames; when studentsmust make an active response,such as writing the answer;when immediate feedback isgiven, as having the correctanswer appear; and when students are allowed to learn attheir own rate. Many variations and different approachesto programing materials exist,but these are the major feahues.

TH FUTUREducators, experimental psychologists, and engineers are

now sharing a togethernessthat was unheard of 10 years3

ago. As these men apply theircombined thinking toward education and training, the schoolof 1980 will be as different fromthat of today as the modern jetis from its ancestral parent atKitty Hawk.

Let us, at this point, allow ourimagination to soar forward to1980 and see Fort Rucker as astudent might experience it.

To be perfectly frank, wecannot take this imaginary ex perience through an instructor's eyes, because in 1980 theremight be no instructors as weknow them today.

The Army Aviation Schoolof the future is a computerbased organization. All administrative, training, and personnel functions are handled bycentral computer. A studentcomes to Rucker burdened onlywith a small plastic disc thatcontains his complete 201 file.He goes to central computer,inserts the disc into a 400-billion position thin-film memorycomputer and all informationnecessary, from his housing tohis class schedule for thecourse, is presented to him on acoded card. A cryptographer is

not required to read the codedcard, for the student since thelate 60s had been exposed tothe code in every facet of hislife-from his bank account tohis drug-store purchases.

The small plastic disc is re turned along with the codedcard, and the disc becomes hisidentification throughout hisstay at the school. This identification is important since theschedule is self-paced, and astudent could be anywhere inthe school depending on therate he has set for himself.Central computer can locatehim at any time because he isrequired to insert the disc in aslot provided in the machinerooms and in his quarters.

Our student is in a typicalflight course. He begins hisacademics, such as weather,navigation, etc., in machinerooms that have all materialsprogramed for him. The automative devices used are programed from central computerand every variable known hasbeen accounted for to shape thebehavior desired in the light ofschool objectives. If, for instance, a student needs a bit ofsimple math to work a problemand has forgotten how to do it,this will be apparent in his re sponses. Immediately, the device will leave the main path ofcritical knowledge and give thestudent review in his area ofweakness. He is returned to thecritical path when his responseindicates he is ready.

The student is never bored inthis machineroom phase because of the variety of devicesand use of audio-visual equipment, the sensitiveness of theprograms to prior informationthe student may possess, andthe ability to move n learningas fast as his aptitude for thesubject will allow.

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After basic academics, thestudent enters the simulatorphase, where he learns to fly.The simulator buildings housecontrolled environments so realistic that once in the aircraftdevice, there is absolutely noway of sensing you are boltedfirmly to the ground. All sensations and maneuvers in flightcan be simulated. The studentis programed much as he wasin his academic phase, thoughmore use is made of audiotutoring. A student is reinforced immediately when heexhibits the correct motor skillor judgment, and he is programed un il his reactions aresecond-nature. When he fin-ishes his simulator phase, hesimply schedules an aircraft,walks out to the flight line,gets in the aircraft and goes

For more advanced work, aprogramed computer device isused in the aircraft. To learn acertain maneuver, the studentflicks a switch on his controlpanel. The flick of this switchis important in that he maintains complete control of hisaircraft only i f he responds correctly to the programed maneuver. The s t u en t listensthrough his earphones to a programed explanation of the ma'neuver. He responds orally andis immediately reinforced orally. When the device is satisfiedthe student has an oral understanding, it may have the pilotexecute a few coordination exercises to check motor response.Satisfied, the computer devicetells the pilot to execute themaneuver.

f the maneuver was perfectly executed, the device reinforces the behavior orally andhas the student do it again andagain until it becomes automatic. f on the other hand, thestudent has difficulty, the com-OCTOBER 963

....

F i ? ~Quiet, Gertrude , the doctor says we're being reinforced.

puter device takes the controlsand returns the student to hisoriginal attitude. His mistakesare presented orally by the device and the student is allowedto try it again. f it's executedcorrectly, reinforcement is usedand the student learns the maneuver. The pilot does not getthe controls back until he executes the maneuver correctly.

On a bad day, it becomesembarrassing to return to theairfield and have the computerdevice indicate in crisp objective tones to the tower that an

automatic landing will be executed. t would be somethinglike going out to sea in a sailboat, becoming becalmed, andhaving a motorboat bring youback to shore.

The year 1980 will see a newtechnical society, and thoughthese predictions and one ortwo exaggerations concerningthe future may seem ridiculous,it would be well to rememberthat programed learning andautomotive teaching machinesare a reality today ......

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here There sWAS INSTRUCTOR pilot for an instrumenttraining flight on a typical winter morning in

central Europe. The entire ~ o n t i n n t was shroud-ed by a dense overcast, but we were able to get alegitimate alternate in western France. The near-est area that would pennit a visual approach wasin the north of Ireland, well beyond our maxi-mum cruise range. But the weather for our ex-pected time of return was forecast to improve toILS minimums.

We taxied out, received our clearance, and thepilot made a fine ITO. The ceiling was less than100 feet and visibility was about a quarter of amile in fog. As we entered the clouds, climbing toan assigned altitude of 5,000 feet, I smelled theunmistakable fumes from an electrical short. Iglanced around the cockpit but there was no vis-ible smoke. I looked at the pilot, but he was com-pletely occupied with flying and seemed unawareof the fumes.

We were cleared to leave approac

Army Aviation Digest - Oct 1963

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