Knowledge

The odds were against us, but neither of us said anything. We locked our shoulder harnesses and lowered the seat in the front cockpit, knowing the main rotor had a tendency to violate the front seater’s headspace during a crash sequence.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom V and VI, we faced one question repeatedly: Should we launch or stay on the ground during marginal weather? As all Army aviators know, sometimes mission importance outweighs weather minimums. The question then becomes where to draw the line. In garrison, the answer is simple; you either have weather or you don’t. In combat, however, the line gets blurred.