12
Jun
2016
By today’s technological standards, our antiquated AH-64As were dinosaurs — mostly analog switches, steam gauges and paper maps, baby! The glass cockpit concept (computerized displays with multifunctional screens and buttons) sounded like something from the future to us, but we considered flying these aircraft as a bit of a badge of honor.
Prior to deployment, our unit practiced the power management issues we expected to encounter in Afghanistan. It paid off.
Aviators must train on a wider array of tasks to succeed in a decisive action training environment. Some skills, such as attack helicopters taking on increased scout and reconnaissance roles and manned and unmanned teaming, are new.
In the summer of 1990, I was a new warrant officer just out of flight school who was eager to learn to fly, so I volunteered for a mission with a first lieutenant. Our mission was to support our state’s anti-drug division, which later became nationally known as the RAID program.
As time goes on, our comfort and confidence with our aircraft inevitably grows, and what used to take intense concentration becomes easy to do.
We didn’t brief a change in plans and because of it, I watched as my friend walked toward certain death from the main rotor blades.