 weapons coupled with the fighting skill of the American soldier stands ready on the alert all over the world to defend this country view the American people against aggression this is the big picture an official television report to the nation from the united states army now to show you part of the big picture here is sergeant steward queen since its inception in 1941 army aviation has steadily increased its capabilities until today it is a vital factor in any concept of ground warfare originally used only for artillery observation today its varied tasks range from the transportation and resupply of whole combat units to television surveillance of the enemy and evacuation of the wounded tomorrow it may well revolutionize the method of waging war American soldiers training for or using conventional weapons all the atomic might of the world is employed just what the future holds we hope that in our strength there will be such a deterrent war that no war will ever come we must be ready to fight any kind of war that someone else has started as never before the outcome will depend on our ability to rapidly adjust our arm might to meet varying forms of aggression or such a flexible army we must have streamlined self-sufficient heart-hitting forces with great mobility and increased firepower from conventional as well as from atomic weapons but such an army creates tremendous problems of control mobility and supply to control his widely dispersed forces the ground commander must be constantly aware of the fluid battle situation he must know just where the enemy is and just what he is doing he must have aerial television surveillance of the enemy position only when he is constantly supplied with this information can he then guide his own forces into battle once the decision is made there must be fast mobility air mobility we must be able to pick up entire units and shift them to new positions in the battle zone without delay and at 100 miles an hour not 35 or 40 for this sort of operation the helicopter may well replace the truck to solve these huge problems of control mobility and supply created by this new concept of battle your army has taken to the air this is port rocker alabama the home of army aviation this is where the bulk of army aviation training is carried on this is where most army aviators earn their wings only recently raised from the temporary status of camp to the permanent position of a port rucker is designated the army aviation center for the united states because air mobility seems to be the key to success in future ground operations close support between ground and air is paramount in the thinking of military leaders today the motto of army aviation expresses well this new concept of army aircraft in the sky over army troops on the ground above the best but let's listen to a man who lives army aviation night and day i'm vicar general carlie hutton commandant of the army aviation school at port rucker alabama this is the home of army aviation where all army aviators receive their flight training our student aviators here at port rucker fly about a thousand hours a day and our mechanics learn to keep our airplanes and helicopters in top-notch condition the army's aviation program has only one purpose and that is to increase the effectiveness of the army in combat the program proved so effective in world war two and in korea that it has won the support of the entire army and is now one of the most important programs of preparedness within the army you're going to see some of the aviation program today and i'm sure you're going to hear a great deal more about it in the future thank you at fort rucker there is one thing you will see everywhere and that is aircraft all kinds of aircraft helicopters fixed wing large and small all doing a job for the army for this is where men are trained in all phases of army aviation literally from the ground up but fort rucker is more than a training installation it is also a place where thousands of people live their daily lives it's a pleasant self-sufficient place providing almost all of the needs of a modern community are places of worship and places for recreation as well in a hot summer's day there's nothing quite so refreshing as this the outstanding thing about fort rucker is that it is the home of the army aviator the soldier with wings who is fast becoming a familiar figure in the armed forces of the united states what makes an army aviator what are the qualities a man must have to fly first he must have courage then he must have physical aptitude judgment knowledge skill and finally a strong will to want to fly how does a man achieve these qualities he must have the basic ones to begin with and if he does the army will give him the knowledge and the skill here at the army aviation school fort rucker alabama candidates for this school come from all over the army some are officers and some are enlisted men depending upon the training there to receive but any man at the controls of an aircraft has to be physically fit a thorough physical exam is a must before training begins besides a generally good physical condition an aviator must have certain special physical qualities such as fine coordination an accurate sense of balance and a rapid response to stimuli years are important because it is here that the sense of balance is located and sensitive reflexes are important too if a man can pass the physical he is ready for school has two basic types of training conventional fixed wing this is a daily occurrence down here at the preflight section of the helicopter's pilot school it is ocs type training and it has to be it's a warren officer who flies one of the army's big new cargo helicopters and right here the army is turning enlisted men into warren offices in just 22 weeks that's a filthy bellbucket you have all the time it's inexcusable it's unthinkable that a one-hour circuit would move while standing in attention in ranks see what you look like given your 30 push-ups through the spin and polish of pre-flight training and move on to the next phase there is a warren officers bar waiting for those who succeed this is an h-13 it is the machine that did the bulk of the aero evacuation of wounded during the chlorine war it's a good machine if you are a warren officer candidate here at fort rocket it's your trainer right here in this plastic bubble is where you sprout your wings the first time you go up you can't really be expected to grasp all that the instructor pilot by your side is telling you first time you take the controls you're terrible but you are flying and everything else you've ever done is tamed by comparison you will spend many hours in that machine and every time you go up you will increase in knowledge and confidence cyclic control gyroscopic action auto rotation and dys symmetry of lift begin to mean something to you but most important you start to feel how to fly you've got that chopper under control now you listen to what the instructor pilot is telling you and you grow in experience you're flying the machine all the time now turn that you can keep that chopper hovering over one particular spot as long as you want to you begin to feel you're getting pretty good not the same for everyone but whenever the instructor pilot thinks you're ready this happens angston your grades have been pretty good that was a good fly so familiar with seems strangely large and empty the engine is terribly noisy there appears to be much more vibration than normal then the procedures you've been going through four weeks comes back to you you're flying a helicopter all by yourself and you're pretty proud of yourself too aren't you candidate kingston the whole world is stretched out of your feet it's landing you've ever made and since you've soloed successfully you have the honor of wearing this distinguished insignia for exactly 24 hours straight wear it even to bed because if you fail to have it on for so much as a second it's treats for the entire class including the instructors after each candidate has soloed successfully he begins the more advanced phase of tactical training this is the reason for the helicopter it can get in and out of places no other aircraft possibly can remember this is army aviation the air is used only to accomplish the mission on the ground army aviation must be integrated into the small unit tactics of forward ground elements that means army pilots must be able to fly low and slow get in and out of the smallest clearing that means an army helicopter with a qualified army pilot who knows the problems of land battle candidate kingston is getting close egg beaters worldly birds choppers whatever they're affectionately called helicopters are doing a tremendous job for the army they have put a new dimension into land warfare giving troop units that rapid mobility so necessary to the new concept of battle for the enlisted men who've taken advantage of the rare opportunity offered by the helicopter pilots program here at the army aviation school the future is unlimited it's 22 tough weeks but at the end you are a warrant officer and a helicopter pilot too it feels pretty good doesn't it candidate her warrant officer kingston but helicopters are only part of the army aviation story here at port rucker there are many missions which conventional fixed wing aircraft can perform more efficiently than the helicopter because of the sensitive nature of these missions only officers can apply for fixed wing pilot training meet lieutenant hailey slated for the army aviation tactics course here at port rucker like all flight training the fixed wing tactics course begins right down on the ground with some fundamental principles the army concept of aviation demands that all aircraft be able to get in and out of battle zone locations this goes for conventional aircraft as well as helicopters consequently much of the tactical training stresses landing and taking off in confined areas every student receives many hours behind the stick of an l19 making barrier takeoffs and landings the penance are 50 feet up on a wire the object is to come in over the wire and roll to a stop within 600 feet on takeoff the process is reversed sometimes you don't quite make it the quick release device eliminates any danger a row of trees might have been a different story barrier landings and takeoffs students graduate to operating off on improved landing strips okay lieutenant hailey let's say that field over there is close to an artillery opening and you're bringing in an observer let's see if you can sit us down along that road tree sometimes you'd swear that the instructor pilot was kidding that's not a field it's a pasture and it certainly wasn't meant to have airplanes landing but you go down and have a look anyway you check the layout of this so-called landing strip you check wind direction and figure just how you're going to get in then you land maybe it's not very pretty maybe you bounce around a bit but you're down and in one piece this is nothing before the course is over this particular pasture will look like a big city airport to you but if army aviation is going to perform its mission of increasing the battle efficiency of the ground forces then army aircraft must be available to ground commanders no matter what the weather conditions the next thing you learn is instrument flying you start off in a link trainer again down on the ground you are given a particular set of courses and altitudes to fly and you get simulated wind and weather conditions climb under the hood of the new link trainer and you fly inside the sensation is one of actual flight as in reality you keep in touch with a control tower by radio you have theoretically come in for a landing and touch down under minimum visibility conditions believe me you feel like it was for real too lieutenant haley will move on to actual instrument flight and when he graduates he will take his place among the growing number of soldiers with wings dedicated to serve above the best this is army aviation in action ever since its formation during world war two its biggest job has been the adjustment of artillery fire flicked another big job was added there are thousands of men today who owe their lives to rapid aeromedical evacuation by helicopter the future that army aviation will find its true value when literally whole armies of men can be airlifted safely and rapidly to wherever they're needed in the battle zone supplies too can be airlifted from one place to another with the new heavier helicopters a constant flow of food and equipment can be maintained pinpoint delivery where and when it's needed and how about this for versatility a damaged aircraft is air transported back to the main base for repairs a saving in time money and effort more lifting power for less horsepower means a more efficient operation and that's just what the army is constantly striving for here a new model helicopter comes in with a load that runs right through the aircraft flexibility of operation is another objective constantly aimed at this model of the l19 is at home either on water or on the land new army aircraft is the first twin-engined helicopter it has the size and the carrying capacity of a conventional twin engine transport now for a look into the future watch as this experimental aircraft converts from helicopter confirmation to conventional airplane combining the best features of both aviation today a new concept in the science of warfare adding a new dimension to ground combat yes to win the ground your army has taken to the air slightly more than 15 years old army aviation has become a vital factor in ground warfare destined surely to attain even greater significance in the years to come now this is sergeant steward queen inviting you to be with us again next week for another look at your army in action on the big picture picture is a weekly television report to the nation on the activities of the army at home and overseas produced by the army pictorial center presented by the united states army in cooperation with this station you too can be an important part of the big picture you can proudly serve for the best equipped the best trained the best fighting team in the world today the united states army