From the Editor-in-Chief

Over the Horizon

By LT Annie "Frizzle" Cutchen, USN

Overthe Horizon felt salient following a year of big changes in our rotary wing community. The emphasis on past and present legends at NHA sparked many conversations around how much we have evolved as a community both culturally and operationally. Culturally, we have accepted women into the fold as combat-ready aircrew. Operationally, we have refined the tactics, techniques, and procedures our predecessors developed on the fly (pun intended) in combat and applied modern technology to them to create our standard operating procedures. As a result, we have become a more lethal force with a farther reach.

The Naval Helicopter Association is not just an organization for pilots, but one for our aircrewmen and maintainers as well–these individuals are just as much a part of the development of our community as our pilots. For this reason, Rotor Review #162, “So Others May Live,” will focus on our aircrewmen. It is about time we celebrate this integral part of our crew.

What sets us apart from our fixed wing brethren? It’s the men and women in the back of the aircraft with whom we work side by side to accomplish the mission. We would not be able to accomplish the mission without these brave individuals that, for better or worse, trust us to put the aircraft in a safe position for them to execute their duties as radar operators, rescue swimmers, door gunners, and logistics professionals.

We want to hear from you, aircrew, about how you have refined how you operate throughout our history as a community and where we still need to improve. Rotor Review wants the tales of the times our aircrewmen have saved the day with a time critical call or with a course correction in mission planning. Overall, we want your voice to be heard and your photographs to have a place in this publication.

As always, submissions are not required to align directly with our theme, but we hope readership takes the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments and efforts put forth by these individuals and create a dedicated space for your voices to be heard.

The submission deadline for Rotor Review #162 is 9 October. We look forward to hearing from you! .

V/r, LT Annie “Frizzle” Cutchen

annie.cutchen@gmail.com / annie.l.cutchen.mil@us.navy.mil

Letters to the Editors

It is always great to hear from our membership! We need your input to ensure that Rotor Review keeps you informed, connected, and entertained. We maintain many open channels to contact the magazine staff for feedback, suggestions, praise, complaints or publishing corrections. Please advise us if you do not wish to have your input published in the magazine. Your anonymity will be respected. Post comments on the NHA Facebook Page or send an email to the Editor-in-Chief. Her email is annie.l.cutchen.mil@us.navy.mil, or to the Managing Editor at rotorreview@navalhelicopterassn.org. You can use snail mail too. Rotor Review’s mailing address is: Letters to the Editor, c/o Naval Helicopter Association, Inc., P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578.

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