Radio Check

Mentorship is a critical factor impacting the personal and professional growth of the members of our organization. The Navy has developed a variety of programs and tools to encourage formal mentorship (i.e. Naval Personnel Command's Mentor Certification Program and My Navy HR's "Reverse Mentoring Guide") amongst service members. Before the advent of these formal measures, however, leaders provided mentorship informally. Informal mentorship is, and will continue to be, an extremely important part of our culture.

In your life and career, how have mentors positively impacted you and your family? What are the hallmarks of a good mentor-mentee relationship? What are the characteristics of a great mentor? As always, if you feel inclined to share personal experiences and individual shout-outs, both are welcome!

From: CAPT Mont Smith,USCG (Ret.) and Lifetime Member of NHA and CGAA

I’m an old Coast Guard dude. The helicopters I flew are long gone. When I was a nugget, there was no formal mentoring program. I served at seven Coast Guard Air Stations - Mobile, AL; Cape Cod, MA; Kodiak, AK (twice); Clearwater, FL; Elizabeth City, NC; and Borinquen, PR. I amassed about 3,500 hours of rotary wing time and roughly the same in various multi-engine starch wing aircraft.

The mentoring I received largely involved sitting around the mess table after dinner with my duty section and “talking story.” At Cape Cod, we had both a “ready” HH-3F and a “ready” HH-52A helicopter available for immediate launch. I learned a lot about our mission from listening to the awesome experiences of other aviators. Some had recently transferred from Alaska. Others were from the “Grapefruit Circuit” - Miami, New Orleans, Corpus Christi and the like. Still others cut their teeth on the Washington and Oregon Coast, dotted with sea cliffs, rocky beaches and horrendous gales.

I soon learned that I would never have the opportunity to receive the exposure these aviators had gained. The best I could do would be to listen closely and mentally file away their lessons learned against the day when I might use them to my advantage. I called this store of knowledge my “bag of tricks” - techniques that might help me figure out how to complete an arduous hoist safely or how to rendezvous with a distressed vessel and let down safely in thick fog. I remember one seasoned aviator describing how he delivered a trail line to a sailboat in 70-knot winds by weighing it down with the Danforth anchor we carried (we were, after all, amphibians back then).

Doubtless today’s Naval Aviators are armed with a great deal more electronic wizardry, but sometimes it helps to think about the unthinkable. What do you do if the hoist cable gets wrapped around a wildly swinging sailboat mast after you have lifted the rescue device off the deck with a person in it? You can’t shear. Can the hoist operator conn you to unwrap the cable?

And, of course, there’s the whole complex topic of risk management that deserves elaborate discussion around the mess table. How do you assess the risk? Is the aircraft capability degraded? Is the crew capable? What are the alternatives? Much has been written in the way of guidance.

These are the recollections of someone who is still proud to have been Navy-trained and to have maintained the high standards of Naval and Coast Guard Aviation.

From: LCDR Reed Carr, USNR (Ret.)

It worked for me, as a former preflight instructor encouraged me to go to graduate school, where I got a Masters degree, allowing me to teach at Rice University.

NEXT RADIO CHECK QUESTION

The theme for Rotor Review #158 is “Past Informs the Present.” Those of us who currently have the privilege of spending our days with rotors turning overhead couldn’t operate as knowledgeably, safely, and efficiently as we do if not for the foundation set by those who came before us.

Naval Aviation as a whole has an incredible history which can be broken down further into squadron, aircraft, and even individual history. “There I was,” “lessons learned,” and “open kimono” conversations happen in wardrooms and messes across the world. From these we learn from our Shipmates and fellow Marines about how to be better in and out of the aircraft.

What are some historical events that have set the stage for what rotary wing aviation is today? What mission sets have you performed that you have seen grow and develop into modern day operations? Is there any particular historical event, big or small, that has made an impact on you and the decisions you have made? What is your “there I was” that impacted you and your career? Do you have advice for the next generation of rotary wing aviator to make them better based on your experiences?

We want to hear from you! Please send your responses to the Rotor Review Editor-in-Chief at the email address listed below. annie.l.cutchen.mil@us.navy.mil