From the Editor-in-Chief

Build Your Foundation

By LT Samantha "Amber" Hein, USN

Welcome back, Rotor Review readers!

In this issue of Rotor Review, we wanted to build off the theme from the Gulf Coast Fleet Fly-In that was held in October: Build Your Foundation. As you’ll see in the pages that follow, we wanted to focus on training and the foundation that makes us the operators we are today. Being a member of the MH-60R Community, I am thankful for the rigorous training I’ve experienced in Naval Aviation. From the now deceased Introductory Flight Screening (IFS) to gaining my NATOPS qualification in the MH60R at HSM-41, I attribute my success to the instructors, mentors, and friends I had along the way. As you’ll see, the pieces in this edition have a similar theme. A lot of our shared success in the aviation community comes down to the people we surround ourselves with every day.

Coming from a small ROTC unit, it took me a while to build my community when I arrived in Pensacola. It wasn’t until I was paired with my onwing during Primary Flight Training in Corpus Christi, TX that I really began to realize the importance of passionate instructors. Thanks to my onwing and a core group of friends, I was able to build the foundation for my future in Naval Aviation. My foundation was expanded in my Fleet squadron when I had the opportunity to learn from senior JOPA and world class maintainers. During each assignment, we are able to expand our base and share our knowledge with the future generations of the Navy and the aviation community.

This issue is full of interesting contributions that I hope will make you think about what led you to where you are today. Check out Commodore’s Corner to get an update on advancements in the world of Advanced Helicopter Training from Colonel Krockel. After that, learn about expanding our foundation with our allies in a submission from one of our editors, LT Christian “Barney” Lavachek, where he details his time integrating with the Philippine Navy. Finally, get a recap of lessons learned from RIMPAC 2024 in “Flying High with HSC-6.”

I hope you love this issue as much as we loved creating it. As always, contact the Rotor Review Team at rotorreview@ navalhelicopterassn.org. We’d love to hear from you.