Photo By 2nd Lt. Bridget Pittman-Blackwell | Army aviation leaders, trainers and aircrew members gathered on Dec. 6, 2025, for the...... read more read more
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JOINT FORCE HEADQUARTERS, RALEIGH, NC — North Carolina Army aviation leaders, trainers and aircrew members gathered December 6th, 2025, for the Army Aviation Safety Stand-Down, a conference designed to strengthen safety procedures, refine training and reinforce risk-management practices across the aviation field.
The mission of the stand-down was to create a collaborative forum for crewmembers, air traffic controllers and Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems operators.
Conferences such as this ensure aviation personnel remain informed, engaged and committed to preventing accidents and injuries.
Maj. Gen. Hunt, Adjutant General of North Carolina, opened the conference with a discussion focused on the Army National Guard’s aviation mission set, which he said spans warfighting and homeland defense. While acknowledging the Guard cannot perform all missions simultaneously, he said aviation units must be prepared to meet each requirement when called.
“We have to be prepared to do all that in Army Aviation,” Hunt said. “So that’s kind of why the Army Aviation crowd has done pretty well.”
Hunt closed with the importance of maintaining a positive public perception of the National Guard while also planning for the future of aviation in North Carolina and across the force.
Brig. Gen. Morrison, Assistant Adjutant General - Maneuver, highlighted the need for documenting and publishing the planning and execution of aviation operations and training.
He said doing so not only benefits current leaders but creates an institutional record for future personnel. “I haven’t seen a lot published about what you guys did in the first 72 hours and how you attacked the problem set out there in Helene,” he said, referencing the Guard’s recent emergency response efforts.
“...You not only integrated with active-duty component forces out there, but you also, and this is the more difficult part, integrated with civilian entities.”
Morrison closed by urging aviation personnel to pursue rigorous, innovative and realistic training, stressing that Army Aviation remains essential to homeland defense and future joint conflicts.
Col. Daniel McAuliffe, 449th Combat Aviation Brigade Commander and NC Army National Guard State Army Aviation Officer, addressed aviation modernization, noting that the Army has made rapid progress compared to traditional research-and-development timelines in other services.
A highlight from his State of the 449th CAB and State Aviation brief included the rising need for counter-UAS systems to protect high-value aircraft from low-cost drones.
“You know, it’s pretty expensive to kill a $500 drone,” he said. “But when a drone takes out a $50 million aircraft...”
Lt. Col. Gary Fleischer, 449th Combat Aviation Brigade Flight Surgeon, discussed medical readiness and the importance of timely reporting for all aircrew members, including routine flight physicals and self-reported medical concerns.
“Letting us know stuff early, working the problems early is really important,” he said.
Failing to report issues early, he said, can create administrative or medical discrepancies that impact careers. “Actually it would be even better if we get involved early on in the process. Talk to your doctor about what treatment, what medications you can take and not be grounded, what the steps are to dealing with the problems that are in compliance with the regulation.”
Other briefings included range operations from Fort Bragg representative Samantha Hernan and an overview of Warrant Officer professional military education delivered by Chief Warrant Officer 5 Edward Carman. Leaders closed the event by reinforcing a unified message: aviation safety, readiness and modernization depend on a culture of transparency, documentation and continuous training.
The Army Aviation Safety Stand-Down is scheduled to continue as an annual forum for information-sharing and collaboration.
| Date Taken: | 12.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.15.2026 15:09 |
| Story ID: | 556284 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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