Greetings from the Editor’s chair!  I hope you all enjoy Rotor Review issue 126.  Serving as Editor-in-Chief for this issue was truly rewarding for me.  The issue’s content highlights just how much our community continues to evolve into an interconnected network of DOD and interagency partnerships.  Any Rotor Review issue is filled with great updates from the “happenings” of the fleet.  This one, though, also shares just how much the missions of Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard helicopters have grown to involve our partner agencies and branches.  These growing partnerships excite me as a helo bubba for a few reasons. 

First, my fellow rotor heads in the fleet are gaining awesome experiences as pilots and aircrewmen.  I am extremely envious and happy for them.  Monotony is never a good thing nor is it enjoyable.  So, teaming up with a new agency or service to conduct training or operations is a fresh, challenging, and a rewarding experience for those involved.  Second, despite already being masters of our equipment and our missions, new and exciting ways to employ our toys and skillsets challenge us as individuals, crews, and as a community.  I think this type of challenge makes us better, since it is always good to break out of our “comfort zone.”  Lastly, these types of missions show off our technology to new audiences.  The H-60’s Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS), for instance, has now been employed, by HSC-8, to test the tracking of a simulated NASA Crew Module entering the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and high altitude.  This groundbreaking mission (estimated for December 2014) really showcases the naval helicopter community’s high skill level to outside agencies like NASA.

Until next time, enjoy this issue and all of the great content shared by our members.

So long,
LT Ash Preston, USN
Editor-in-Chief
Rotor Review