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ABOUT Army Aviation School, Fort Rucker Al.
- Origins: The Army Aviation School was originally established in 1942 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, before relocating to Fort Rucker, Alabama, in 1955 due to the need for expanded facilities and better flying conditions.
- Home of Army Aviation: Fort Rucker is widely known as the "Home of Army Aviation," serving as the primary flight training base for Army helicopter pilots and aviation personnel.
- First Helicopter Training: The school pioneered the Army's first formal helicopter pilot training programs, transitioning from fixed-wing aircraft to rotary-wing aviation during the 1950s.
- Naming: Fort Rucker was named after Colonel Edmund Rucker, a Confederate officer and prominent post-war industrialist in Alabama.
- Vietnam War Impact: During the Vietnam War, Fort Rucker dramatically increased its training throughput, producing thousands of helicopter pilots to support the conflict's massive air mobility requirements.
- Women in Army Aviation: In 1974, the first female pilots began training at Fort Rucker, breaking gender barriers in Army Aviation.
- Aircraft Variety: Over the decades, the school has trained pilots on a wide variety of aircraft, from the famous UH-1 Huey and AH-1 Cobra to modern helicopters like the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache.
- International Training: Fort Rucker has hosted students from allied nations, fostering international cooperation and knowledge exchange in helicopter operations and tactics.
- Aviation Museum: The U.S. Army Aviation Museum, located on Fort Rucker, houses one of the largest collections of helicopters in the world, commemorating the history and heritage of Army Aviation.
- Renaming Initiative: As part of the Department of Defense's efforts to remove Confederate names, Fort Rucker was scheduled to be renamed Fort Novosel in 2023, honoring CW4 Michael J. Novosel, a Medal of Honor recipient and legendary Army aviator.