Training
Early training took its toll on the task force and threatened its future existence. From March to October 1983, four aircraft and sixteen personnel were lost. Because of these accidents, the Army convened a Blue Ribbon Panel at Fort Campbell, Kentucky in October of 1983. The panel recommended the creation of a dedicated training program, which quickly became known as Green Platoon. The program would later evolve into the dedicated Special Operations Aviation Training Company.
The Systems Integration and Management Office was also created in order to organise and manage the many aircraft programs that were required to support special missions. The training company centralized and standardised the fragmented training of the unit, and enabled the highly skilled volunteer pilots recruited by the unit to become properly qualified as special operations pilots. After four months of rigorous training supervised by an experienced special operations pilot, the pilots were certified as Basic Mission Qualified (BMQ) and could serve as co-pilots on missions. After 12 to 18 months of training and experience in an operational company, pilots were certified as Fully Mission Qualified (FMQ) and could serve as command pilots and planners on special operations missions. A further 36 to 48 months of sustained high performance qualified selected pilots to be designated as Flight Lead Qualified and plan and lead special operations aviation missions. Implementation of recommendations made by the Blue Ribbon Panel drastically reduced task force training accidents and prevented the dissolution of the unit.