TEA moves to digital instructional materials.

The Transportation Engineering Agency has taken a giant leap into the world of automation with the development of computer-based training disks.

For its first automation product, the agency has developed a multi-media enhanced computer disk that covers the lifting and tie-down procedures for Army helicopters. The helicopters included on this CD are the UH-1 Iroquois, CH-47 Chinook, OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, UH-60 Black Hawk and the AH-64 Apache.

The whole idea of the interactive CD is to aid transporters and reduce damage to the aircraft during transport.

"It's a lot easier to see how the lifting ring screws into the rotor head of a Chinook when you see a video clip of someone actually twisting it on-as opposed to seeing a black and white photo," said mechanical engineer Dan Nonnemacher.

Other agency pamphlets will be evaluated to determine if it makes sense to create additional interactive CDs. The agency will continue to publish the hard copy of their pamphlets.

For years, the Newport News, Va.-based agency has received praise for its compact pamphlets that service members can carry in the pockets of their battle dress uniforms. All of the agency's publications are already available on one CD and online in an Adobe format.

"We initially saw interactive CD's on fixing engines and replacing parts," said Nonnemacher. "We saw the level of detail and the quality of the computer animation and thought this would be great for our pamphlets."

Nonnemacher's management of the project also included shooting video of the helicopters at deployments and exercises.

Innovative Technology Application, Inc., of Springfield, Va., created the CD from the shipping manuals for the helicopters and the agency pamphlet 'Lifting and Tiedown Handbook for Helicopter Movements."

"The contractor created a script of how they saw the entire CD being laid out," said Nonnemacher. "We sat down with them and tediously went through every single block making sure everything was perfectly worded and flowed logically."

The executive direction for beginning to use interactive software came from Mike Williams, chief, of the Deployability Division.

"Because of the difficulty in preparing and shipping helicopters, and the expense of fixing helicopters if something is damaged, the interactive CD is a huge bargain," said Williams.

Interactive CDs will probably prove valuable as a refresher for service members in training and deployments, he said.

Keeping the Soldier in mind, the CD is still small enough to fit in the pockets of the battle dress uniform, said Nonnemacher. Another advantage: The CD holds considerably more information than the hard copy, including three-dimensional computer animation, video clips and great color pictures.

For its first test, the interactive CD was unveiled at the Army Aviation Association of America's annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Agency workers took both books and CDs to the event.

"We had just as many people ask for the books as the CD," said Nonnemacher. "People still love the books, I think it's because the book is something they can hold in their hand."

Customers can request this CD as well as other publications at the agency

Web site: www.tea.army.mil. Click on the publications link to place your order. You can expect to receive your order within a few weeks.

LaWanda York, Public Affairs Specialist SDDC HQ Alexandria