Sean Michael Borland

His distinguished career spans U.S. Army attack aviation, U.S. Air Force Special Operations, advanced weapons and tactics instruction, commercial helicopter operations, aviation management, and historic warbird aviation. Throughout his career, he has served not only as an operational aviator, but also as an instructor, evaluator, tactician, standardization leader, flight commander, and senior aviation executive.

Borland began his military service in the United States Marine Corps Reserve while attending North Carolina State University. Drawn to military aviation, he subsequently left college and interservice transferred to the U.S. Army to attend the Warrant Officer Flight Training Program. He graduated from the Army’s Initial Rotary Wing—AH-1 track in January 1993 and was assigned to the Republic of Korea.

In Korea, Borland flew the AH-1F Cobra with B Company, 5th Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, at Camp Eagle, and C Company, 4th Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, at Camp Page. These assignments established the foundation of an attack aviation career that would ultimately encompass some of the U.S. military’s most capable rotary-wing and vertical-lift aircraft.

In 1994, Borland transitioned to the AH-64A Apache and progressed to become a Pilot in Command and Instructor Pilot. His Apache assignments included C Company, 3rd Battalion, 229th Attack Helicopter Regiment, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry, at Camp Humphreys, Korea; and B Company, 1st Battalion, 229th Attack Helicopter Regiment, at Fort Bragg. Through these assignments, he developed extensive experience in attack helicopter operations, tactical employment, aircrew training, standardization, and the professional development of Army aviators.

In 1999, Borland again made an interservice transfer, this time to the U.S. Air Force, where he entered the highly specialized field of special operations aviation as an MH-53M PAVE LOW pilot. Following training at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, he was assigned to the 20th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida. He served as an Instructor Pilot and Flight Lead and deployed multiple times in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

His demonstrated expertise in special operations aviation led to selection for the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. Borland graduated from the MH-53 Weapons Instructor Course, Class 03B, earning recognition as the 14th Weapons Squadron Outstanding Graduate, MH-53 Distinguished Graduate, and recipient of the MH-53 Flying Award.

Following graduation, Borland remained with the 14th Weapons Squadron as an MH-53 Weapons Instructor Pilot and Flight Commander. In that capacity, he held responsibility for the Defensive Maneuvering, Combat Search and Rescue, and Mission Employment phases of the Weapons Instructor Course. This assignment placed him in a key role developing advanced tactical expertise and preparing other aviators to become weapons officers, instructors, and operational leaders within the special operations community.

Borland later transitioned to the CV-22 Osprey and was assigned to the 71st Special Operations Squadron, the Air Force’s Osprey training squadron. There, he served in a succession of positions including CV-22 Evaluator Pilot, Chief of Tactics, Student Flight Commander, and Chief of Standardization and Evaluation. These responsibilities reflected both his depth of aviation expertise and the confidence placed in him to establish and maintain the rigorous operational, instructional, and evaluation standards required of special operations aircrews.

He subsequently returned to the reactivated 20th Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, serving as Assistant Operations Officer and Flight Lead during the squadron’s training and deployment to Afghanistan. His final military assignment was as a CV-22 Evaluator Pilot and Branch Chief with the 27th Special Operations Group.

Collectively, Borland’s military career represents an uncommon breadth of experience across Army attack aviation and Air Force Special Operations. From the AH-1 Cobra and AH-64 Apache to the MH-53M PAVE LOW and CV-22 Osprey, his service encompassed attack aviation, special operations, combat deployments, advanced tactics, weapons instruction, flight evaluation, standardization, and operational leadership.

Following his military retirement, Borland continued his aviation career in Part 135 commercial helicopter operations. He flew the Sikorsky S-92A with PHI and later served as an EC-145 Check Airman and Instructor Pilot with Memorial Hermann Life Flight, applying decades of aviation experience to the demanding environment of helicopter emergency medical services. He currently serves as Director of Operations for American Jet International in Houston, Texas, where he also flies the Bell 430. His civilian career has allowed him to continue applying the principles of aviation safety, operational discipline, standardization, training, and professional leadership developed throughout his military service.

Borland holds an Airline Transport Pilot—Helicopter certificate and has accumulated more than 5,300 flight hours. He also holds Commercial Pilot privileges in single- and multi-engine airplanes and powered-lift aircraft and is a Certified Flight Instructor—Helicopter. Continuing his commitment to the preservation of rotary-wing flying skills and heritage, he provides instruction in UH-1 and AH-1 series aircraft.

Among his most personally meaningful aviation pursuits is flying historic warbird helicopters, particularly the Lewis Air Legends AH-1G Cobra. His involvement with historic aircraft represents more than an appreciation for aviation history; it provides a direct connection between today’s aviation community and the aircraft, crews, tactics, and traditions that shaped American attack helicopter aviation.

As a second-generation attack helicopter pilot, Borland has a particularly personal connection to that heritage. His career bridges multiple generations of rotary-wing aviation—from the AH-1 Cobra through the AH-64 Apache and MH-53 PAVE LOW to the tiltrotor capabilities of the CV-22 Osprey. That perspective gives him an unusual appreciation for both the traditions that defined earlier generations of military aviators and the innovation necessary to prepare those who follow them.

As President of the Attack Helicopter Association, Borland brings together the perspectives of attack helicopter pilot, special operations aviator, combat veteran, Weapons School graduate and instructor, evaluator pilot, tactician, standardization leader, civilian aviation executive, warbird pilot, and second-generation military aviator. These experiences provide a strong foundation for leading an organization dedicated to preserving the history, traditions, fellowship, and legacy of the attack helicopter community.

His leadership reflects the principle that the attack helicopter legacy is larger than any individual aircraft, unit, military service, conflict, or generation. It is the collective history of the pilots, aircrews, maintainers, armament personnel, crew chiefs, support professionals, families, and others whose courage, professionalism, innovation, sacrifice, and service built and sustained the attack aviation community.

Under Borland’s leadership, the Attack Helicopter Association is committed not merely to remembering that history, but to preserving it, documenting it, sharing it, and ensuring that those who created it are appropriately recognized. Equally important is strengthening the fellowship among those who served while creating meaningful connections between the pioneers of attack aviation and the generations that followed them.

Borland holds a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Master of Business Administration from Touro University International. His combination of operational aviation experience, combat service, advanced tactical instruction, aviation standardization, organizational leadership, education, and commitment to military aviation heritage uniquely positions him to guide the Attack Helicopter Association in fulfilling its mission.

Through that service, Sean Borland continues a lifelong commitment to aviation, leadership, professional excellence, and preservation of the traditions established by generations of military aviators before him—ensuring that their service is remembered, their stories endure, and the Attack Helicopter Association remains a proud Guardian of the Gunship Legacy.

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