Becoming an Air Force Crew Chief

As you can imagine, keeping an aircraft worth hundreds of millions of dollars in tip-top shape is a complex process. Serious teamwork between airmen in several different Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC) is vital to make it happen.

In that group, the tactical aircraft maintainers are commonly known as "crew chiefs" because they're generalists who coordinate the aircraft's care and call in the specialists (like avionics or propulsion technicians) when they find a problem. In other words, if the jet were a patient in a hospital, the crew chief would be his primary doctor, coordinating with specialists in radiology, psychology, and the like as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Air Force Enlisted Classification Manual describes the crew chief's duties in four broad areas:

• Day-to-day maintenance, including "end-of-runway, postflight, preflight, thru-flight, special inspections and phase inspections"
• Diagnosing malfunctions and replacing components
• Detailed inspection, record-keeping, and administration
• Supervision and coordination of aircraft care, as well as such varied duties as crew chief, repair and reclamation, and crash recovery duties

Military Requirements

Like most other technicians, crew chiefs need to have a normal color vision to get the job. They must also pass a background check with eligibility for a secret security clearance.

Air Force recruiting literature states that anyone interested in "aircraft, electronics, computer science, engineering, maintenance, and repair, [or] physics" may find this career engaging. But regardless of their interests, before enlisting, recruits must graduate high school and pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) with a qualifying Air Force mechanical score of 47 or higher.

Education

Day one in the Air Force begins with basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Airmen contracted as crew chiefs stay on in Texas for technical school at Sheppard Air Force Base.

It's hard to say how long the rest of a crew chief's initial schooling takes. This official fact sheet from the Air Force claims initial training at Sheppard lasts close to three months, but that may not include training on a specific aircraft.

It's up to the Air Force which aircraft a particular crew chief will train to work on, so if you've got your eye on a favorite, you may be out of luck. After learning basic principles, airmen may be assigned to specialize in maintenance of such craft as F-15 or F-16 fighter jets, the A-10 Thunderbolt, training aircraft, helicopters, the U-2 reconnaissance plane, or the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Those assigned to work on F-16 fighter jets, for example, move on to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona to finish training. Alternately, airmen chosen to work on the F-35 may find themselves concluding training at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. But, again, course length may vary.

Certifications and Career Outlook

With additional training and testing, the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) Credentialing and Education Research Tool (CERT) indicate crew chiefs may want to look into some of these professional certifications to bolster their resume:

• FAA-Certified Airframe or Powerplant Mechanic
• Certified Aerospace Technician
• Certified Manager
• Certified Production Technician

CCAF also offers an Airframe and Powerplant Certification Program that helps airmen get FAA certification using on-the-job experience and online courses.

Following a career in the Air Force, crew chiefs may work as aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics or technicians, though the Bureau of Labor and Statistics predicts that field will grow "slower than average" through 2020. This may be one of those fields where, if you enjoy the military, a 20-year hitch to retirement isn't such a bad idea.