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Job Description | Duties | Working Conditions
Educational Requirements | Outlook | Salary
Related Clusters:
Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics
Job Description: The military uses aircraft of all types and sizes to conduct combat and intelligence missions, rescue personnel, transport troops and equipment, and perform long range bombing missions. Air crew members operate equipment on board aircraft during operations. They normally specialize by type of aircraft such as bomber, intelligence, transport, or search and rescue.
There are no direct civilian equivalents to military air crew members. However, some of the skills gained in the military could be useful in civilian government and private agencies that provide emergency medical service. Weight and load computation skills are also useful for civilian air transport operations.
Duties: Military air crew members may perform some or all of these duties:
- Operate aircraft communication and radar equipment
- Operate and maintain aircraft defensive gunnery systems
- Operate helicopter hoists to lift equipment and personnel from land and sea
- Operate and maintain aircraft in-flight refueling systems
Working Conditions: Military air crew members work inside all sizes and types of aircraft based on land or aboard ships. They fly in all types of weather, and in both hot and cold climates. Although there are women air crew members, some specialties in this occupation are open only to men. Air crew members must be in excellent physical condition and pass a special physical exam in order to qualify for flight duty. They must be mentally sound and have normal hearing.
Educational Requirements: High school students may prepare for this career by taking courses in mathematics and mechanics. Job training consists of between 7 and 9 weeks of classroom instruction including practical experience in aircraft systems operation and maintenance. Course content varies by specialty and may include operation of aircraft gunnery systems; operation of aircraft in-flight refueling systems; cargo, munitions, and fuel load planning; and rescue and recovery operations. Further training occurs on the job through actual flying time. There are additional courses covering air crew survival, scuba diving, parachuting, aircraft maneuvering, and combat crew training. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps offer a certified apprenticeship for one specialty in this occupation.
Outlook: The military services have about 5,000 air crew members. On average, they need about 800 new air crew members each year. For more information for Enlisted Personnel in Transportation and Material Handling Careers visit Today's Military online.
Military service: Military air crew members are enlistees in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the Coast Guard.
Please see your local recruiter for current pay scales.
Last updated on: May 10, 2007