Duties and Responsibilities

Naval aircrewmen (AW rating) are the enlisted folks who man various aircraft, operating sub-systems while the pilot mans the stick. According to the Navy's Enlisted Classification Manual, they "perform general flight crew duties" including manning sensors, completing aircraft checks before, during, and after flight, and troubleshooting aircraft system malfunctions on-the-go.

Although they all come under the umbrella of the AW rating, aircrewmen are divided into a number of specialties, each with their own formal training program. According to Navy Personnel Command, these specialty ratings are:

• Mechanical aircrewmen (AWF), who work on larger craft such as C-130s in roles such as crew chief or load master.
• Operators (AWO) work as submarine hunters either from shore or aboard anti-sub aircraft like the P-3C Orion or P-8 Poseidon.
• Tactical Helicopter crew (AWR) hunt subs just like their AWO counterparts, but -- wait for it -- from helicopters. Also, they're the ones jumping in the water during search and rescue operations, so bring your trunks if this is where you'd like your career to go.
• Helicopter crew (AWS) work aboard other helicopters like the MH-53 Sea Dragon hunting mines and shootin' at folks. And again, jumping in the water to save people.
• Avionics crew (AWV) operate and maintain electronic equipment aboard numerous aircraft=, like the P-3C Orion or the E-6 Mercury flying command center.

Additionally, all of the aircrew specialties above may also be eligible to become unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pilots.

Military Requirements

In order to join the naval aircrew following high school graduation, you'll need high marks on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The AW rating requires candidates to achieve a composite score of 210, composed of scores from the verbal expression, arithmetic reasoning, mechanical knowledge, and either the mechanical comprehension or auto/shop aspects of the exam.

Navy aircrew will only accept applicants who can be trusted with the welfare of its valuable pilots and planes. By their standards, that means that only US citizens can apply, and then only if a background check clears them for at least a secret security clearance.

Of course, physical requirements are also vital to the job. In addition to the usual physical readiness test (PRT) taken by all sailors, potential AWs must pass a flight physical, a swim test (come on, it's the Navy), demonstrate normal color vision, depth perception, and vision correctable to 20/20. A successful "reading aloud" test is also necessary to weed out those with speech impediments -- presumably because it's already hard enough to hear vital instructions being shouted over the road of jet turbines.

Most interesting (to me, because it seems funny and random next to talk of swimming and screaming over jet traffic) are requirements posted by Navy Personnel Command that disqualify those with "[h]ay fever, asthma, [allergy to] bee stings, food allergy reaction and chronic motion sickness." OK, I'll give them the motion sickness bit. And maybe the asthma. But food allergies? (Perhaps the in-flight meals on a C-130 really are that bad.)

Education

Following boot camp at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, the Navy takes a two-prong approach to growing its aircrewmen.

The real training begins at the Naval Aircrew Candidate School (NACCS) aboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida. Rod Powers provides a more detailed description of this school from the Navy News Service over at About.com's main US Military site, but it suffices to say that the four-week NACCS course is little more than boot camp part two, designed to weed out those who can't keep up with naval aviation's high standards for its crews. The program focuses almost entirely on physical conditioning, including swim training, but also includes first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) qualification.

Only after you've gone through the ringer at NACCS can you move on to technical training, or "A" school. There are several different "A" schools for aircrewman aboard NAS Pensacola, and each teaches a different crew specialty (AWF, AWO, AWR, AWS, or AWV.) Which one you're ultimately assigned to depends on the needs of the Navy and your personal qualifications.

Certifications and Career Outlook

Navy Credentialing Opportunities On Line (COOL) has separate lists of career-advancing certifications for each special aircrew rating. Here are a few common highlights:

• Certified Aerospace Technician (AWF rating)
• Certified Safety Specialist
• National Association for Search and Rescue "SARTECH" certifications (helicopter crews)
• Aerospace Fiber Optics Fabricator (AWV rating)