When you are on a tactical aviation Maintenance crew you are responsible for scheduling inspections, preventative maintenance, functional inspections, and other checks and maintenance on aircraft and tactical installed equipment. As and Air Force Tactical Aircraft Maintenance specialist, you will be responsible for checks and inspection just prior to and after the flight of aircraft on air force missions. You will make sure that the aircraft has been properly services, and has liquid oxygen, hydraulic fluid, and fuel, and that all the various materials needed for the flight have been replenished. After the aircraft flight you will be responsible to make sure that the aircraft is restored to “Operational ready” status.
You will repair and maintain various parts of the equipment on the aircraft, as well as working on different systems and subsystems when required. If you are working on a system and a malfunction happens, you will notify the proper supervisory personnel and request assistance to either repair the malfunction yourself or to summon the proper personnel to take care of the issue. A specialist will be dispatched when necessary to help you in fixing, repairing or completing the maintenance issue on the aircraft to which you are assigned.
Serving as an Air Force Maintenance Tactical Apprentice is a job with a lot of growth potential, you will first attend Air Force Basic Training for 9 weeks where you will learn to be a member of the Air Force enlisted service. Afterwards you will progress to individual advanced training at Aviation Maintenance Technology School at Sheppard Air Force Base, in Texas. You will work and study for 17 weeks in basics of hydraulics, pneumatics, and electrical theory, as well as learning the basic components of the different Air Force and Armed Forces aircraft that you will be responsible for maintaining. You will study basic airframe construction, weapons and tactical equipment theory, as well as a host of other systems and subsystems that you will be responsible for.
As a member of the Air Force Tactical Maintenance Team you will be responsible for fast turn around of aircraft and making sure that the aircraft you are responsible for is ready and operational, able to perform the mission when needed. Civilian careers in aviation are often available to the trained Aircraft Tactical Maintenance technician after their service in the Air Force is completed.
