aircraft mechanic marines

Aircraft Mechanic Marines - Editor's note: Opinion below. The author is not employed by Military Times, and the views expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of Military Times or its editors.

It's no secret that Marine Corps Aviation has always taken a back seat. Ever since the Continental Congress passed a resolution in 1775 calling for two battalions of Marines capable of fighting for independence at sea and ashore, Marine Corps infantry units have historically been the "first to fight ."

Aircraft Mechanic Marines

Our heritage and traditions support this "newcomer" thinking about aviation, but in reality, air support has saved the lives of thousands of Marines, providing transportation to and from combat zones. With that said, even the harshest voices believe that ground/air teams need each other to succeed on the battlefield.

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But this difference, however prominent it may be in the minds of individual Marines, is not the biggest problem within the naval aviation community. Instead of saying that morale is at an all-time low, I would say that the Marines are disillusioned, disillusioned, or disillusioned. Re-registrations for military occupational specialty of aviation decreased by 20 percent. Why is this and what can we do about it?

Aviation maintenance departments are being asked to do more with much less than in the past. The availability of qualified mechanics and components has decreased dramatically, but squadron commanders are encouraged to increase readiness. This causes longer working hours, resulting in less time with family and less time for professional military training. This will also lead to a significant reduction in the number of "qualified mechanics". Organizational tables can be filled, but they are sometimes filled with unqualified interns. Training new mechanics requires a qualified mechanic to spend more time on repairs, resulting in a higher ratio of maintenance repair costs-to-flight hours, and therefore less airworthy aircraft.

Aircrew training is even more complex and extensive; It takes two and a half to three years to become a weapons and tactics instructor. Therefore, few first-term Marines qualify for WTI. That makes the reclassification level even more important. WTI provides instruction and training with an emphasis on integrated air-to-air and air-to-ground combat operations. Designed for experienced Marines, the WTI course is an advanced, graduate-level course for fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and tilt-rotor pilots and enlisted aircrew selected from the Naval aviation community.

The cost of this seven week training course at Marine Corps Yuma, Arizona is estimated to be equivalent to the cost of a college education. In conducting tactical missions, the role of enlisted WTIs is equivalent to that of pilots. However, some senior enlisted personnel lack aviation experience and do not understand the importance of the overall crew concept.

Mos Occ Field 61: Aircraft Maintenance (rotary Wing)

Although the cost of a new aircraft takes a large part of the total budget, there is not much money left for parts and fuel. Last month's 2016 Marine Corps Aviation Plan highlighted futile efforts to fly the Corps' fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters and train their pilots. Reduced flight hours are directly related to war supplies and increased accidents. Until adequate funding levels are renewed, this will continue to be a major challenge for naval aviation.

The answer is not to reduce operational obligations; this alone reduces the readiness for war. A pilot must fly 20-30 hours a month to maintain his skills and a few more hours to improve those skills. Due to the shortage of qualified crew chiefs, many crew chief hours are those of pilots. I hope that the Ministry of Defense in all its wisdom does not lower the standards to make the numbers look good.

160725-M-WQ429-1001 Marine Corps Air Station Hawaii (July 25, 2016) An F/A-18 Hornet air-to-air refueling of a KC 130 J during an air-to-air refueling exercise as part of Exercise Pacific Rim. From June 30 to August 4, 26 nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 horses and 25,000 personnel participate in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC offers participants a unique training opportunity that helps them develop and maintain cooperative relationships critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and the security of the oceans of the world. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Miguel A. Rosales/Released)

An F/A-18 Hornet takes off during a training exercise in the Pacific Rim near Hawaii on July 25.

Undisclosed Location, Southwest Asia U.s. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Johnny Mendez, An Aviation Mechanic With Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115, Marine Aircraft Group 31, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Inspects The Laser

The pace of the operation is straining both people and equipment. It also costs a lot for airplanes. For example, the F/A-18 continued to fly longer than expected, but the ratio of maintenance hours to flight hours increased, resulting in maintenance costs that were much higher than budgeted. Parts of other obsolete aircraft have expired.

Mandatory budget cuts in 2013, known as the sequester, took a big toll on readiness, and the number of aircraft needed to meet readiness standards fell by a total of 20 percent. 2016 Aviation Plan va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va vas va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va va other means. They seem to have the fudge factor built into their lap to lay a golden egg.

The requirement that all Marines be shooters first and foremost is an important concept. The battle is as much about supporting defensive positions as it is about maneuver warfare. Although Marines are not tasked with amphibious landings or ground assaults, they must be prepared to defend their positions in the event of a surprise enemy attack on an air base.

Example: On October 28, 1965, 90 Vietnamese fighters attacked the Marine Corps Air Base at Marble Mountain, Vietnam, under fire from 60 mm mortars, Bangalore torpedoes, and hand grenades. The air wings fought back, killing 41 of the attackers and losing two Marines and one Marine Corpsman. Another example: on September 14, 2012, the Taliban attacked Camp Bastion in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The entire raiding force was either killed or captured. I experienced the raids at Phu Bai airport in Vietnam and I can say for sure that it was every man for himself. There was no planned scheme of defense based on previous infantry training.

Th Aircraft Maintenance Unit Wins Load Crew Competition > U.s. Indo Pacific Command > 2015

All of this means that Marines with aviation MOSs must complete PME courses in addition to their training requirements. These PME courses partly have nothing to do with their day jobs. For example, to promote a flight engineer sergeant to staff sergeant, he must complete the Sergeant Course distance learning program, which consists of nine subcourses, some of which are useful to all Marines: administration, communications, training, and leadership. However, combat, tactical planning and tactical weapons were lost in the aviation marines. There is little opportunity to train and use these tools once they are learned, and there is no practical use for them.

Marines lower an ejection seat from an AV-8B Harrier aircraft June 30 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.

There also seem to be problems with some members of the leadership who were promoted in the ground community and then transferred to aviation units. They don't seem to respect the qualifications needed to move up the maintenance and crew ladder. Becoming a certified bond inspector for a mechanic requires extensive study followed by hours of training to become a quality assurance representative. QAR has the critical responsibility of signing off on aircraft that are safe to fly. This doesn't even take into account the extra qualifications needed outside of A-school to do their main job.

The Marine Corps has always prided itself on two things: "We train like we fight" and "We can do more with less." But we lose our advantage fast in both cases. Let's face it; Naval aviation is in trouble. Marine Corps Commandant General Robert Neller said there is a plan to "fix" it, including getting new aircraft such as the MV-22B Osprey and the F-35B. He also stressed the need to increase flight hours to maintain the qualifications of pilots and aircrew. That's all well and good, General, but how do you provide the resources to maintain the aircraft that we have and that the Marines are tasked with maintaining on a daily basis?

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The financing of aviation is still at a standstill. Valuable Marine Corps resources go into restoring land units such as Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command and intelligence. But we are wasting money to integrate the LGBT community into the corps; reconfiguration of barracks and not only integrated barracks, but also integrated rooms must be pushed forward.

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