AVI vs AET
Coast Guard Aviator (USCG) vs Avionics Electrical Technician (USCG)
Both Coast Guard, both underestimated, both have given up explaining at Thanksgiving and now just say "boats."
The gap between "you'll fly the most daring search and rescue missions in the world" and what AVIs actually do could fill a Congressional hearing. Same goes for "you'll keep Coast Guard aircraft mission-ready by maintaining the avionics and electrical systems that make search and rescue possible" and the AET experience. AVI learns: your non-military friends will always, ALWAYS ask 'wait, the Coast Guard has pilots? Pan camera to the right: AET discovers: coast Guard aircraft fly when everyone else is grounded — and they need to work perfectly every time. Two jobs united only by a shared conviction that the other one somehow has it easier.
After the Uniform
The part the recruiter skips: what each job actually translates to once you're a civilian — and what it pays.
Salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. A guide, not a guarantee.
Recruiter vs. Reality
The pitch versus what people who actually did the job report back.
“As a Coast Guard Aviator, you'll fly the most daring search and rescue missions in the world. From pulling survivors out of hurricanes to interdicting drug smugglers in open ocean, you'll pilot advanced aircraft in conditions other aviators won't touch. You'll earn your wings and join the most elite rescue pilots on the planet.”
You fly helicopters into hurricanes on purpose. Let that sentence just sit there for a moment. While every commercial pilot in America is diverting 200 miles around the storm, you're pointing your MH-60 Jayhawk directly at the eye wall because someone's shrimp boat made poor life choices and there are four people clinging to a hull in 30-foot seas. The rescue footage on the evening news is incredible. What they don't show is the three hours of paperwork per flight hour, the annual swim qualifications where you get dunked upside down in a pool in full gear, or the 2 AM alert launch where you go from dead asleep to flying into zero visibility in eleven minutes. Your non-military friends will always, ALWAYS ask 'wait, the Coast Guard has pilots?' Yes. Yes they do. And those pilots have more flight hours in worse conditions than most military aviators will see in an entire career. You have performed hovering rescues in 60-knot winds, lowered rescue swimmers into seas that would sink a small boat, and medevac'd people from cruise ships at 3 AM — and you still have to explain what your branch does at Thanksgiving. You have the most objectively badass flying job in the entire armed forces and the least recognition. The airline industry will hire you in a heartbeat. You'll fly in clear skies and wonder why your hands aren't shaking.
“You'll keep Coast Guard aircraft mission-ready by maintaining the avionics and electrical systems that make search and rescue possible. AETs work on some of the most capable search and rescue aircraft in the world, and the avionics skills transfer directly to civilian aviation.”
You maintain the wiring, instruments, navigation systems, and communication equipment that pilots depend on to fly missions in the worst weather conditions imaginable. Coast Guard aircraft fly when everyone else is grounded — and they need to work perfectly every time. The A-school is at Elizabeth City, NC and the technical training is rigorous. The civilian avionics job market pays well, especially with an A&P license and CG operational experience.
Recent Reviews
Community Takes
Be the first to share your take on AVI vs AET
Compare Other MOS
Search by code or title, or browse by branch