Aviation Air Traffic Control Systems Technician

You are learning the electronic backbone of Marine aviation — the TACAN, ILS, GCA, and radio systems that keep aircraft from hitting the ground in zero-visibility conditions. Right now you are a pair of hands and a set of eyes for your shop NCOs, building the technical foundation that will define your career.

Assist senior technicians in performing scheduled preventive maintenance on TACAN beacons, ILS localizer and glide slope transmitters, GCA radar systems, and VHF/UHF communications equipment. You run daily and weekly operability checks, document equipment status in maintenance logs, and learn to use RF test equipment — spectrum analyzers, signal generators, VSWR bridges. You pull and replace line-replaceable units under supervision, run antenna cable, and learn the site layouts at your airfield. You will spend significant time reading NAVAIR technical manuals and learning to use the MDS-coded maintenance data cards. Flight check coordination is something you watch, not lead — but you start understanding what the FAA flight check aircraft is verifying and why those tolerances matter.

• 01Preventive maintenance execution, technical manual navigation, RF test equipment fundamentals, TACAN/ILS system familiarization, maintenance data entry, antenna theory basics

• —NAVAIR 16-30TACAN series TMs, ILS equipment-specific technical manuals, applicable MIMs, MDS maintenance data cards

• —All scheduled maintenance completed on time and documented correctly. No tool accountability failures. NAVAIR tech manual procedures followed step-by-step without shortcuts.

• —Skipping the warm-up period before running TACAN accuracy checks. Assuming an ILS glide slope antenna alignment is still good after any ground disturbance. Not re-torquing antenna coax connectors after weather exposure. Clearing a grounding fault without tracing it to the actual source.

You have memorized the layout and signal flow of every system your shop owns. When a senior technician asks you to pull the ILS localizer monitor logs from last night, you already know where to find them. Your preventive maintenance cards are filled out completely and accurately — no pencil-whipping, no guessing. When you do not know something, you say so and go find the answer in the TM before asking anyone. Flight check day is not stressful for you because your gear has been maintained to standard all week.

You have enough system knowledge to be dangerous in a good way — you can troubleshoot independently on most common faults and are starting to own specific equipment within the shop. Leadership is watching whether you step up or just execute tasking.

Perform independent troubleshooting and repair on TACAN, ILS, GCA, and VHF/UHF communications systems. You interpret system schematic diagrams and signal flow charts to isolate faults to the card, module, or component level. You lead your own maintenance actions on less complex equipment while assisting SSgt and GySgt on major alignments and calibrations. You coordinate with air traffic control personnel directly when systems degrade or fail — you own that communication loop, not your SNCO. You begin executing pre-flight check configurations, ensuring TACAN channel accuracy and ILS course width settings are within tolerance before approach operations begin. You mentor junior Marines in PM procedures and tool accountability. You maintain equipment historical records and ensure MDS entries are complete and accurate.

• 01Independent fault isolation, schematic interpretation, ILS localizer/glide slope alignment fundamentals, TACAN signal accuracy verification, ATC coordination, maintenance record accuracy, junior Marine mentorship

• —NAVAIR ILS and TACAN maintenance manuals, FAA Advisory Circular AC 000-31A (VORTAC/TACAN standards), MCWP 3-25.6 series, applicable MIMs

• —Fault isolation completed to the correct LRU first attempt at least 80% of the time. ATC notified of any system degradation within the timeline established by local SOP. MDS entries correct, complete, and timely on every action.

• —Declaring a GCA radar fault fixed based on one clean sweep rather than running it through a full warm-cycle verification. Adjusting ILS glide slope transmitter power without coordinating a flight check validation. Confusing TACAN bearing accuracy tolerance with distance accuracy tolerance — they are not the same spec.

ATC calls you before they call your SNCO because they know you will solve the problem. Your equipment log shows a clean maintenance history — no deferred deficiencies without a valid explanation. When the flight check aircraft comes and calls a localizer discrepancy, you already have a hypothesis before you hang up the radio. Your junior Marines know exactly what right looks like because you showed them, not just told them.

You are the technical backbone of the shop — the person who knows the systems deeply enough to fix the problems the tech manual does not cover and to train Marines who will replace you. You carry both the technical authority and the accountability that comes with it.

Serve as the primary technical expert for one or more major systems — typically owning TACAN, ILS, or GCA as your primary account. You plan and execute complex maintenance actions including ILS localizer course alignment, glide slope transmitter calibration, and TACAN channel accuracy verification against flight check standards. You coordinate directly with FAA flight check crews to interpret discrepancy reports and determine corrective action. You supervise junior Marines on maintenance actions, verifying their work before sign-off. You manage parts ordering, equipment historical records, and calibration due-date tracking for your systems. You begin advising the maintenance officer and operations officer on system readiness — your assessment becomes the ops brief. In expeditionary settings, you plan and lead airfield systems setup including antenna siting, power systems integration, and communications architecture for bare-base operations.

• 01ILS course alignment and calibration, TACAN accuracy flight check coordination, GCA radar system operation and maintenance, expeditionary airfield systems setup, parts management, maintenance program management, junior Marine technical development

• —FAA Advisory Circulars AC 000-31A, AC 000-110, NAVAIR NATOPS applicable to airfield systems, MCWP aviation communications doctrine, applicable MIMs and TMs

• —Flight check discrepancy rate at or below squadron historical average. Zero deferred deficiencies without command-approved documentation. Calibration due dates tracked with no overdue items. Expeditionary setup timelines met per METT-TC planning.

• —Trusting a pre-flight ILS check without validating that the monitor thresholds are correctly set — the monitor can show green while the actual course is outside tolerance. Siting a TACAN antenna without conducting a site survey for RF obstructions. Underestimating the time required to stabilize ILS transmitter output after a power interruption before running accuracy checks.

The flight check crew knows your name and trusts your pre-check data. When you hand the maintenance officer a readiness report, it is accurate and he does not need to ask follow-up questions. Your junior Marines can articulate the signal flow of the ILS system from antenna to cockpit indicator because you taught them, not just supervised them. Expeditionary setup exercises go smoothly because your checklists are detailed and your team has rehearsed them.

You run the shop — technically, administratively, and in terms of developing the Marines under you. You are the interface between tactical execution and command-level readiness decisions, and your judgment on system status directly affects flight operations.

Manage the daily operations of the airfield systems maintenance shop, including work scheduling, parts accountability, calibration tracking, and maintenance program compliance. You review and approve all maintenance actions before systems are returned to service. You brief the avionics maintenance officer and sometimes the MACS commanding officer directly on system readiness for flight operations. You own the relationship with the FAA flight check program — scheduling flight checks, preparing pre-check documentation, responding to discrepancy notices, and driving corrective action to closure. You advise on antenna farm layout and power systems for expeditionary airfield activation. You identify and resolve training gaps in your shop, writing OJT programs and evaluating Marine technical proficiency. You manage the interaction between 5954 and 7242 (ATC) personnel during system maintenance windows to minimize operational impact.

• 01Maintenance program management, flight check program coordination, readiness reporting, expeditionary airfield planning, OJT program development, cross-functional coordination with ATC and aviation operations, calibration program oversight

• —FAA flight check program publications, NAVAIR TM series for all shop-owned systems, MCO aviation maintenance management orders, MCWP 3-25 series, applicable NATOPS

• —Zero systems returned to service with uncorrected flight check discrepancies. Shop calibration program 100% current. All maintenance actions documented in MDS within 24 hours of completion. Marines in your shop can pass a technical proficiency evaluation at their respective grade.

• —Allowing deadline pressure from operations to compress ILS calibration procedures — a rushed ILS alignment is worse than a red-Xed system because ATC will trust an incorrectly aligned ILS. Failing to coordinate a maintenance window with ATC before taking down a navigation aid, even for short-duration work. Letting calibration due dates slip because the equipment is "working fine."

Your shop runs without you having to be physically present for every action because your Marines are trained and your procedures are documented. When the ops officer asks for a readiness assessment, you give him a number and a timeline for anything that is not green — no hedging, no "it depends." Flight check discrepancies are rare because your pre-check discipline is tight. Your Marines promote because you invested in their development, not just their taskings.

You are the senior technical authority for aviation airfield systems in your unit — the person commanders turn to when the answer is not in the manual and the consequence of getting it wrong is aircraft in a ditch. You shape the program, not just manage it.

Serve as the primary technical advisor to the MACS commanding officer and S-3 on all airfield navigation and communications systems readiness. You manage the entire 5954 maintenance program across the squadron, including multiple shop sections and geographically dispersed detachments during exercises or deployments. You make readiness determinations for flight operations in austere conditions where not all systems are fully operational — advising on acceptable degradation versus mission abort criteria. You interface with NAVAIR field teams, FAA Flight Standards Districts, and host-nation airfield authorities on technical matters. You develop and maintain the squadron's airfield activation playbook for expeditionary operations, incorporating lessons from previous deployments. You manage technical training pipelines, working with MOS schools on curriculum relevance and advocating for your Marines' professional development. You review and provide input to NAVAIR technical manual changes based on fleet experience.

• 01Senior technical advisory function, multi-section maintenance program oversight, expeditionary airfield activation planning, NAVAIR and FAA liaison, degraded operations readiness assessment, technical manual improvement input, Marine Corps training pipeline interface

• —NAVAIR technical manual configuration control processes, FAA Order 8200.1 (Flight Inspection Standards), MCO aviation maintenance and training orders, MCWP 3-25 series, DoD airfield criteria publications

• —Squadron airfield systems readiness rate meets or exceeds MARFORCOM requirements. No flight safety incidents attributable to navigation or communications system maintenance failures. All 5954 Marines in the squadron meet training and proficiency requirements. Expeditionary activation timelines meet METT-TC planning standards.

• —Underestimating RF propagation challenges at new expeditionary sites — a TACAN that works perfectly at your home station can have completely different multipath interference characteristics at a forward airfield. Allowing organizational pressure to characterize a degraded ILS as "adequate for operations" without formal degraded-ops documentation and ATC acknowledgment.

When a system fails during a night approach evolution, the decision chain is clear and fast because you have pre-briefed degraded-operations criteria with ATC and the ops officer. Your expeditionary activation checklist reflects actual lessons learned, not theoretical doctrine. Your Marines at detachments call you when they hit a wall because they know you will solve it with them, not solve it for them. NAVAIR knows your name because you have submitted technically sound TM change recommendations that improved fleet maintenance.

You are shaping how the Marine Corps maintains the systems that enable safe aviation for the next decade — advising commanders at the wing level, influencing training pipelines, and ensuring that the institutional knowledge in the 5954 community survives personnel turnover and technological change.

Advise Marine Aircraft Wing commanders and MACS commanding generals on airfield systems readiness across entire operational areas. You provide technical and policy input to Headquarters Marine Corps and NAVAIR on aviation ground support equipment requirements, technical manual adequacy, and training program design. You manage the 5954 occupational field at the MARFOR or wing level — monitoring manning, identifying experience gaps, and advocating for resources. You interface with joint airfield management authorities on interoperability and standards alignment. You develop doctrine for expeditionary airfield activation in contested environments, incorporating electronic warfare threats and degraded-GPS navigation scenarios. You mentor GySgts and prepare them for senior technical advisory roles. As 1stSgt or SgtMaj, you own the human dimension of the shop — welfare, discipline, career management, and the culture that determines whether junior Marines stay or leave.

• 01Wing-level readiness advisory, HQ Marine Corps and NAVAIR policy interface, joint airfield operations coordination, EW-threatened navigation doctrine development, occupational field management, senior NCO development, institutional knowledge preservation

• —HQMC aviation policy publications, NAVAIR acquisition and logistics documentation, joint airfield operations doctrine, coalition interoperability standards for navigation systems

• —Marine Corps 5954 readiness rates support operational requirements across all MAWs. Training pipeline produces technically competent Marines who do not require remediation on arrival at their first unit. Doctrine for expeditionary airfield activation in EW-contested environments is current and field-validated.

• —At this level, the technical mistakes are institutional — allowing the training pipeline to drift toward peacetime CONUS airfield operations and losing expeditionary skills, or failing to advocate for equipment modernization until the legacy systems can no longer support current aircraft navigation requirements. The silent risk is losing the human expertise to maintain systems that are rarely stressed in garrison.

Wing commanders give you unfiltered access because your assessment of airfield systems readiness is always honest and never shaped by what they want to hear. Junior GySgts in the community credit you by name for the career guidance that kept them in and on track. The training pipeline has your fingerprints on it — the curriculum gaps you identified three years ago are fixed, and the Marines graduating today are technically sharper because of it.