UH-1Y/AH-1Z Helicopter Crew Chief

“You'll crew the Marine Corps' light attack and utility helicopters — the AH-1Z Viper and the UH-1Y Venom, the H-1 family that replaced the venerable Cobra and Huey. Crew chiefs on light attack and utility platforms are multi-skilled: you maintain the aircraft, operate the door guns, and serve as an active aircrew member on every mission. It's the most operationally intense crew chief role in Marine aviation.”

The AH-1Z and UH-1Y operate from every platform the Marine Corps uses — ships, expeditionary airfields, forward operating bases — in conditions that range from Persian Gulf heat to Norwegian cold. You will become intimately familiar with every system on your aircraft because the crew chief is the maintenance authority when there's no maintenance shop available. Operating door weapons while serving as crew chief during an assault support mission requires the kind of compartmentalization and professionalism that distinguishes experienced crew chiefs. The H-1 upgrade program is relatively mature, which means the technical knowledge is current and the defense contractor sustainment community for these platforms is active. FAA A&P certification with H-1 experience is a strong combination for civilian aviation maintenance.