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AETE5

Avionics Electrical Technician

E-5 (Sergeant) · Coast Guard

E1–E3E-4E-5E-6E-7E8–E9
HEADS UP

AET2 (PO2) is the rate's working technical authority. The aircraft's logbook has your name on corrective maintenance packages that your AET3 could not close, because the fault isolation went to circuit level and required your judgment. The FAA AMT certificate should already be on your cert sheet — if it is not, fix that before the next SWE cycle. The AET1 Servicewide Exam is the advancement gate, and the EER inputs you write on the AET3s below you are the first test of whether you are doing the NCO job or just the technical one.

The Honest MOS Read
AET2 (Petty Officer Second Class) is the journeyman avionics technician in the CG aviation maintenance community. You own a system area. That means when the aircraft has a write-up on a navigation system, a communications fault, an autopilot anomaly, a SAR sensor integration issue, or an electrical distribution fault in your assigned system area, you are the technician who works it — from the aircraft logbook write-up, through the fault isolation procedure in the maintenance manual, to the corrective action, the logbook close-out, and the operational check that confirms the fix. You do not wait to be assigned to the package by the AET1. You go get it. The air station you are assigned to runs on the combined technical authority of a small AET shop — an AETC as the senior chief, one or two AET1s as the senior petty officers, and a tier of AET2s who carry the daily workload. At a major air station (Clearwater, Elizabeth City, Kodiak, Astoria) that shop might have four or five AET2s. At a smaller station it might have two, and there are days when one of them is on leave and the other one is you. The Aviation Maintenance Officer (AMO) knows the difference between an AET2 whose maintenance packages close correctly on the first pass and one whose don't, and the AETC has been building that picture since you pinned. The FAA Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) certificate — Airframe and Powerplant, ideally both — is the professional credential that this rating is built around. The Coast Guard's use of FAA-certificated aircraft and the regulatory framework of 14 CFR Part 43 means that your maintenance entries exist inside a federal aviation law context. The A&P certificate is not a nice-to-have for an AET2 — it is the community standard. An AET2 who does not have the A&P certificate is an outlier in the rating, and the AETC's EER input will note the absence without needing to say it explicitly. If you are at AET2 without the A&P, that is the first thing on your to-do list, above everything else in this guide. The training responsibility at AET2 is real. You are signing PQS tasks for AET3s and non-rates, and those signatures carry the same weight your logbook signatures carry — you are certifying demonstrated performance, not proximity to the task. The AET3 whose PQS was signed correctly will perform correctly when they are unsupervised. The one whose PQS was signed as a courtesy will generate the re-open and the quality assurance finding. The standard you apply to PQS signing is the standard the rating lives by. The Servicewide Exam (SWE) for AET1 is on the horizon. The bibliography is different from the AET3-to-AET2 bibliography — it goes deeper on advanced avionics systems, aircraft maintenance supervision, Coast Guard administration, and the EER/advancement process. Start pulling the bibliography and building a study plan early in the AET2 tour. The AET2 who waits for someone to tell them to start studying is the same one explaining the advancement timeline at retention.
Career Arc
  • 01Pin AET2 — receive system area assignment in the avionics shop, take ownership of phase inspection and corrective maintenance packages on assigned systems without direct supervision
  • 02FAA AMT certificate (A&P) on the cert sheet — if not already complete at pin-on, this is the immediate priority before any other professional development action
  • 03Shop qualification signed on multiple avionics and electrical systems — the authorization folder and the AMMS authorization record should show expanding system coverage across the AET2 tour
  • 04EER inputs written on AET3s below — first cycle of personnel evaluation documentation; the standard you set here follows you to AET1
  • 05AET1 SWE preparation — bibliography pulled, study plan built, exam taken in the March or August cycle; advancement from AET2 to AET1 is competitive and cutoff-driven
  • 06C-school or advanced training — manufacturer avionics type training, advanced SAR systems certification, or platform-specific test equipment operator qualification; the system depth that differentiates the AET1 competitive file
Common Screwups
  • ×Maintenance record falsification — signing a phase inspection item without completing the full procedure, or documenting a corrective action that resolves a write-up you did not actually verify with an operational check. At AET2 the quality assurance audit reads your packages as the working-level authority. The finding traces to your signature and the AETC initiates a formal investigation. This ends the AET1 SWE discussion and frequently ends the career in the rating.
  • ×DUI or drug incident — the aviation rating's security-adjacent billets (some advanced avionics training programs, some C-school pipelines) require a clean record. A DUI at AET2 generates a Page 7, may trigger administrative separation depending on pattern, and terminates the SWE advancement timeline. The AETC and the AMO hear about it before the unit has time to manage the information flow.
  • ×Financial mismanagement that creates a security concern — the CG's aviation maintenance community operates in proximity to systems that require reliability and trustworthiness. Creditors calling the unit, garnishment of military pay, or a pattern of financial crisis that becomes visible to the chain creates a reliability concern that the AETC communicates to the AMO and the OIC.
  • ×EER inflation — writing inflated performance inputs on AET3s to avoid the hard conversation or to help a marginal performer look good. The first time it is discovered — when the AETC's inputs diverge from yours on the same person, or when the quality assurance audit finds a re-open that your EER input did not document — your credibility as an input writer is damaged for the duration of your time at the unit.
  • ×Integrity violation with the chain on a maintenance call — telling the AMO that an aircraft is airworthy when you have unresolved concerns about a system, or telling the AETC that a package is closed when it has an undocumented step. The AET2 who communicates maintenance concerns clearly and early, even when the news is bad, builds a reputation. The one who buries concerns to avoid friction generates the mishap or the grounding, and the investigation reads back to the last person who had information.

A Day in the Life

  • 0530-0600Wake, dress, check the morning's maintenance board before quarters — know what aircraft are up for scheduled maintenance, what write-ups are carried over from the previous day, and which package you own today.
  • 0600-0630Morning quarters — muster, uniform inspection, the AETC or duty AET1's maintenance pass-down. Write down priorities and who is working with you on each package.
  • 0630-0700Shop opening — tool crib inventory with the duty AET3, stage test equipment for the day's primary package, pre-read the applicable MPC and fault isolation procedure before aircraft access. If there is a deferred write-up on your system, pull the wiring diagram before the aircraft is pulled.
  • 0700-0930Primary maintenance package — lead the corrective or scheduled maintenance job from write-up to operational check. Brief the AET3 working with you on the procedure before starting. Document in real time; close the tool count when the package closes.
  • 0930-1000FOD walk — ramp and hangar floor cleared. Brief the AA or AET3 on what you are looking for. Sign the FOD log.
  • 1000-1130Phase inspection segment or second corrective package on a down aircraft. Work independently if qualified; brief the AET1 if the fault isolation takes you outside your qualification boundary. Never extend your authorization scope without the AET1's direction.
  • 1130-1230Lunch. Eat in the galley or the break room. The AETC notices where the AET2s are at lunch.
  • 1230-1400AMMS work order close-outs — ensure every package from the morning has a clean work order in the system with the correct reference, corrective action description, and your authorization signature. Pull the AET3's work order drafts and review before they submit. Correct errors before the AMO's QA run.
  • 1400-1530PQS signing session with an AET3 or non-rate — task demonstration, question-and-answer, PQS signature if demonstrated to standard. Alternatively, CMM study on the avionics system area you are pursuing for the next shop qualification. Keep the wiring diagram and CMM on your workspace; reading them in 30-minute blocks during the duty day is how the fault isolation fluency develops.
  • 1530-1600End-of-day tool inventory — complete, every item accounted for, log signed. Confirm the next day's maintenance schedule with the AET1.
  • 1600-1630Evening pass-down — carry-over maintenance, upcoming phase inspection windows, weekend duty section assignments.
  • 1900-2100AET1 SWE study — bibliography section coverage, practice test questions, or review of the Coast Guard Personnel Manual advancement and EER sections. Thirty days of focused study before the March SWE does not beat eighteen months of steady progress.

Weekly Cadence

The AET2's week is front-loaded on maintenance execution and back-end loaded on documentation and personnel actions. Monday through Wednesday are typically the highest-maintenance-tempo days — phase inspection windows open, corrective packages from weekend operations are cleared, and the duty aircraft rotation drives the priority order. As the working technical authority on your assigned system areas, you do not wait for the AET1 to assign the write-up to you. You see it on the maintenance board, you pull the fault isolation procedure, and you go to work. Thursday and Friday typically shift toward administrative close-out — QA audit preparation, EER input drafts for the AET3s in your section, the weekly tool crib audit, the AMMS work order review. The AET1 may hold a short shop meeting on Friday morning to review the week's maintenance outcomes and identify carry-over write-ups heading into the weekend. If you are on weekend duty, the duty aircraft watch is your responsibility and a callout for an AOG aircraft is a real possibility, particularly at high-tempo SAR stations. The AET1 SWE prep and the A&P oral/practical preparation are off-duty investments, but the CMM reading and the wiring diagram review can happen in 30-minute blocks during quiet periods in the maintenance day. The AET2 who separates 'official work time' from 'study time' rigidly is harder to find with a wiring diagram in hand during a quiet afternoon than the one who treats technical depth as part of the job, not a separate obligation.

Key Skills — How to Drill Each

  1. 01
    Lead a corrective maintenance package from logbook write-up to operational check close-out without the AET1 walking each step
    Own the package from the moment you pick up the write-up. Read the full fault isolation procedure before you touch anything. Work the procedure to its conclusion before making any parts call. Write the corrective action description as you go — not from memory after the close-out. Perform the operational check per the MPC and document the result. Close the tool count before you close the work order. When the AET1 audits the package, they should be reading what happened, not reconstructing it from their knowledge of you.
  2. 02
    Perform and document phase or periodic inspection items on assigned aircraft systems as the authorizing mechanic
    The phase inspection cards are the scheduled maintenance spine of the aircraft's airworthiness. Each card has a task, a reference, a pass/fail criterion, and a signature block. Sign the block only after you have completed the task to the referenced standard — not after you have completed it to the standard you remember from ATTC, but to the standard written in the document in front of you. The AMO's quality assurance review compares your signature block against the procedure reference. Make them match.
  3. 03
    Troubleshoot an avionics fault to circuit level — not just to the LRU — using the aircraft wiring diagram
    The wiring diagram is the most important tool in the shop for an avionics technician. Develop the skill of reading a circuit from the power source, through the protection device, to the load, and back to ground before making any diagnostic measurement. When the fault isolation chart says 'check pin X at connector Y for voltage,' you should know — from the wiring diagram — where that circuit's power is coming from and what would break the path. The technician who can trace a circuit without the diagnostic chart is the one the AET1 calls when the fault is intermittent.
  4. 04
    Operate shop-level avionics test equipment — signal generators, frequency counters, spectrum analyzers, pitot-static test sets, transponder interrogators
    Each piece of calibrated test equipment has a calibration due date and a calibration record. Check the calibration status before using any calibrated instrument — an out-of-calibration test result is not a test result. Learn the full setup procedure for the equipment your shop operates, including the zero reference and the connection procedure for the avionics system under test. The test setup error is the most common source of false-positive and false-negative troubleshooting results at the AET2 level.
  5. 05
    Write EER inputs on AET3s and non-rates — observable behavior, measurable performance, no inflation
    The EER input should describe behavior you observed, not character you infer. 'PO Jones completed three corrective maintenance packages on the NAV suite with zero re-opens and zero tool discrepancies in the reporting period' is an input. 'PO Jones is a dedicated professional who always gives 100%' is not. The AETC compares your inputs to their own direct observations. If they consistently match, your inputs carry weight. If they diverge, the AETC supplements or revises — and the rest of the shop notices.
  6. 06
    Write a clean maintenance action entry in the Aircraft Logbook and AMMS — accurate description, correct parts data, your signature under your authorization
    Write every entry as if the accident investigator is reading it tomorrow. The description should match what was done — not what was planned, not what you think the MPC says, but what you actually did. The part number, serial number, and work order number are traceability data the quality assurance auditor needs to trace the maintenance to the specific aircraft, the specific inspector, and the specific date. One missing field generates an open quality assurance finding.

Manuals & References — What Chapters Matter

  • COMDTINST M13020.1 — Coast Guard Aircraft Maintenance Manual
    You are the working authority under this instruction on the systems you are qualified on. Know the inspection intervals, the deferred discrepancy criteria, the certification block requirements, and the quality assurance audit standards cold. The AMO's monthly QA review compares your signed entries against this instruction — not against your recollection of what you did.
  • FAA Part 43 — Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, Rebuilding, and Alteration
    Part 43.9 (maintenance records) and 43.11 (return to service) govern every maintenance entry on FAA-certificated Coast Guard aircraft. Your A&P certificate authorizes you to make return-to-service entries under 43.11 — know exactly what that signature certifies and the regulatory consequence if the work it covers was deficient.
  • Platform-specific AMM and CMM for assigned avionics systems
    The CMM for your assigned system area is the component-level technical reference for fault isolation below the LRU. The AET2 who reads the CMM to the wiring-diagram level performs fault isolation the AET3 cannot. Buy or access the CMMs for your assigned black boxes — the autopilot computer, the flight management system, the radar altimeter, the SAR sensor suite — and know what the fault isolation tree looks like at the component level before the troubleshooting session, not during it.
  • CIM 1610-series — Enlisted Employee Review (EER)
    You are writing inputs now. Read the EER instruction to understand how the mark distribution works, what 'Exceeds Standards' requires in observable terms, and how the supervisor narrative is weighted against the mark. The AETC is reading your inputs as a performance signal about both the AET3 you are rating and your own judgment. Inputs that are vague, inflated, or inconsistent with the quality assurance record erode your credibility.
  • AET Rating Knowledge bibliography for the AET1 SWE — current version from the CG Institute
    The AET1 SWE bibliography covers advanced avionics systems knowledge, maintenance administration, the Coast Guard Personnel Manual advancement sections, and the EER process at a deeper level than the AET3-to-AET2 bibliography. Pull it early in the AET2 tour and identify the gaps between your current knowledge and the bibliography coverage. The AET2 who works through the bibliography across 18-24 months beats the one who starts 60 days before the March SWE.
  • CGTTP aviation maintenance series (verify current pub series from the Coast Guard Directives System)
    The Coast Guard's Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures publications for aviation maintenance cover platform-specific maintenance integration with the CG operational mission set. Verify the current series from the Directives System — publication numbers and titles change. The CGTTP series is the bridge between the doctrinal maintenance procedures in COMDTINST M13020.1 and the operational reality of maintaining CG aircraft for SAR, LE, and maritime security missions.

Standards — How to Hit Each

  • FAA AMT certificate (A&P) — both Airframe and Powerplant — on the cert sheet at pin-on or immediately thereafter
    If you pinned AET2 without the A&P, schedule the Airframe oral/practical examination within 90 days of pin-on. The written exams should already be passed. The oral and practical under 14 CFR Part 65 require scheduling time with a FAA Designated Mechanic Examiner (DME) or an Aircraft Mechanic Examiner (AME) — find the DME closest to your duty station and make the appointment. The AET2 who has the A&P when the AET1 SWE slate comes out has a visible differentiator; the one who still has only the written exams is explaining why.
  • Shop qualification signed on at least two avionics or electrical systems on the primary aircraft, with the ability to lead corrective packages without direct supervision on those systems
    The qualification depth expected of an AET2 is not 'has been shown how to do the procedure' — it is 'can lead the package and close the work order correctly without the AET1 watching.' Build the second qualification on a system that complements the first — if your first qualification is navigation systems, pursue communications or autopilot as the second. Multi-system qualification makes you the tech the AETC can deploy to the write-up regardless of which system is generating it.
  • EER marks at or above the unit average for AET2s; inputs written on subordinates that are observable and defensible
    Your EER mark is the AET1's input plus the AETC's review. The variable you control is the quality of observable behavior during the reporting period — specific maintenance packages you closed correctly, specific training you delivered to AET3s, specific quality assurance findings you prevented. The AETC builds the EER from what they saw and what the AET1 reported. Give them something real to write about.
  • Servicewide Exam taken on cycle (March or August) with a bibliography-driven study plan built in the first year of AET2
    Pull the AET1 SWE bibliography from the CG Institute. Identify the publications you have not read. Build a monthly study plan that covers the bibliography across 18-24 months. Take the SWE in the first eligible cycle after your AET2 advancement date, even if the study plan is not complete — the early SWE generates a baseline score and reveals where the bibliography gaps are.
  • PFT passed; body composition compliant; zero quality assurance findings on closed work orders across the AET2 tour
    The zero-QA-finding standard is the most important non-exam standard at AET2. Every maintenance package you sign is auditable. The QA audit rate and the re-open rate on your packages are data the AMO can pull at any time. The AET2 with a clean QA record over a 2-3 year AET2 tour has a maintenance credibility that the SWE score alone cannot create.

Technical Mistakes — Concrete Consequences

  • Signing a phase inspection item without completing the full check — skipping a continuity step because the system appeared functional
    The missed step becomes the accident investigation exhibit and the logbook entry has your signature. The quality assurance auditor finds the procedural gap between the task reference and the documented corrective action. The AMO grounds the aircraft pending re-inspection. At AET2, a single documented QA finding of this type on a signed phase item is an immediate conversation with the AETC and a formal counseling on the record.
  • Ordering a replacement LRU before completing the fault isolation procedure — substituting a parts swap for systematic troubleshooting
    The shop burns the unit's limited parts budget on a component that may not be the failure mode. The aircraft returns the same write-up on the next flight because the actual fault — the failed connector, the broken wire segment, the power supply degradation — was never isolated. The re-open appears in the AMMS against your original work order. The AMO's QA review asks why the fault isolation was not worked to completion.
  • Counseling AET3s verbally instead of writing EER inputs and Page 7s for documented performance issues
    When the AET3 generates a quality assurance finding six months later and the chain reviews the personnel record, there is no documentation showing that the issue was identified and addressed. The AET1 asks why nothing was written, and the AET2 who 'handled it verbally' has a gap in the supervisor trail. The chiefs' mess and the AETC need the written record before any advancement or retention action is defensible.
  • Treating FAA A&P preparation as something to start after the next SWE cycle — indefinitely deferring the oral and practical examinations
    The AET2 who has both written exams but no certificate after 18 months is being asked why by the AETC. After 24 months, the question is being asked by the AMO. After 36 months at AET2 without the A&P, the community-level reputation is 'the AET2 who doesn't have the A&P.' That reputation affects the AET1 SWE competitive file, the C-school selection, and the separation market evaluation. The oral and practical are a scheduling problem — make the appointment and go.
  • Discussing aircraft discrepancy status, deferred write-up details, or maintenance backlog on unofficial channels or with unauthorized personnel
    Aviation maintenance status is operationally sensitive. The aircraft that has a deferred search radar write-up cannot fly a surveillance mission — that information is not for the hangar deck chat or the family group text. A documented OPSEC incident at AET2 generates a security report, a formal counseling, and potentially a security concern notation on the record that affects clearance-adjacent assignments. The ops officer and the AMO own the maintenance status narrative.

Career Decisions at This Rank

  • Pursue FAA Inspection Authorization (IA) under 14 CFR Part 65 Subpart E versus remaining at A&P level
    The IA is the senior civilian maintenance credential — it authorizes annual inspections and the approval of major repairs and alterations on FAA-certificated aircraft. The CG does not require the IA for AET2s, but it is the credential the AETC community recognizes at the AET1 and AETC level, and obtaining it at AET2 is an unusual differentiator. The IA eligibility requires 3 years of active A&P certificate experience, a fixed-base operation (FBO) or inspection authorization shop as a working facility, and FAA-administered oral and written examinations. Pursuing the IA during the AET2 tour — when the A&P hours are accumulating and the maintenance facility requirement can be met through the air station's AMO-designated working environment — is worth the investment for the member who plans to stay in the rating through AET1.
  • Mid-career re-enlistment — continue through AET1 board or evaluate separation with current credentials
    The AET2 with a clean maintenance record, a complete A&P, and two SWE cycles attempted is competitive in the civilian aviation maintenance market. Regional airlines, DoD aviation contractors, and commercial MRO facilities actively recruit CG AETs for their avionics and electrical skills. The re-enlistment decision at the mid-AET2 point involves comparing the value of continuing to AET1 (higher retirement multiplier, senior leadership experience, potentially the IA credential and the AETC advancement pathway) against the opportunity cost of staying in uniform during a market window where the A&P with CG experience commands premium offers. There is no universally right answer — it depends on the family situation, the separation timing relative to the civilian market, and whether the member actually wants to lead a shop or just wants the technical work.
  • Advanced avionics C-school or manufacturer training — pursue when eligible or defer for SWE advancement
    C-school slots and manufacturer avionics type training are rare and competitive at the AET2 level. When a slot is offered — an integrated SAR system type rating, an advanced avionics test equipment certification, a helicopter-specific avionics integration course — take it. These are not opportunities that reschedule around your SWE calendar. The member who returns from an advanced C-school at AET2 with a manufacturer certification on a platform-specific system is the AET2 the AETC wants to keep at the unit and wants to see on the AET1 SWE slate.
  • Broadening assignment — AVSC/ATTC cadre billet, recruiter tour, or OCS commissioning
    A cadre assignment at the Aviation Technical Training Center (ATTC) in Mobile, AL as an AET2 is available to qualified members and provides instructional credibility that the maintenance-only career track does not offer. Recruiter tours are less common for aviation-specific ratings but exist. OCS commissioning (Green-to-Gold equivalent in the CG) is a real option for AET2s with the academic record and the motivation — a CG commissioned officer with an AET background and an A&P certificate is a rare combination that moves quickly in the aviation chain. The commissioning decision should be made on a full picture of the civilian-officer opportunity cost, not as a reaction to a bad month on the maintenance floor.

How the Seat Varies by Unit Type

  • Air Station (HH-65 Dolphin primary)
    The HH-65 avionics shop at a SAR-primary air station is the highest-tempo environment for an AET2. The Dolphin's mission profile generates frequent write-ups on the integrated SAR suite, the autopilot, and the communications systems. Corrective maintenance packages are common, and the AET2 who becomes the shop's go-to technician on a specific system area builds a reputation across the AETC's network. The FOD discipline is intense — the Fenestron duct ingestion risk means the FOD culture is not optional.
  • Air Station (MH-60 Jayhawk primary)
    The MH-60T avionics architecture is the most complex in the CG inventory. AET2s at MH-60 stations develop deep troubleshooting capability because the integrated avionics suite — radar, FLIR, hoist system, IFF — generates complex, multi-system fault isolation scenarios that push the AET2 level hard. The CMM reading investment pays off faster on the MH-60 than on any other CG platform. The AET2 who masters MH-60 avionics troubleshooting at this paygrade is highly competitive for any follow-on assignment.
  • Air Station (HC-144 Ocean Sentry or HC-27J Spartan)
    Fixed-wing AET2 experience is structurally different — longer planned maintenance intervals, pressurization system electrical interfaces, and a different tactical sensor integration. The HC-144 and HC-27J avionics systems draw on a different manufacturer documentation ecosystem than the rotary-wing platforms. The AET2 who accumulates both fixed-wing and rotary-wing experience during their AET2 tour (through PCS moves between stations) is rare and is visible on the AETC placement slate.
  • AVSC / ATTC Mobile (instructional or cadre assignment)
    An AET2 assigned to the ATTC as a cadre member teaches the avionics pipeline and mentors students through the ~52-week course. The instructional credibility is real, the technical depth developed from teaching rather than doing is different from the air station experience, and the network of future AET3s who came up under your instruction is a career-long asset. The downside: you are not accumulating maintenance package hours at the air station rate, which means the A&P IA eligibility clock moves slower, and the SWE preparation requires more self-discipline without an air station maintenance tempo to reinforce the technical content.
  • Sector or District aviation staff (limited flight operations)
    A small number of AET2s serve in staff billets at Sector or District aviation commands with limited direct maintenance responsibility. These billets offer administrative and coordination experience that the air station career track does not, but the maintenance currency declines without regular hands-on work. The AET2 in a staff billet needs to actively maintain proficiency — volunteering for temporary additional duty to air stations during maintenance events, staying current on the ATTC refresher schedule, and keeping the A&P practical experience active. The AETC watches maintenance currency closely.

What Good Looks Like at This Rank

The good AET2 is the tech the AMO calls when the duty aircraft has a write-up the shop has been working for three days without resolution — because the kid will pull the wiring diagram, work the fault isolation chart to the circuit, and come back with a diagnosis that makes sense against the aircraft's history and the symptom. The re-open rate on their packages is zero. The tool count has never been in question. The phase items they sign are the ones the QA auditor reads without flagging anything. The personnel dimension is equally visible. The AET3s who work under this AET2 study for the SWE because the AET2 posted the bibliography on the shop board, asked about progress, and signed PQS lines only after actually watching the task demonstrated. The EER inputs this AET2 writes are specific — specific packages, specific systems, specific observable behaviors. When the AETC reads the inputs, they add detail, not corrections. That reputation carries the AET2's own EER in ways the member cannot generate directly. The FAA A&P is on the cert sheet. The second shop qualification is in the authorization folder. The AET1 SWE study plan is not something that will be built 'next month' — it is running now, with a bibliography list on the workspace wall and a realistic month-by-month schedule that does not require cramming the week before the March exam. When this AET2 pins AET1, the AETC does not write an EER input about it — they write the EER input for the next person this member will develop, because the development pattern is already proven.

Preview — The Next Rank

AET1 (PO1) is the senior shop technician seat — the rate's working technical and personnel authority at the unit level. The change from AET2 to AET1 is not primarily technical. Your system qualification depth at AET2 is the foundation the AET1 builds on, but the AET1 seat is defined by running the shop's maintenance program, not just the packages within it. At AET1, you own the unit's avionics qualification program — PQS sign-offs, the AMO-appointed examining role, the deferred discrepancy tracking, and the maintenance schedule inputs the AMO briefs to the CO. The AET2s and AET3s in the shop are your primary output. Their advancement, their technical depth, and their maintenance quality are the measure of the AET1 shop program — and the AETC and the AMO read the shop's QA record against your tenure. The chief board preparation is also real at AET1. The AETC advancement — the shift from petty officer to Chief Petty Officer at the Chief Petty Officer Academy at TRACEN Petaluma — is the most significant transition in the CG enlisted career, and the AET1 who builds the competitive file early (EER profile, awards stack, leadership C-school, FAA A&P and IA credential progress, chiefs' mess sponsorship) is the one who pins AETC instead of explaining the selection cycle results. Start thinking about what your AETCS file looks like now, not after you pin AET1.
FAQ

AET E5 — Frequently Asked Questions

Q01What does a E5 AET (Avionics Electrical Technician) actually do?
You are typically the journeyman avionics technician in the shop — the AET who owns a system area (navigation systems, communications, search and rescue equipment, autopilot, radar) under the shop supervisor's program, performs and signs phase and periodic inspection tasks without direct supervision, and begins functioning as the lead technician on corrective maintenance packages.
Q02What's the most important thing to know as a E5 AET?
AET2 (PO2) is the rate's working technical authority.
Q03What does a typical day look like for a E5 AET?
Time-blocked day at the E5 AET rank tier: 0530-0600 Wake, dress, check the morning's maintenance board before quarters — know what aircraft are up for scheduled maintenance, what write-ups are carried over from the previous day, and which package you own today, 0600-0630 Morning quarters — muster, uniform inspection, the AETC or duty AET1's maintenance pass-down. Write down priorities and who is working with you on each package, 0630-0700 Shop opening — tool crib inventory with the duty AET3, stage test equipment for the day's primary package,…
Q04What mistakes get E5 AET soldiers fired or relieved?
Maintenance record falsification — signing a phase inspection item without completing the full procedure, or documenting a corrective action that resolves a write-up you did not actually verify with an operational check. At AET2 the quality assurance audit reads your packages as the working-level authority. The finding traces to your signature and the AETC initiates a formal investigation. This ends the AET1 SWE discussion and frequently ends the career in the rating;…
Q05What career decisions matter most at the E5 AET rank tier?
Pursue FAA Inspection Authorization (IA) under 14 CFR Part 65 Subpart E versus remaining at A&P level — The IA is the senior civilian maintenance credential — it authorizes annual inspections and the approval of major repairs and alterations on FAA-certificated aircraft. The CG does not require the IA for AET2s, but it is the credential the AETC community recognizes at the AET1 and AETC level, and obtaining it at AET2 is an unusual differentiator. The IA eligibility requires 3 years of active A&P certificate experience,…
Q06What's next after E5 for a AET (Avionics Electrical Technician) in the Coast Guard?
AET1 (PO1) is the senior shop technician seat — the rate's working technical and personnel authority at the unit level.
Q07What manuals and regulations does a E5 AET need to know cold?
COMDTINST M13020.1 (Coast Guard Aircraft Maintenance Manual) — every chapter relevant to your system assignments; if you are the lead on avionics phase items, you own the applicable inspection cards as the working authority.; FAA Part 43 and 14 CFR Part 65 — the regulatory framework your maintenance actions live inside; the AMT certificate written and oral/practical exams are grounded in these parts.; Platform-specific Aircraft Maintenance Manuals, Component Maintenance Manuals (CMMs),…

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Published by the Honest MOS Editorial DeskVerified against DoD/.gov sourcesUpdated May 2026Editorial standards