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ADE5

Aviation Machinist's Mate

E-5 (Sergeant) · Navy

E1–E3E-4E-5E-6E-7E8–E9
HEADS UP

AD2 is the section lead the LCPO delegates the explosives-and-power-plant standard to because he cannot be in every engine run and every NALCOMIS entry simultaneously. The NEC you earned at AD3 now defines which advanced billet pipeline opens. The NWAE for AD1 is no longer background noise — your eEVAL ranking against peer AD2s is the FMS lever you can actually move. The chief board on the horizon after AD1 is real, and the record you are building right now is the one the goat locker will read.

The Honest MOS Read
Aviation Machinist's Mate Second Class (AD2) is the rating's working senior petty officer tier — the section lead who either owns the maintenance evolution or reviews and signs the work the AD3s produce before it goes to QA and onto the aircraft. At AD2 you carry the technical authority the LCPO delegates because he cannot be that authority for every engine removal, every power-assurance check, and every oil-analysis call in the shop simultaneously. The delegation is trust, and around running turbine engines it is the heaviest trust in the rate. It reads on your eEVAL, and it reads on the safety posture of everything your section touches. NEC coding defines the AD2's daily job in ways the AD3 tier only previewed. NEC 8422 (GE F414 power plant specialist) puts you in a fleet VFA squadron as the technical authority on the engine that makes the F/A-18E/F airworthy — engine removals and installations to the NAVAIR 02B-series MIM, engine-run / power-assurance-check supervision with the abort-criteria authority, SOAP trending interpretation, and the production schedule that feeds the Maintenance Officer's daily readiness brief. NEC 8412 (GE T700) means your section's accountability extends to the MH-60R/S helicopter detachment aboard a surface combatant, where you may be the senior or sole AD on scene with reach-back to the home shop. NEC 8482 (T56-A-427) puts you in the E-2D VAW community where the turboprop's reduction gear and propeller systems create a technically distinct working environment. Each NEC has its own C-school continuation path, test-cell familiarization track, and billet pipeline — know where yours is going before the career counselor fills in the blank for you. The engine-run supervisor qualification is the AD2's most visible technical credential. At AD3 you built toward it through observer and crew-member stages. At AD2 you own the run: you brief the crew on abort criteria before the throttle moves, you scan the instruments, you call the abort when the indication is outside limits, and you document the post-run acceptance test in the maintenance record with the specific parameters that the SIB will read if there is ever a subsequent engine anomaly. The qualified engine-run supervisor who runs clean, documented power-assurance checks is the AD2 the LPO puts on the acceptance test after a major maintenance action. The AD2 who is not qualified — or who runs the test without documenting the parameters — is the AD2 whose section lead status is always conditional. The SOAP program is an AD2 responsibility in a way it was not at AD3. You are not just collecting and routing samples; you interpret the trending data against the reject criteria for your engine type, you brief the LPO when a trend is heading toward a reject threshold, and you initiate the corrective action protocol when a sample returns a reject from the SOAP lab. The NAVAIR 17-15-50 series governing the program is the technical reference the lab quotes when they call — know it before the call, not during it. The engine that is going to chip-light is the engine whose SOAP trend the AD2 noticed and briefed three weeks before the chip-detector illuminated. The section training and qualification role is new at AD2 and it is harder than the technical role. You build the section training plan — PQS progression for the ADANs and AD3s, engine-run qualification milestones, SE/PCMS certification currency tracking, NWAE study guidance, and the practical proficiency evolutions that gate access to complex maintenance. The LCPO does not write the plan for you; you bring it to him for review and approval. The AD3 who cannot run an independent phase inspection or who has three NALCOMIS writebacks in a quarter is the AD3 whose gap follows the AD2's training record. The AD3 who advances ahead of the curve and carries the technical standard cleanly is the one whose name the LCPO mentions when a C-school NEC slot opens — and that reflects on the AD2 who trained him. The NWAE for AD1 is live. Your FMS combines exam score, eEVAL ranking, time-in-rate, awards, and education. At AD2 the eEVAL ranking against peer AD2s in the section and across the command is the lever you can most directly move — and it is moved by section production quality, NALCOMIS discipline, run-qualification execution, SOAP trending call accuracy, and zero integrity incidents. Pull the current BIB from MyNavyHR / NETC and build a study plan with weekly milestones. The AD2 who walks into the AD1 cycle with a documented study log, an EP eEVAL, and a clean safety record is the AD2 who posts on the first slate and starts the conversation about the Chief board.
Career Arc
  • 01AD2 advancement via NWAE / NEAS — FMS competitive with documented study, EP/MP eEVAL, NEC in SE/PCMS.
  • 02Engine-run supervisor qualification complete on platform's primary engine type — run line authority, abort-criteria ownership, post-run documentation.
  • 03Section lead: phase and conditional inspection ownership, AD3 corrective-action and documentation review before QA submission, AOAN and AD3 PQS and SE/PCMS sign-off authority.
  • 04SOAP program interpretation at the section level — trend tracking against reject criteria, LCPO brief on approaching thresholds, corrective action protocol initiated when samples return out-of-limits.
  • 05NEC continuation pipeline: test-cell familiarization, advanced C-school, or cross-platform NEC decision made with career counselor and LCPO before the detailer fills in the billet.
  • 06NWAE for AD1 cycle: BIB study plan running with documented milestones; LCPO briefed on progression at quarterly counseling.
  • 07eEVAL ranking building toward the AD1 slate and the Chief board on the horizon: section QA record clean, production-schedule execution visible, AD3 NEC mentoring documented.
Common Screwups
  • ×Rubber-stamping AD3 documentation and maintenance work without actually verifying it — initialing the job to clear the production backlog or because you trust the AD3's capability more than the verification. Your signature on the maintenance record is the standard for a live engine on an aircraft. When the QA inspector returns the write-up with your initials on it, the finding is on your record, and if the safety check or the engine-run parameter that got skipped was the thing that mattered, the consequence is not a finding — it is a mishap. The AD2 who signs without verifying owns both the rework rate and the safety risk.
  • ×Running an engine-run / power-assurance check without a formal pre-run abort-criteria brief to the run crew. The abort criteria exist because turbine engine anomalies develop faster than most humans react without a pre-established call protocol. The AD2 run supervisor who skips the brief and then has an anomalous indication with a crew that does not know the call standard is the AD2 writing the mishap report — or the AD2 who is not writing it because the investigation is. 'I thought they knew the limits' is not a defense.
  • ×Tolerating a NALCOMIS or maintenance record gap in the section because the production schedule is heavy and the documentation will get cleaned up 'later.' Maintenance records do not clean up later; they are the legal and safety documentation of what was done and when. The gap that survives 'later' is the gap the SIB reads in the investigation. The AD2 who lets section documentation drift to keep the production pace is the AD2 whose name anchors the SIB's findings.
  • ×Going around the LPO to the Maintenance Officer or the QA department on a section technical call or a personnel issue. The maintenance chain runs through the LPO and through the goat locker. The chiefs talk, and the maintenance officer hears about the workaround the same day it happens. The Chief board packet reads the pattern three eval cycles later when the packet is under review, and the LCPO who cannot trust the AD2 to route issues through the chain stops delegating the section-level authority that the AD2's eEVAL bullets depend on.
  • ×Phoning the NWAE BIB study cycle because the ops tempo dominates and the exam is months away. The AD1 NWAE calendar is fixed; the flight schedule does not pause for the BIB. The AD2 who misses the first AD1 slate falls behind the advancement curve in a structural way — the FMS gap compounds across cycles, the eval-ranking comparison moves against you, and the Chief board timeline extends by the same increment. Build the daily study block before the ops-tempo pressure arrives, not after it is already running.

A Day in the Life

  • 0500-0545Wake up. If section lead on duty rotation, check overnight maintenance write-ups, tool sub-account status, and any deferred discrepancies that need AD2 action before quarters. Review overnight NALCOMIS log for any entries the duty watch made that require section-lead review before morning production begins.
  • 0545-0630Command or squadron PT. AD2 section lead often sets the PT pace for the AD3s in the section. No falling out. Aviation maintenance is physically demanding work and the LCPO notes fitness in the same evaluation he notes documentation quality.
  • 0630-0730Hygiene, chow, utilities. Pre-quarters: pull the daily maintenance plan from Maintenance Control, review in-work jobs and deferred discrepancies from the overnight log, check SOAP sample due dates for the week, confirm SE/PCMS certification currency for any AD3 assigned to a complex job today, review the engine-run schedule.
  • 0730-0800Quarters. LCPO or LPO puts out plan-of-the-day. AD2 section lead has 60-90 seconds to brief the section's tasking, the engine-run schedule, and the training block for the afternoon. Own the brief and know the production status without looking at notes — you are the section lead, not a messenger.
  • 0800-0845FOD walk. All hands every morning. AD2 leads the section's FOD walk position. Tool kit FOD-checked before and after. Completion logged.
  • 0845-1130Morning production. Engine removal/installation in progress, phase inspection ownership, engine-run crew supervisor if on the schedule, AD3 corrective-action review before QA submission. SOAP samples routed if due. Brief the LPO at 1100 on section status — what is complete, what is in-work, timeline on anything affecting the flight schedule.
  • 1130-1230Chow. Tool sub-account and SOAP sample chain-of-custody reconciled before leaving the space. In-work jobs handed to the watch if the shift breaks; watch turnover brief covers job status and deferred discrepancies.
  • 1230-1430Afternoon production. Engine-run cycle if on the schedule — pre-run brief to crew, run to MIM procedure, post-run parameter documentation. Otherwise, phase inspection and scheduled maintenance continuation, AD3 and ADAN PQS sign-offs, NALCOMIS close-out for completed jobs. Section training block: engine-run qualification practical proficiency for AD3s in the pipeline, BIB study guidance for the section.
  • 1430-1530NWAE BIB study block for the AD1 cycle. 45-60 minutes, documented in the study log. The AD2 section lead who builds this block into the schedule five days a week arrives at the AD1 cycle with hundreds of hours of documented study. The LCPO who sees the log at the advancement worksheet review can defend the AD2's readiness without hedging.
  • 1530-1600Documentation and verification close-out. AD3 NALCOMIS entries reviewed before submission — discrepancy described, corrective action specific, technical reference named, post-action check stated. Section maintenance readiness brief input drafted: MC rate contribution, in-work discrepancies with timelines, parts pipeline status.
  • 1600-1630End-of-day. Tool sub-account final count and reconciliation. SOAP sample log updated. SE/PCMS certification currency check for the week flagged to LCPO. Maintenance Control board updated with section status. LCPO deck walk before release.
  • 1630-1800Released on most garrison / shore-based days. Carrier workup, deployment surge, and duty-section rotation change this block significantly. Duty section: stand senior-petty-officer maintenance watch, back-stop AD3 decisions on overnight maintenance calls, run tool sub-account and NALCOMIS log accountability, document any after-hours maintenance actions.
  • 1800-2100Personal time. NWAE BIB continuation if the 1430-1530 block was consumed by production. NEC pipeline research — current NAVADMIN, billet postings, career counselor prep. AD3 counseling touch-points if anyone had an issue during the day. The section lead's after-hours channel is open.
  • 2100-2200Section training plan review for tomorrow's production block if not already done. Financial admin. Lights out.
  • Carrier deployment / surge operationsExtended hours (12-14 on high-sortie-rate days), engine-run turnarounds measured in hours, the LCPO relying on the AD2 section lead to run the work center without daily check-ins. SOAP trending, NALCOMIS discipline, and run-crew abort-criteria discipline under time pressure on a flight schedule that does not stop for paperwork are the visible tests. The AD2 who holds the section standard during surge — clean entries, complete run logs, zero uncertified signatures — is the AD2 the LCPO names as the AD1 candidate at the next ranking.
  • Detachment (ship det or forward operating location)The AD2 on a detachment may be the senior or sole power-plant specialist — the engine-run supervisor authority, the SOAP trending authority, and the NALCOMIS documentation authority for the platform with reach-back to the home shop. Every removal, every run, and every maintenance record entry is your call. Detachment accountability is the most formative experience in the rate for building the independent technical judgment the AD1 rank requires.

Weekly Cadence

The Mon-Fri rhythm at AD2 section lead runs on two overlapping cycles: the maintenance production schedule and the section training and qualification cycle. Monday is the planning day — the weekly maintenance plan from Maintenance Control arrives after weekend stand-down, the LCPO's priorities come down at quarters, and the AD2 spends Monday morning aligning the AD3 and ADAN work assignments, checking SOAP sample due dates for the week, confirming SE/PCMS certification currency for any AD assigned to a complex job, and building the section training plan for LCPO review. The AD2 who arrives at Monday quarters with the section plan already drafted — work assignments, training blocks, run-crew schedule, BIB study topic for the week — is the AD2 the LCPO trusts to run the section during his absence. Tuesday and Wednesday are the core production days in most squadron maintenance cycles. Engine removals, phase inspections, engine runs, and SOAP sample submissions are concentrated mid-week when the flight schedule and maintenance plan align. The AD2's most visible contribution in these two days is the verification before every QA submission and before the aircraft launches — the section's QA record and safety posture are set by what the AD2 catches before the QA department and the Maintenance Officer see it. The SOAP sample submitted on Tuesday and the engine-run documented with specific post-run parameters on Wednesday are the entries the SIB reads if there is ever a follow-on anomaly; Tuesday and Wednesday's documentation discipline is the section's long-term safety record. Thursday carries the administrative and training reporting load. The maintenance department sync or QA review often falls on Thursday — the AD2 is not briefing unless the LCPO is unavailable, but the section's QA record, certification currency, NALCOMIS integrity, and production data are in the brief. eEVAL input drafts fall on Thursday if the cycle is open. Friday closes the production week: tool sub-account and SOAP sample log reconciliation, SE/PCMS certification expiration check for the following week, section training plan progress review, and the LCPO quarterly counseling session if scheduled. The AD2 who arrives at the Friday counseling with a section training progress summary, a current NWAE study log, a clean QA record, and a clear NEC pipeline status is the AD2 the LCPO writes a specific, defensible advancement worksheet for. Carrier workup, deployment, and forward detachment operations collapse this rhythm into production-and-safety-only cycles; the training and administrative work compresses into the off-shift windows and post-surge stand-down, but the SOAP trending, NALCOMIS discipline, and run-crew abort-criteria brief never compress.

Key Skills — How to Drill Each

  1. 01
    Own a complete engine removal, installation, and acceptance-test sequence — from first discrepancy write-up through the accepted engine-run post-run log — and stand behind it as the qualified section lead when the QA inspector asks who verified it.
    The engine removal and installation is the AD2's signature production event. Pull the current NAVAIR 02B MIM for the engine-removal and installation chapters before the job begins — not the version on the work center share drive from last quarter, the current version from the publications system. Brief the AD3s on their roles and the specific torque, clearance, and alignment standards before the first fastener moves. As the job progresses, make the critical-step entries in the maintenance record in real time, not from memory at end of shift. After the installation, run the acceptance test to the MIM's post-installation run procedure, document the specific post-run parameters against the limits, and brief the LPO with a clear status: 'The engine is installed and accepted at the MIM parameters; the jet is up per the maintenance plan.' The AD2 who cannot defend every step in the removal/installation sequence without opening the book does not own the job — he completed it.
  2. 02
    Supervise and document an engine-run / power-assurance-check as the qualified run supervisor — abort criteria briefed, instrument scan executed, anomaly called and documented.
    The run supervisor brief is not a formality. Before the throttle moves, brief every crew position on their assigned instrument panel, the abort criteria table from the MIM (by the numbers — oil pressure floor, TIT ceiling, compressor pressure ratio, vibration limits), and the communication standard: what you say when you call an abort, what they say when they report an indication. Execute the run from the MIM procedure in sequence, scan your instrument panel at the rate the procedure requires, and document the post-run parameters in the maintenance record with the specific readings against the limits — not 'run complete, no anomalies' but the specific parameter values the next engineer needs if the engine ever has a follow-on issue. The run supervisor who documents specific post-run data is the run supervisor the SIB thanks for a clear record; the run supervisor who writes 'run complete' leaves a gap.
  3. 03
    Interpret an engine oil-analysis sample and SOAP trending data against the reject criteria for your engine type — and brief the LPO on approaching thresholds before the chip light makes the decision.
    The SOAP program's value is trend detection, not just pass/fail sample results. Pull the SOAP trend chart for each engine in your section monthly and plot the wear-metal concentrations against the reject criteria in the NAVAIR 17-15-50 series for your engine type. Know the normal range for iron, chromium, silicon, and the other elements the program monitors — and know what a trend that is not yet at reject but is heading there looks like. When a trend is climbing toward the threshold, brief the LPO with the specific data: which engine, which element, current trend rate, projected samples to reject threshold. The LPO who gets the SOAP brief from the AD2 before the sample rejects can plan the maintenance response; the LPO who hears about it from the SOAP lab is managing a reactive situation.
  4. 04
    Build and execute a section training plan that keeps AD3s progressing on phase inspection authority, engine-run qualifications, and NWAE study without requiring the LCPO to manage it.
    The section training plan is a weekly document: which AD3 is advancing on which phase inspection certification, which SE/PCMS qualification is in progress, what the engine-run qualification stage is for each AD3 in the crew pipeline, what the NWAE BIB study topic is for the week, and which practical maintenance evolutions are scheduled for the afternoon blocks. Bring the plan to the LCPO at Monday quarters for approval — not for the LCPO to build it for you. The AD2 who shows up with the section plan already drafted is the AD2 the LCPO trusts to run the section during a detachment or surge. The AD2 who waits for the LCPO to ask what the section is doing this week is the AD2 the LCPO cannot leave alone with the maintenance schedule.
  5. 05
    Write the section's input to the maintenance readiness brief — aircraft mission-capable rate, in-work discrepancies, parts pipeline, projected recovery dates — clean enough that the Maintenance Officer does not rewrite it.
    The maintenance readiness brief input from the AD2 section lead answers three questions for the Maintenance Officer: what is the power-plant shop's contribution to the current MC rate, what in-work discrepancies are on the power-plant side and what is the recovery timeline, and are there any parts or SE issues that will affect the flight schedule tomorrow. Build the input format in your head before you write it — MC rate, in-work jobs with owner and projected completion, deferred discrepancies with reason and recovery date, parts pipeline status — and deliver it in that format every time. The AD2 whose brief is specific and reliable gets a Maintenance Officer who plans the air plan around his input. The AD2 who delivers vague or optimistic projections gets a Maintenance Officer who stops trusting his numbers.
  6. 06
    Mentor an AD3's NEC continuation pipeline or advanced C-school packet from idea to submission — and be honest about the billet reality and lifestyle cost of each path.
    The AD3 reads the NEC brochure and sees the credential. Your job is the honest version: the C-school length and the sea-shore rotation the billet supports, the operational tempo of the assignments the NEC feeds, the family impact of one pipeline versus another, and whether the NEC actually opens the post-service market the AD3 thinks it does. Pull the current NEC source-rating NAVADMIN with the AD3, read the source-rate language together, and introduce the AD3 to at least one AD2 or AD1 who completed that pipeline. The AD3 who gets pushed into the wrong NEC by an AD2 too busy to counsel honestly becomes the AD2's accountability three years later when the AD3 is asking how to change billet tracks.

Manuals & References — What Chapters Matter

  • NAVAIR 02B-series Maintenance Instruction Manuals (MIMs) for your NEC-specific engine type — own the removal/installation chapters, the acceptance-test run procedure, and the fault-isolation procedures for the discrepancies your section generates most
    At AD2 you are the section's technical authority, not a manual user. The engine-removal and installation chapters define the torque, clearance, alignment, and inspection standards that your signature certifies were met. The acceptance-test run procedure defines the specific post-installation parameters you document in the maintenance record. The fault-isolation procedure is the technical authority that governs every troubleshoot you supervise and sign. Own these chapters to the standard that you can brief the AD3 on what the step requires without opening the book in the middle of the job.
  • COMNAVAIRFORINST 4790.2 (NAMP) — QA chapter, tool-control chapter, and maintenance-record documentation chapter at the section-lead level
    At AD2 you are signing maintenance records at the section-lead level and the QA program measures your section's performance, not just your personal signature quality. The QA chapter tells you what the QA department is checking and what findings they are required to report. The tool-control chapter defines the sub-account accountability requirements that govern your section's tool kit management. The documentation chapter defines the corrective-action entry standard you enforce when reviewing AD3 entries. Know all three from the instruction, not from the shop SOP.
  • NAVAIR 17-15-50 series — SOAP / Spectrometric Oil Analysis Program reference documents for your engine type
    The NAVAIR 17-15-50 series for your engine type defines the wear-metal elements monitored, the normal concentration ranges, the reject criteria, and the corrective action protocol when a sample triggers a threshold. At AD2 you interpret trending data and brief the LPO on approaching thresholds — which requires knowing the reject criteria from the instruction, not from the last time a sample came back rejected. When the SOAP lab calls, you need to understand the finding technically before you brief the LPO.
  • SE/PCMS — Support Equipment and Personal Certification Management System (your section's certification currency)
    At AD2 you track SE/PCMS certification currency for the ADs in your section, not just your own. The QA department audits certification currency before any maintenance record review, and the gap that the QA inspector finds is the gap the LPO holds the section lead accountable for. Build a monthly check of your section's certification expiration dates into the training plan, flag any approaching gap to the LCPO two weeks before it expires, and schedule the renewal qualification before the inspection window.
  • NAVPERS 18068 Vol II + the current NEC source-rating NAVADMIN
    You mentor AD3 NEC packets off the current cycle, not the copy on the shop share drive from two years ago. The NAVPERS catalog entry describes the source-rate requirements, the school pipeline, and the billet types the NEC supports. The current NAVADMIN supplements the catalog with active quotas and cycle-specific changes. Pull both before any NEC counseling conversation, read the source language together with the AD3, and build the packet from the requirements as written — not from what was true two NAVADMIN cycles ago.
  • NWAE Bibliography for Advancement (BIB) for the AD1 cycle — current, from MyNavyHR / NETC
    The BIB is the test map. Build a daily study plan with weekly topic-coverage milestones rather than a stack of reference publications on the work center bench. The AD1 NWAE covers the rate technical content and the professional military education topics enumerated in the BIB. The AD2 who passes the AD1 NWAE on the first slate has 40-60 minutes of documented daily study for at least six months. The LCPO at the advancement worksheet review can defend the AD2 who brings a study log; the AD2 who brings nothing is the one the LCPO hedges on.

Standards — How to Hit Each

  • Section QA writeback rate at or below work-center average — you are measured on your shop's signature quality, not just your own.
    Track your section's QA returns against total submissions. If the work center does not produce a weekly writeback trend report, build one manually from the QA log. When a write-up or documentation entry comes back, conduct a review with the AD3 who produced it: what specifically triggered the return, what the correct entry looks like, and what to verify before submitting next time. The AD3 who gets the same correction three times means the AD2 reviewed but did not train. On a power-plant maintenance entry, the review you skip is the safety check that did not get recorded correctly.
  • NEC awarded and posted in SE/PCMS; engine-run / power-assurance-check supervisor qualification complete or on the LCPO-defined milestone.
    Before any NEC pipeline or run-qualification conversation with the LCPO, pull the current SE/PCMS records and confirm what is posted versus what the LCPO expects to be in progress. The AD2 with a clear, current certification record in SE/PCMS can have a straightforward advancement conversation; the AD2 with gaps or outdated entries is starting the conversation at a disadvantage. If the run-supervisor qualification is not complete, ask the LCPO for the milestone schedule and build a specific completion plan with dates.
  • PRT Good High or better; BCA in standard; AW (Aviation Warfare) warfare device pinned.
    PRT Good High requires a real training investment at the AD2 level — build three run days and two strength days per week and run the PRT cycle at training pace, not race pace on test morning. The AW device PQS is a documented program; if it is not complete, ask the LCPO for the qual-board milestone and build a completion schedule. The AD2 without a warfare device at a billet that supports one is the AD2 whose eEVAL ranking has a visible gap — the device is an eEVAL bullet the LCPO can write concretely, and the AD2 who does not have it removes the option.
  • eEVAL trait average and ranking that supports EP or MP recommendation — LCPO knows your section's production record and knows your number before the evaluation window opens.
    The eEVAL ranking is a cumulative record, not a test you take on evaluation day. Talk to the LCPO at quarterly intervals about where you stand in the section and work-center ranking and what specific performance gaps exist. The AD2 who arrives at evaluation day knowing his ranking — and whose LCPO can defend it with the section's QA record, the production data, and the AD3 training plan — is the AD2 who gets the EP bullet. The AD2 who is surprised by his ranking at evaluation drop was not having the quarterly counseling conversation.
  • NWAE for AD1 study documented and defensible; LCPO can state your preparation status at the advancement worksheet review.
    Pull the current BIB from MyNavyHR / NETC, identify the rate-technical and professional-military-education topics, and build a daily study schedule with weekly coverage milestones. Keep a dated study log — topic, time, notes on gaps — that you bring to every LCPO counseling session. The LCPO who sees the log can brief the advancement worksheet with a specific status: 'AD2 is on week 18 of a 26-week study plan, covering through the BIB maintenance-management topics.' That is a defensible statement. 'AD2 says he has been studying' is not.

Technical Mistakes — Concrete Consequences

  • Letting an AD3 sign a maintenance entry they are not certified for because the production schedule is running and getting the certification sign-off would take 20 minutes.
    The QA program audits certification trails against SE/PCMS records, and the NAMP violation for an uncertified maintenance signature is documented under the section lead's name as a supervisory failure. If the aircraft has a subsequent incident and the investigation traces to the uncertified entry, the section lead's liability is not limited to the supervisory failure — it extends to every downstream consequence of the maintenance action the uncertified AD3 performed and the AD2 allowed. The 20-minute certification delay costs nothing compared to the investigation.
  • Running an engine without a complete abort-criteria brief to the run crew — assuming the crew knows the limits from the last run.
    Turbine engine anomalies develop faster than humans react without a pre-established call protocol. The run crew that has not been briefed on the abort criteria for this specific run does not have a shared communication standard, and when an anomalous indication appears, the lag between observation and call is the time the engine is operating outside limits with an uncommunicated indication. The AD2 run supervisor who skips the brief because 'we run this engine all the time' is the one who explains at the mishap investigation why the abort was not called before the over-temperature.
  • Skipping the SOAP sample or not routing it to the lab on schedule because 'we just did a phase and the engine looked good.'
    The SOAP program detects internal wear-metal contamination before the chip-detector illuminates — the light is the failure mode the SOAP program is designed to prevent. An engine that is trending toward a wear-metal reject threshold looks fine externally and passes a visual oil-check. The SIB that investigates the chip-light event reads the SOAP sample history; the last sample date on record is the AD2's name on the section's maintenance calendar. 'The engine looked good at the phase' is not an answer to the question 'why was the scheduled SOAP sample not submitted?'
  • Treating the NALCOMIS production log as an afterthought — entering status after the fact, estimating man-hours, leaving corrective action descriptions vague.
    The Maintenance Officer briefs aircraft readiness to the CO and the air wing off NALCOMIS data. When the AD2's section input is stale, vague, or built on estimated man-hours, the Maintenance Officer is making tasking decisions on numbers the AD2 manufactured rather than recorded. When an aircraft has an in-flight anomaly and the SIB reads the maintenance history, the vague or reconstructed corrective action entries are the gaps that drive the investigation to depositions. The consequence of good NALCOMIS discipline is a Maintenance Officer who trusts your numbers. The consequence of bad discipline is a Maintenance Officer who validates your data before using it and a SIB who calls it evidence.
  • Going around the LPO to the Maintenance Officer or the QA department when the LPO is slow on a section issue.
    The maintenance chain runs through the LPO, and the chiefs' mess is a small community that tracks when a petty officer routes around the LPO. The LPO and the LCPO hear about the workaround the same day, and the Chief board reads the pattern three eval cycles later when the packet is under review. The LCPO who cannot trust the AD2 to route issues through the chain stops delegating section-level authority — and the AD2 whose delegated authority was withdrawn cannot build the eEVAL bullets that the AD1 advancement and the Chief board packet require.

Career Decisions at This Rank

  • Advanced NEC continuation or cross-platform NEC pivot — deepen the pipeline you started or move to a different NEC at the next tour
    At AD2 the NEC you earned at AD3 defines which advanced billets are open for the next tour. The NEC 8422 F414 advanced course, test-cell familiarization, and fleet strike-fighter operational billet track is the highest-volume and most operationally visible pipeline in the rate. The NEC 8412 T700 advanced course feeds helicopter detachment and shore-based depot billets. The NEC 8482 T56 advanced course is the smallest pipeline with the fastest senior-tier visibility. The question at AD2 is whether to deepen the pipeline you are in or deliberately cross-track to a different NEC that better fits the post-service path you are building — because the NEC you are certified in at AD1 pin-on is the credential that defines the post-service defense and federal civilian aviation maintenance market position you start from. Pull the current NEC source-rating NAVADMIN with the career counselor, talk to AD1s in both pipelines you are considering, and make the decision before the detailer makes it for you.
  • Re-enlistment Zone B SRB math versus EAS into the civilian market at the AD2 tier
    The Zone B re-enlistment window opens while you are AD2 in most cases. The AD rate's SRB schedule varies by NEC, zone, and manning; pull the current NAVADMIN before any financial conversation. The NEC-coded AD2 who separates cleanly with a documented certification trail, a run-supervisor qualification, Navy COOL credentials, and a security clearance is entering the defense and federal civilian aviation maintenance market at a competitive starting point — FRC civilian technician billets, defense MRO contractor positions, FAA A&P bridge programs, and airline maintenance programs all recognize the combination. The honest analysis: base pay plus BAH with dependents plus SRB net of taxes, weighed against the specific civilian opportunity you have in front of you. The AD2 who re-enlists into the right NEC pipeline toward AD1 and Chief is making a genuine career decision. The AD2 who re-enlists to solve a short-term financial problem and then finds himself on the bench three years later has paid a retention penalty for indecision.
  • AWF (Aviation Warrant Officer — Maintenance) or LDO packet — AD2 is the visible self-assessment window
    The AWF (Aviation Maintenance Warrant Officer) path exists from the senior AD enlisted track, and the LDO/CWO aviation maintenance side accession is available at the E-5 tier with the right record. At AD2 the honest self-assessment is: do you want to pursue the technical-authority officer career as a Warrant or LDO, or do you want the deckplate-to-goat-locker enlisted leadership path to AD1 and Chief? Both are legitimate and different career trajectories. The AWF application (verify the current accession path and NEC requirements with the current NAVADMIN before any conversation — accession requirements change) requires a competitive enlisted record, an NEC, a warfare device, a clean disciplinary record, and a command endorsement. Talk to an AWF in the AD community who holds the rating and ask what they wish they had known at AD2. The AD2 who packages prematurely without the endorsement wastes a competitive window; the AD2 who waits until AD1 to begin building the record for the AWF or LDO application has missed several eval cycles of deliberate preparation.
  • Operational billet versus technical-depth shore tour — fleet squadron deployment versus FRC engine shop or NAVAIR program office
    The AD2's next billet decision is between operational embedded assignments (fleet squadron deployment, ship detachment, carrier air wing position) and technical-depth assignments (FRC engine overhaul shop, NAVAIR program office enlisted support, type wing or maintenance department staff). Operational embedded billets build the eEVAL narrative the AD1 and Chief board reads as operational credibility and test NALCOMIS discipline, run-crew abort-criteria authority, and SOAP trending judgment under real flight-schedule pressure. Technical-depth billets build the NEC expertise and the documented experience the post-service aviation maintenance market values at a different level. The AD2 who sequences one operational and one technical-depth tour before AD1 pin-on presents the strongest combined narrative at both the advancement board and the civilian market. Talk to the detailer and the LCPO together — the billet the detailer offers and the one the LCPO recommends may be different for the same reason.
  • Navy COOL credentials — which to complete before AD1 pin-on and which to target before EAS
    The credentials that translate power-plant maintenance, engine-run, and aviation maintenance experience to the civilian and federal market are funded by Navy COOL and recognized by employers for the duration of your working career. The FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) license bridge is the most broadly recognized aviation maintenance credential in the civilian market; the NAVAIR 17-15-50 and MIM experience satisfies a significant portion of the FAA's experience requirement. Additional credentials — NDT/NDI certifications, aviation maintenance management credentials, specific engine type ratings — vary by NEC and billet. At AD2, identify through the Navy COOL portal which credentials your rate and NEC path support, sequence the fastest-to-complete and most employer-visible ones first, and start the hands-on experience documentation while you are still in and the command's maintenance logs are accessible. The AD2 who separates with an A&P bridge in progress, Navy COOL credentials on the service record, and verified experience documentation is starting the post-service aviation maintenance job search from a fundamentally different position than the AD2 who has only the military title.

How the Seat Varies by Unit Type

  • F/A-18E/F VFA carrier-based squadron (NEC 8422, air wing deployment cycle)
    The AD2 at a VFA during carrier workup and deployment is the section lead on the most complex conventional turbofan in fleet naval aviation under the maximum operational pressure in the rate. Engine removals and installations happen on the flight schedule's timeline, not the maintenance plan's. SOAP trending and run-crew abort-criteria discipline under the time pressure of a carrier air wing flight schedule are the visible tests of the AD2 section lead's technical and supervisory standard. The VFA deployment cycle is the most formative environment in the rate for building the independent engine-run judgment and NALCOMIS discipline the AD1 rank requires. The AD2 who holds the NAMP standard during a carrier surge — clean post-run documentation, specific corrective actions, zero uncertified signatures — has a first AD2 eEVAL that reads as genuine operational credibility.
  • MH-60R/S HSM / HSC ship-detachment squadron (NEC 8412, T700)
    The HSM/HSC AD2 on a ship detachment may be the senior or sole power-plant specialist aboard a destroyer or cruiser — the engine-run supervisor, SOAP trending, and NALCOMIS documentation authority for the platform with reach-back to the home shop. Every T700 maintenance decision is the AD2's call. The independence arrives faster in the helicopter community than in the larger VFA work center, and the direct operational visibility to the ship's commanding officer creates an accountability environment that accelerates the development of independent technical judgment. The AD2 who wants to be trusted with independent maintenance authority at the section-lead level earlier in the career should pursue the HSM/HSC detachment assignment.
  • E-2C/D VAW Hawkeye squadron (NEC 8482, T56-A-427 turboprop)
    The VAW AD2 works on the T56-A-427's reduction gear, propeller control systems, and turboprop power-management systems — a mechanically distinct environment from the turbofan and turboshaft pipelines. The VAW work center is smaller and more tightly integrated than a VFA shop, which means the AD2's section contributions are directly visible to the LCPO and the maintenance department. The T56 community's smaller peer pool makes the AD2 visible at the senior tiers faster than in the larger VFA pipeline. The turboprop-to-commercial-aviation maintenance bridge — C-130 series, King Air series, regional turboprop MRO, and JMSDF / partner-nation turboprop programs — is a distinct post-service lane the VFA NEC does not equally support.
  • FRC (Fleet Readiness Center) engine shop — depot-level overhaul and test-cell operations
    The AD2 at an FRC engine shop performs depot-level engine overhauls, teardowns, and test-cell acceptance runs on engines that have exceeded fleet organizational-level repair authority. The technical depth in this environment exceeds what a fleet squadron work center provides — the AD2 who has performed a full T700 or F414 overhaul sequence understands the engine's internal failure modes at a level the fleet AD2 does not. The operational tempo is lower than a fleet squadron, but the test-cell environment and the overhaul documentation standards are the training ground for the senior technical authority the AD1 and Chief ranks require. The FRC AD2 who requests a fleet-squadron follow-on tour builds the operational eEVAL credibility that the FRC technical depth alone cannot provide.
  • MV-22B VMM tiltrotor detachment or joint expeditionary assignment
    The AE 1107C tiltrotor engine presents a mechanically distinct maintenance environment from the primary AD NEC pipelines. The AD2 assigned to a VMM or joint tiltrotor detachment should confirm NEC applicability and C-school pipeline with the career counselor early — the billet NEC coding for tiltrotor billets varies and the AE 1107C experience's applicability to the primary NEC advancement track requires direct verification. The tiltrotor community's expeditionary deployment profile and Marine Corps operational integration create a distinct maintenance culture; the AD2 who understands the NEC path before accepting the billet makes the assignment a career development move rather than a detour.

What Good Looks Like at This Rank

The good AD2 is the section lead the Maintenance Officer wants on the engine removal for the aircraft that needs to make the next flight schedule — not because he is the most senior available, but because his section's work comes back on time, the NALCOMIS entries are specific enough that the QA inspector does not return them, and the engine run post-log documents the actual parameters against the limits rather than 'run complete, no anomalies.' The Maintenance Officer knows that when this AD2 says 'the engine is installed and accepted and the jet is up by 1400,' the jet is up at 1400 with a clean maintenance trail behind it, and when he says 'I stopped the run, there is an anomalous oil pressure indication at cruise power,' there is a documented reading in the post-run log that answers the follow-on question before it is asked. His section's QA writeback rate is at the bottom of the work center's monthly trend report, not because his AD3s are exceptional but because his review before every NALCOMIS submission catches the wrong WUC, the missing technical reference, the vague corrective action. His SOAP trending chart is updated monthly and the LCPO has never heard about a trending issue from the SOAP lab before hearing it from the AD2. His engine-run crew has been briefed on the abort criteria before every run — including the runs they have run a hundred times — because he understands that the brief is not for the experienced crew, it is for the anomaly that happens on run 101. His AD3s are advancing on engine-run qualifications and phase inspection certifications because he builds the training plan at Monday quarters and executes it through the week rather than waiting for the LCPO to ask. His NEC continuation pathway is documented, his NWAE study log is dated and current through the BIB week he is actually on, and the LCPO at the advancement worksheet review can give a specific, defensible answer to 'is AD2 ready for the AD1 slate' — not a hedge, a defensible answer. The AD1 slate that follows is not a surprise; it is the result of eighteen months of visible section leadership, documented study, and a power-plant safety record the goat locker was already tracking toward the Chief board.

Preview — The Next Rank

AD1 (Petty Officer First Class) is the LPO. The shift from the section lead who runs a maintenance evolution to the leader who owns whether the whole work center does it safely is the most consequential change in the rate between paygrade promotions. As AD1 you run the power-plant work center — the phase schedule, the engine-run authorization record, the SOAP program, the NALCOMIS production integrity, and the SE/PCMS certification currency for 10-25 ADs. You write four to six eEVALs per cycle that pick the next NWAE slate and shape AD2s toward the Chief board. You defend the work center's QA posture, maintenance readiness brief, and mishap-prevention posture at the daily maintenance meeting as the senior enlisted power-plant voice the Maintenance Officer turns to by name. The Chief board packet conversation stops being abstract at AD1. Your LCPO is editing your record, your eEVAL profile across the full AD1 tour is being built toward the Chief Petty Officer selection board, and the warfare device on your blouse and your run-supervisor and SOAP program credibility matter more than any individual NEC you have ever held. The goat locker watches every AD1 — whether you wear the crow the way the senior chiefs remember wearing it, or whether you are going through the motions until the anchors arrive. Build the section-leadership habits and the technical standard at AD2 that make the AD1 transition a continuation of what you already are, not a reinvention under evaluation pressure. What you cannot fully see from AD2 is how much of the AD1 job is owning the standard for the whole work center rather than your own section, and how much of the power-plant shop's safety posture rides on whether the LPO enforces SOAP trending, run-crew abort criteria, and NALCOMIS documentation standards in person rather than only when the QA department or the LCPO is watching. Start building that ownership at AD2 — because on an aircraft powered by a turbine engine the AD2 section signed off, the cost of an LPO who lets the standard slip is not measured in QA writebacks.
FAQ

AD E5 — Frequently Asked Questions

Q01What does a E5 AD (Aviation Machinist's Mate) actually do?
You run a section of the work center — the phase team, the engine-run crew, the APU cell, or the NEC-coded specialty that your squadron built the billet around.
Q02What's the most important thing to know as a E5 AD?
AD2 is the section lead the LCPO delegates the explosives-and-power-plant standard to because he cannot be in every engine run and every NALCOMIS entry simultaneously.
Q03What does a typical day look like for a E5 AD?
Time-blocked day at the E5 AD rank tier: 0500-0545 Wake up. If section lead on duty rotation, check overnight maintenance write-ups, tool sub-account status, and any deferred discrepancies that need AD2 action before quarters. Review overnight NALCOMIS log for any entries the duty watch made that require section-lead review before morning production begins, 0545-0630 Command or squadron PT. AD2 section lead often sets the PT pace for the AD3s in the section. No falling out.…
Q04What mistakes get E5 AD soldiers fired or relieved?
Rubber-stamping AD3 documentation and maintenance work without actually verifying it — initialing the job to clear the production backlog or because you trust the AD3's capability more than the verification. Your signature on the maintenance record is the standard for a live engine on an aircraft. When the QA inspector returns the write-up with your initials on it, the finding is on your record, and if the safety check or the engine-run parameter that got skipped was the thing that mattered,…
Q05What career decisions matter most at the E5 AD rank tier?
Advanced NEC continuation or cross-platform NEC pivot — deepen the pipeline you started or move to a different NEC at the next tour — At AD2 the NEC you earned at AD3 defines which advanced billets are open for the next tour. The NEC 8422 F414 advanced course, test-cell familiarization, and fleet strike-fighter operational billet track is the highest-volume and most operationally visible pipeline in the rate. The NEC 8412 T700 advanced course feeds helicopter detachment and shore-based depot billets.…
Q06What's next after E5 for a AD (Aviation Machinist's Mate) in the Navy?
AD1 (Petty Officer First Class) is the LPO.
Q07What manuals and regulations does a E5 AD need to know cold?
NAVAIR 02B-series MIM volumes for your NEC-specific engine type — own the removal/installation chapters and the acceptance-test procedures your certification level covers.; COMNAVAIRFORINST 4790.2 (NAMP) — QA, tool control, and the maintenance record chapters you are now signing at the section-lead level.; NAVAIR 17-15-50 series (SOAP / oil-analysis program reference documents for your engine type) — the manual the oil-analysis lab quotes when they call with a reject.

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