Air Force Aerospace Ground Equipment (2A6X2) specialist are responsible for maintaining and repairing Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE).
Aerospace Ground Equipment are the components responsible for providing the aircraft with electricity, hydraulic pressure and air pressure.
These specialist ensure that all equipment meets specifications for a safe and trouble-free flight.
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Education, Qualifications and Training
This position requires some basic general knowledge and experience.
Education
You must have a High School Diploma or GED to enter into this position.
Recruits will also be required to take and pass both the Mechanical and Electronics ASVAB tests.
The ASVAB requirements are as follows:
Mechanical: 47 or better
Electronics: 28 or better
Qualifications
To enter into this position you must meet the below qualifications:
- Normal color vision
- Previous operation or supervision of aerospace ground equipment
- General mechanics, electronics, wiring diagram and schematic knowledge
- Between 17 and 39 years old
Training
First individuals will attend Basic Military Training for 8.5 weeks.
After successfully completing Basic Training, recruits will attend Technical School at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas for 95 days.
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What are the Job Tasks of an Air Force Aerospace Ground Equipment Specialist?
Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) specialist are in charge of everything surrounding Aerospace Ground Equipment, from inspecting the equipment to replacing the fuel.
Planning and Scheduling
Aerospace Ground Equipment specialist plan and organize all AGE maintenance activities.
They are in charge of establishing standards and production control measures for the equipment.
If an equipment serviceability criteria standard does not exist, they will develop and determine the criteria.
On already established standards, these specialist will interpret the policy information and implement any changes that may need to occur on standard maintenance practice.
This can include interpreting policies relating to environmental handling of equipment and products.
The AGE specialist will determine facility, training, supply and equipment resource needs to perform the required maintenance.
They will evaluate the resource needs as the maintenance is performed and recommend any corrective actions that may need to occur.
All maintenance will be logged into automated maintenance systems.
This allows the specialist to recognize trends, analyze equipment requirements and maintain all equipment and maintenance performances.
Diagnosing/Performing Maintenance
Maintenance on AGE can be scheduled or unscheduled.
Possible AGE includes gas turbine engines, electronics, diesels, air compressors, hydraulics, nitrogen generation and more.
A majority of the time spent will be on a -86 diesel generator, which provides power to the aircraft.
To determine if the Aerospace Ground Equipment is running properly, the AGE specialist will inspect, test and operate the equipment.
To diagnose if the AGE has any malfunctions related to mechanical or electronic circuitry, the specialist will use visual and auditory senses in conjunction with testing equipment and technical publications.
All AGE accessories and components will be removed, taken apart, repaired, cleaned (including corrosion treatment) and then assembled and reinstalled.
Any fuel, oil, coolant, water, air, hydraulic fluid or other related fluids, will be replaced.
The grounding system and battery serviceability will be maintained by the specialist.
They will use voltometers, ohmmeters, oscilloscopes, circuit card testers and both conventional and digital multimeters to analyze and repair the ground support equipment.
The specialist will stencil and mark the AGE and it’s components.
After completing all maintenance activities, the specialist will check the equipment over again to ensure that the maintenance has met all standards and the equipment is ready to be used.
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Other Functions
The AGE specialist will operate, clean, inspect and service any AGE towing vehicles.
They will maintain the vehicle forms that document all related information.
AGE specialist will provide dispatch for the equipment.
This includes preparing the equipment for storage, shipment and deployment.
According to any local, state, federal and host nation environmental standards and practices, specialist will dispose of all hazardous waste and materials.
You can view the video below for what training is like for Aerospace Ground Equipment.
What does an Air Force Aerospace Ground Equipment Specialist Get Paid?
All airman will be paid the same based on rank and time of service.
Your rank will be determined by a number of factors including previous Military experience.
Most individuals can expect to have a starting salary of around $1600 a month.
Once you complete training and get to the apprentice level, you can start meeting qualifications to increase in rank.
You can find more information regarding Air Force ranks and pay here.
Benefits
All airman will receive access to benefits.
Benefits are very generous with the Air Force and tend to be one of the concepts people comment about when reviewing the Air Force.
Benefits include:
- Housing Allowance
- Food Allowance
- Insurance
- Paid sick time and vacation
- Retirement
- Recreational Activity
- Education Tuition Assistance
Find out more information about Air Force benefits here.
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Job Reviews
Air Force Aerospace Ground Equipment job reviews include how valuable the skills that you learn are.
The reviews note this as being a position that requires critical thinking and allows for diversity.
The negative reviews on this position are aimed more towards general Air Force issues, such as not being allotted overtime pay, not about the specific position.
A few Air Force AGE job reviews can be found below.
Civilian Career Opportunities
This position allows individuals to gain experience in electronics and mechanics.
Individuals can use their experience to stay in aviation, or to work in a similar field in electronics.
Positions are available working with ground operations equipment in several locations that have an aviation field.
Finding jobs in aviation are not difficult, but you may have to move locations to find work.
Potential civilian job titles include:
- Aircraft Test Technician
- Ground Support Equipment Mechanic
- Sr Aerospace Ground Equipment Mechanic
- Test Specialist
Most of the above positions start at around $25 an hour but can change based on experience and location.
Summary
Air Force Aerospace Ground Equipment (2A6X2) specialist perform maintenance and repairs on Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE).
These individuals create maintenance schedules, plan diagnostics, complete the repairs and document all maintenance activities.
This is a position that requires some basic knowledge and experience.
Reviews of this position are positive and people tend to comment on the wide range of skills you learn.
There are many civilian career opportunities that relate to this position in both aviation and other similar fields.
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Reference:
Air Force Aerospace Ground Equipment
Air Force Career Field and Training Plan
Born and raised in Woodbridge, NJ, he graduated from the New Jersey Institute Of Technology with an MBA in eCommerce.His hobbies include beach volleyball, target shooting, and lifting.
Rob is also a Commercially rated pilot and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), with over 1,500 hours of flight time.
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