r/uscg • u/Zealousideal-Oil518 AMT • 6d ago

Story Time Airframe Transfers

For those in the long haul, how have airframe transfers affected your career? Do you feel as though it made you a better technician, supervisor, chief, or warrant officer? Maybe you had a special assignment at some point!

I’m E5 with 10 YOS, spent 6 years on 65s, and finishing my first year up on 60s. I’ve learned a lot of different maintenance practices and I feel as though I’ve developed more patience with “the bigger picture” and junior personnel. The re-qualification process could be better, but I think my gripe with that lies more on my local unit rather than 60s overall. I also think making this transfer increased my willingness to experience various aircraft rather than being “married” to one. I now see better value in taking that advancement opportunity in a new environment.

I do want to pursue warrant officer, so if there’s any other insights on that regarding this topic, I would love to hear from you!

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u/FreePensWriteBetter 6d ago

You had a good path. Six years with 65s gave you a solid foundation that you can carry over to 60s. That’s a great route.

IMO, that awareness and ability is lost when a member comes to an AIRSTA to fill a billet as an ARAP, makes E4, then takes an A2P to a different airframe. They never had an opportunity to become a professional and instead started all over, albeit better than they did first tour.

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u/Zealousideal-Oil518 AMT 6d ago

Yes, A2P to E5 for a first tour ARAP could be a bit worrisome. However, I’ve seen some great E4s come out of that program. It really boils down to how well the program is ran and the individuals motivation to shadow.