CH-53 Helicopter Crew Chief

“You'll fly every mission the biggest helicopter in the Marine Corps flies — maintaining the CH-53 series and serving as crew chief on the most capable heavy-lift aircraft in the US military inventory. The CH-53K King Stallion is the newest, most advanced rotorcraft the Marine Corps operates, and crew chiefs who qualify on it have skills that the defense aviation industry will value for the next thirty years.”

You are responsible for the largest helicopter in the US military, which means you are responsible for a very large, very complex, and very demanding aircraft that carries Marines into landing zones and out of bad situations. The preflight and postflight responsibilities are extensive. The flight deck on an MEU amphibious ship is one of the more challenging operating environments for a crew chief — confined space, ship motion, constant flight operations. CH-53 crew chiefs develop both a deep mechanical knowledge of the platform and the crew resource management skills of a working aircrew member. The FAA A&P certification is achievable post-military and the CH-53 type experience adds value for contractors supporting Marine Corps heavy-lift aviation programs.