I found this from the Navy for Moms site, however, due to certain reasons, I cant access it directly from work (forum filter, lol) I shall post it here. All credit goes to redfox12 there. This is not me, this is Redfox12.
Source (
http://www.navyformoms.com/group/air...crew-breakdown)
HI! I am currently working my way through AW 'A' school, and since I trawled extensivly through this site and NKO (Navy Knowledge Online) before I went to Boot trying to find out just what to expect, I thought Id give back a little with some very up to date in depth info. First, a little info on the rate. All Aircrewmen fall under the general AW (Aviation Warfare Systems Operator) rating. Not AC, thats Air Traffic Control. The AW rate is further broken down into 5 subratings, if you will. AWF, AWO, AWV, AWR, AWS.
AWO: Operator. Basically, you operate radios, sonar/ radar equipment. What you do depend on if you are Acoustic or non acoustic.
AWV: Technition. Wire chaser. You fix the electronics/systems while in flight.
AWS: Helo Dry. You operate sonar/radar ect in helos on anti sub missions, go on SAR missions, ect. This is not a rescue swimmer rate. You stay in the helo, hence the dry.
AWR: Helo Wet. Rescue Swimmer. Same as above, only you jump out of the helos and have extensive training in the water to save lives . All of the above ratings go through the AW 'A' school house for A school.
AWF: Aircrewman Mechanical, aka, flight engineer. This is the one with the longest A school. You go through the AE school house for A school, followed by FRAC, which is basically our C school from how I understand it. Flight engineers sit up front with the pilots. They have to know all the systems on the plane, avionics, electronics, mechanical. If something goes wrong in flight, they have to know the what, why, and how to fix it or work with it. They are responsible for preflight checks. They are the enlisted crewleaders on board, the pilots and other crewmembers look to them for guidance. If you are active duty, you can do the actual full flight engineer job. FTS (Full Time Support) personnel generally end up as loadmasters, ect.
Im obviously an AWF myself, I only know the basics of the other ratings through friends who are also aircrew, but if there are question i can answer them or ask one of them for the answer. For all these ratings EXCEPT AWR (rescue swimmer), you pick your area during class at NACCS. You just pick AW at MEPS, the general rate. Resce Swimmers actually select Rescue swimmer at MEPS because they go through Boot camp with the 600 divisions, which are the SEAL/SWCC/EOD candidates, and they do much more intense PT. For any of these jobs, do as much PT and swimming as you can before boot camp to prepare for NACCS-- Naval Aircrew Candidacy School. Everyone goes through this straight out of boot camp, and its straight up PT/ Swim the whole time.
Upon arriving at NACCS, everyone is promoted to E2 automatically if you are an E1. You immediatly start the 1st week of class, whish is just indoc and a PRT (PFA). The PRT In is normal Navy standards, the Out is Aircrew. The AW numbers are a bit lower/ higher for this than the Navy numbers. For instance, Navy says for a Bravo female, the 1.5 miles has to be run in 15.15. NACCS its 14.15. Make sense? You will also take a swim test, to evaluate your proficency at the breast stroke, crawl stroke, and side stroke. Dont worry if you fail this, you will just be put on swim hold, not a big deal (2 weeks extra training at the strokes and survival swimming and endurance. This actually gives you a jump on what you need to do in class, since you dont do any other swimming until then.). They used to do PT hold as well for those that failed the initial AW PRT (intense PT to get you up to spec), but they did away with it towards the end of my stay there. I believe it came back though. If you pass everything and are not put on swim/pt hold, you go to back log. Keep in mind you have already finished week one of the 4 week school. However, you then have to wait to class up for the rest of the course.
Backlog is where you wait. Basically you PT in the mornings for a few hours, then go to the gym or team sports after chow. Your day is usally done by 1300, but it starts at 05/06, depending on the season. Personel from backlog get pulled to stand watch during working hours and go on working parties. While at NACCS (and through out your Navy career), you will be assigned a duty section. There are 3, and they rotate duty. Duty weekend is Friday-Sunday. Duty section is in charge of watches during liberty, both dring the week and on weekends. watches are now 2-4 hours long, they we're 6 hours while I was there. you will stand watch in the barracks, on one of 4 hallways or as OOD or MOOW on one of 2 quarterdecks, for both the aircrew barracks and the rescue swimmer barracks. Watch goes on 24/7. Duty section also cleans the barracks. Backlog can last anywhere from 2 weeks to 2months on average. Once you class up, you pick up where you left off at the begining with week 2.
This Is commonly known as hell week, but its not to bad. Its your PT/ Swim week. you spend your mornings with some fairly intense PT ( you should be used to it by now though), and your afternoons passing swim quals. this is what makes the week so hard. doing both all day wears you out quick. Im not going to go much into detail about the swim tests here, but basically you have to swim/tread/float in anything from your swim suit all the way up to full flight suit, boots, vest, helmet, and gloves. be comfortable floating prone and having your face in the water. You go through your 1 mile swim in flight suit on Friday during week 2, and thats all you do that day. your done by 09ish.
Week 3 is disney week. you go though the Spin and Puke, some parachute ground training if your fixed wing (F,V,O), Survival on land, first aid, cpr, shooting quals, hypoxia chamber, ect. fun week. You end the week with your PRT out.
Week 4 is survival swimming and the helo dunker. Everyone does this, and its a lot of fun. You graduate on Thursday, and usually are sent directly over to the other side of base to begin (usually wait to begin) your A school.
NACCS is its own command. The NATTC side of base, where all the A schools are located, is under another command structure, at least through the lower levels.
The NACCS barracks are pretty awesome. 2-3 to a room, with your own head and 2 big walk in closets (3rd person has a cabinet). Main thing is no food in the barracks other than in the main lounge, and they'll secure it if it gets to messy. Water only in the rooms, and drink plenty of it. Room inspections every friday at 10, followed by lib brief at 1130. The instructors are all pretty awesome. strict, but hilarious. There is a AW corpsman stationed in the barracks during duty hours.
Everyone starts at Phase One, You have 3 days to get watch qualed, and 13 to get Blues, Whites, NSU, and NWU, Seabag, and 3 room inspections done. Ive you finish early, you phase up early. Phase one has to be in by 2200 on weekends. During Phase one, your are not allowed to have any civilian clothes in your possesion, nor any electronics other than a cell phone and MP3 player.
Phase 2 you get civvies, electronics, and can stay out till 24 on weekends.
No one gets Phase 3 (overnight lib) until they graduate, so no one really gets it unless they are put on hold after graduation. After grad, you are sent to the otherside of the base, where you are sent back to phase 1 until you are watch qualed, and then advanced directly to phase 3. Phase 1 at NATTC you can own civvies, just not wear them, and have any electronics.
All the AW rates go through SERE school right after A school.
AWR, Rescue Swimmers, go through another school after NACCS but before A school, Rescue Swimmer School (RSS). They are still living on the NACSS side of base though for this. Its about 5 weeks long.
At any point during Candidacy School or RSS while classed up, you can be rolled back for failure to achieve requirements or injuries. You can be dropped at any point during your time there, classed up or not, on request (DOR) or at the instructors discretion for repeated failures or rule infractions/ breaking the law. If your not 21, dont drink. So many people loose their rate because of that.
So, basically a long, but still basic, AW overview. hope it helps!
-Gard