Aviation Electronics Technican (United States Navy rating)
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Aviation Electronics Technician (AT) is a US Navy enlisted rating or job specialty (often called MOS by other services). At the paygrade of E-9 (Master Chief Petty Officer) ATs merge with the Aviation Electrician's Mate (AE) rating to become Avionics Technicians (AV). There has been talk of completely merging the two ratings but as of yet no definite plans have been announced. Aviation Electronics Technicians wear the specialty mark of a winged helium atom.
[edit] History
The rating now known as AT can trace its origin to World War II, when the rating of Aviation Radio Technician (ART) was established on 11 December 1942. This rating was redesignated Aviation Electronics Technician's Mate (AETM) on 31 October 1945. Effective 2 April 1948 the name of the rating became Aviation Electronics Technician (AET); the abbreviation was changed to (AT) on 9 June of the same year. A separate rating, Aviation Electronicsman (AL) was absorbed in 1955. The former ratings of Aviation Fire Control Technician (AQ) and Aviation Antisubmarine Warfare Technician (AX) were absorbed into the AT rating effective 1 January 1991.
ATs were at one time further subdivided into ATA (Aircraft Equipment), ATG (Ground Equipment), ATN (Radio and Navigation Equipment), ATR (Radar and Navigation Equipment) and ATO (Ordnance), and ATW (Airborne CIC Equipment).
[edit] General Info
ATs perform duties at sea and ashore all over the world. They may work indoors, outdoors, in a shop environment, in an aircraft squadron or on an aircraft carrier. They work closely with others, require little supervision, and do mental and physical work of a technical nature.
ATs, as well as the other members of the Navy's aviation community, are sometimes referred to as "airedales" or "brown shoes" by those in the surface or submarine forces. They are sometimes referred to as "trons", "tron chasers", or "tweakers" within the aviation community.
Billy C. Sanders, the fifth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, served as an Aviation Electronics Technician throughout his pre-MCPON career.
