Marine Corps COOL Snapshot - Certified Aerospace Technician Core

Certified Aerospace Technician Core

Renewal Period: 3 years

The SpaceTEC, Certified Aerospace Technician Core is an entry-level certification that covers general knowledge in the areas of introduction to aerospace, applied mechanics, basic electricity, test and measurements, materials and processes, and aerospace safety. To earn the Certified Aerospace Technician Core certification, candidates must meet at least one of the eligibility criteria and pass both a written exam and a practical exam. Candidates who do not receive a satisfactory score on the written exam are also required to pass an oral exam.

More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.

Certified Aerospace Technician Core

The following Marine Corps Enlisted MOSs provide training and/or experience that contributes to attaining this credential:

Enlisted Occupation	Occupation Type	Related As	COOL$
5979 Tactical Air Operations/Air Defense Systems Technician	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6062 Aircraft Intermediate Level Hydraulic/Pneumatic Mechanic	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6073 Support Equipment Electrician/Refrigeration and Engine/Gas Turbine Technician	MOS	Other
6092 Aircraft Intermediate Level Structures Mechanic	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
61XX Aircraft Maintenance (Rotary-Wing)	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
62XX Aircraft Maintenance (Fixed-Wing)	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6313 Aircraft Communications/Navigation/Radar System Technician, EA-6	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6314 Avionics/Maintenance Technician, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6316 Aircraft Communications/Navigation Systems Technician, KC-130	MOS	Other
6317 Aircraft Communications/Navigation/Radar Systems Technician, F/A-18	MOS	Other
6323 Aircraft Avionics Technician, CH-53	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6324 Aircraft Avionics Technician, U/AH-1	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6326 Aircraft Avionics Technician, V-22	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6332 Aircraft Avionics Technician, AV-8B	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6333 Aircraft Electrical Systems Technician, EA-6	MOS	Other
6336 Aircraft Electrical Systems Technician, KC-130	MOS	Other
6337 Aircraft Electrical Systems Technician, F/A-18	MOS	Other
6338 Aircraft Avionics Technician, F-35	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6386 Aircraft Electronic Countermeasures Systems Technician, EA-6B	MOS	Other
6423 Aviation Electronic Micro/miniature Component and Cable Repair Technician, IMA	MOS	Other
6432 Aircraft Electrical/Instrument/Flight Control Systems Technician, IMA	MOS	Other
6469 Reconfigurable Transportable Consolidated Automated Support System (RTCASS) Technician, IMA	MOS	Other
6483 Communication/Navigation/Cryptographic/Countermeasures Systems Technician, IMA	MOS	Other
6492 Aviation Precision Measurement Equipment (PME) Calibration/Repair Technician, IMA	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6499 Mobile Facility Technician	MOS	Other
6531 Aircraft Ordnance Technician	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
6541 Aviation Ordnance Systems Technician	MOS	Other

The following civilian occupations are related to this credential:

	Civilian Job	Job Family	Bright Outlook	Registered Apprenticeship	Local Salary Info
	Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technicians	Architecture and Engineering		Apprenticeship	find local salary

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Attainability:

Eligibility Requirements (View Details)

Credential Prerequisite
Experience: 2 years
Education
Training
Membership
Other
Fee

Note: This credential may have multiple options for a Service member to meet eligibility requirements. Requirements listed here are based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.

Exam Requirements (View Details)

Exam
Written Exam
Oral Exam
Practical Exam
Performance Assessment

Exam Administration (View Details)

In-person exam
Remote proctored on-line exam
Third-party test vendor

RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY

Renewal Period: 3 years

Continuing Education
Exam
Continuing Education OR Exam
Fee
Other

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

SpaceTEC

379 Cheney Hwy.
PMB 207
Titusville, FL 32780

Phone: (321)567-5193

Contact Page

Education/Training and/or Experience REQUIREMENTS

Candidate must meet at least one of the following criteria:

Have a two-year technical college program degree
Have or had a two-year technical military assignment
Hold the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airframe/Powerplant certificate
Have two or more years of on the job training and experience in the Aerospace industry

Written Exam

Candidate who scores less than 70% in any of the written exam subject areas (maximum of two), will be required to pass an oral exam.

Introduction to Aerospace
- Regulations and Controls
- Clean Room, Contamination and FOD
- Ethics
- Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Aerospace Safety
- Toxic and Hazardous Substances
- Personal Protection Equipment
- Hazardous Materials
- Emergency Plans and Fire Prevention
- Platforms
- Occupational Health and Environment
- Walking Surfaces
Applied Mechanics
- Machine Shop Safety
- Non-Cutting Hand Tools
- Cutting Hand Tools
- Drill Presses, Twist Drills, Drilling Speeds and Feeds, Drilling Holes
- Basic Measurement
- Basic Calculations (Metric to Standard, Ratios, Volume, Area, Dimensions)
- Micrometers
- Calipers
- Hardware and Materials Identification
- Blueprint Reading and Interpretation
- Interpret Technical Drawings and Schematics
Basic Electricity
- Electric Safety
- Metric Notation
- Atomic Structure
- Resistors
- Switches
- Schematic Reading
- AC/DC Circuits
- Theory
- Laws
Materials and Processes I and II
- Metallurgy
- Metallurgical Processes
- Mechanical Behavior
- Conventional Mechanical Testing
- Corrosion
- Corrosion Forms, Causes, Prevention
- Corrosion Control
- Non-Metallic Materials
- Composite Materials
- Structural Characteristics
- Solid Core Structures, Molds, Moldless Wet Lay-up Techniques
- Hollow Structures and Mold Making
- Vacuum Bagging
Tests and Measurements
- Inspection Requirements and Planning
- Accuracy, Precision and Tolerances
- Mechanical Measuring Inspection
- Mechanical Surface Plate Inspection
- Electrical /Electronic Measurements
- Electrical Pressure/Flow/Temperature Measurement
- Force/Strain/Torque/Vibration Measurement
- Non-Destructive Examination
- Surface Flaw Inspection
- Electromagnetic Techniques
- Radiographic Techniques

Oral Exam Requirement

Candidate who scores less than 70% in any of the written exam subject areas (maximum of two), will be required to pass an oral exam.

Practical Exam

The practical exam consists of ten practical hands-on exercises that are evaluated by a SpaceTEC Examiner.

Exam Preparation Resources

There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for the Certified Aerospace Technician Core examination:

Best Sources

General References

An additional resource is O'Reilly Learning Safari Books Online, a searchable digital library that provides online access to thousands of books, training videos and conference sessions. See the Educational Resources section on the Related Sites page here on COOL to learn how to get free access.

Testing Information

Exam Administration
Credential exams may be administered in-person at a testing site, proctored on-line remotely, or have options for both. If an exam is administered through a test vendor, the third-party test vendor box will be checked. The following test administration options apply to the Certified Aerospace Technician Core credential where checked:
- In-person exam
- Remote proctored on-line exam
- Third-party test vendor

For more information on the SpaceTEC testing process, visit the agency website.

RECERTIFICATION

Certified Aerospace Technician Core

Renewal Period: 3 years

The Certified Aerospace Technician Core credential has the following recertification information:

The Certified Aerospace Technician Core certification is valid for three years. To recertify, certification holders may:

Document aerospace technical core employment in at least 12 of the prior 36 months on a Work Verification Form and pay a work verification fee OR
Accumulate a minimum of 18 Alternate Recertification Credits (ARCs) and pay an alternate method fee OR
Pass an equivalent knowledge exam and pay an exam fee.

Additional information can be found on the SpaceTEC website.

Note: Marine Corps COOL will only pay recertification fees for the current billing cycle. Voucher requests for recertification fees must be submitted with proof of the current status of the certification (for example, a screen shot of your credentialing agency dashboard or a copy of a current fee receipt).