The P-3 Aircraft is operated by an 11 member aircrew comprised of five officers and six enlisted personnel.

Five crewmembers man the cockpit. Three pilots (Patrol Plane Commander, Patrol Plane Pilot, and Patrol Plane CoPilot) and two Flight Engineers.

The remaining crewmembers man the aft portion of the aircraft. This includes two Naval Flight Officers (Patrol Plane Tactical Coordinator and Patrol Plane Navigator/Communicator), two Acoustic Sensor Operators (SS1/SS2), one Electronic Warfare Operator (SS3), and one In-Flight Technician (selected from the following Aviation Ratings):

• Aviation Electrician's Mate (AE)
  
• Aviation Electronics Technician (AT)
  
• Aviation Machinist's Mate (AD)
  
• Aviation Structural Mechanic (AM)
  
• Aviation Structural Mechanic (Safety Equipment) (AME)
  
• Aviation Warfare Systems Operator (AW)
  
• Senior Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic (AMCS)
  
• Master Chief Aircraft Maintenanceman (AFCM)
  
• Master Chief Avionics Technician (AVCM)

Patrol squadrons operate either with nine aircraft from established Naval Air Stations (NAS) worldwide or with ten aircraft at MCAS/NAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

The P-3 is operated by an 11 member aircrew consisiting of 5 officers and six enlisted personnel. One of the enlisted personnel is the IFT, or "Inflight Technician". They are select AT (Aviation Electronics Technician)s who have graduated from the VP-30 / VP-31 IFT syllabus in addition to Aircrew school (NACCS) and the AT "A" school. The primary responsibility of the IFT is to initialize, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair any avionics discrepancies discovered from preflight through postflight.

Contact: BARAN, ATC(AW/NAC) Richard "Shipwreck" geographer@wavecable.com for further information. [Updated 17MAR2007]

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