Julian Schmidt
Electronic Integrated Systems Mechanic
Anchorage,Alaska
Summary
Active-duty U.S. Air Force Avionics Technician and Flying Crew Chief with extensive global flight experience on the C-17A strategic airlift platform. Serve as the on-board technical authority during international missions, ensuring aircraft system integrity, mission readiness, and safety of flight across communication, navigation, guidance, and defensive avionics systems. Experienced in real-time troubleshooting during high-tempo operations, interagency missions, and overseas operations. Trusted with the operational certification of mission critical avionics systems and the handling of defensive countermeasure assets in support of global mobility and federal mission requirements.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
Work History
C17 Flying Crew Chief
United States Air Force
08.2024 - Current
- Coordinate all pre-flight and post-flight inspections, maintaining real-time communication with aircrew on aircraft health, system status, and safety-of-flight discrepancies.
- Monitor pilots during engine start and ground operations, identifying and correcting faults in accordance with technical data to ensure safe checklist completion and mission continuity.
- Serve as primary liaison between maintenance and aircrew, ensuring critical aircraft systems were fully operational prior to departure.
- Ensured safe aircraft departure from Glasgow, Scotland and coordinated all post-flight inspections to guarantee mission-ready return to home station with zero discrepancies.
- Deployed Kansas Army National Guard personnel and equipment to Kuwait, overseeing aircraft generation, en-route support, and mission execution in an austere environment.
- Supported interagency mission with ICE and DHS facilitating the return of migrants to India; coordinated ground operations and aircraft servicing to ensure timely international departure.
- Collaborated with Indian maintenance personnel to coordinate fueling, servicing, and pre-flight actions, enabling on-schedule departure under international operating requirements.
- Deployed U.S. Air Force Pararescue personnel to Jordan, ensuring mission-capable aircraft configuration and safe transport of specialized equipment.
- Managed removal, accountability, and secure return of Vice Presidential mission equipment from Armenia to the United States, ensuring zero loss and full operational integrity.
C-17 Electronic Integrated Systems Technician
United States Air Force
05.2021 - Current
- Maintain and troubleshoot fully integrated C-17 avionics architecture consisting of multiplex data bus networks, mission computers, multi-band VHF/UHF/HF radios, SATCOM, secure voice/data systems, GPS, Embedded GPS/INS, and dual Inertial Reference Units (IRUs).
- Perform IRU alignments, navigation initialization, air data cross-comparisons, and flight guidance system verification to ensure accurate attitude, heading, and positional data prior to sortie release.
- Diagnose complex avionics discrepancies by tracing signal flow across data buses, control panels, LRUs, power distribution circuits, and wiring harnesses using schematics, fault isolation manuals, BIT data, and automated test equipment.
- Troubleshoot electronic warfare and countermeasure dispensing systems, verifying firing circuit continuity, sequencer logic, and interface integrity between cockpit controls and dispenser assemblies
- Load, configure, and account for explosive flare countermeasures; inspect impulse cartridges, verify electrical connections, and ensure system safe/arm functionality in compliance with munitions safety protocols.
- Analyze intermittent communication and navigation faults including RF degradation, antenna coupling issues, and data bus faults impacting integrated system performance.
- Perform full avionics confidence checks and system operational tests prior to international departures to certify mission capable status on a strategic airlift platform.
Education
Some college (no degree) - AVIONIC SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY
Community College of the Air Force
Gunter AFB, AL, United States07-2021
Skills
- Possesses knowledge of electronic theories and practices of integrated electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic, optical, and mechanical systems of such applications as digital or analog computers, digital display devices which enables the incumbent to understand and predict the effects of subsystem malfunctions on the total function system
- Has the ability to apply electronic theories and practices to identify, isolate and repair malfunctions in one or more complex integrated systems where knowledge of the entire system is necessary to interpret error data and trace problems back through several units of the system to locate deficiencies
- Demonstrates thorough knowledge of the principles of digital and analog circuits, solid state devices theory, electromechanical devices, digital techniques, synchro/servo operation and integrated circuit theory Has ability to interpret/trace schematics, logic/wiring diagrams and use a wide variety of test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment (TMDE) Can perform algebraic and trigonometric formulas
- Understands the technology and practices which integrate the components of the systems into a totally functional system Can determine methods of repair where extremely complex relationships exist among numerous inter-connected units and control circuits; not only within the individual control systems but between them as well
- Possesses Knowledge and ability to perform complex mathematics including algebra and trigonometric formulas to calculate power relationships, signal phasing, etc, and to solve work related problems
Awards
Airman of the 4th quarter 2023, Air Force Achievement medal
Job Related Training
- C-17 Flying Crew Chief Course 1 Jul 2025- 30 Jul 2025
- C-17 Rhud Fiber Optics Maintenance Course 01 Apr 2024 - 04 Apr 2024
- C-17 Journeyman Aircraft Maintenance - air mobility command - 09 Dec 2022
- MAF Integrated Comm/Countermeasures/Nav Sys, C-17 13 Sep 2021 - 22 Dec 2021
- Avionics Fundamentals 16 Jul 2021 - 09 Sep 2021
Timeline
C17 Flying Crew Chief
United States Air Force
08.2024 - Current
C-17 Electronic Integrated Systems Technician
United States Air Force
05.2021 - Current
Some college (no degree) - AVIONIC SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY
Community College of the Air Force