Aviation Electrician’s Mates (AE) — Navy enlisted ratings responsible for aircraft electrical system maintenance, wiring maintenance, and avionics power supply maintenance — served aboard aircraft carriers and Naval Air Stations maintaining the electrical power generation, distribution, and load systems of Navy carrier-based aircraft. AE ratings maintained aircraft generators, voltage regulators, electrical distribution panels, wire bundles, and aircraft lighting systems on Cold War-era Navy carrier aircraft including the F-4 Phantom, A-6 Intruder, A-7 Corsair II, and F-14 Tomcat. Aviation Electrician’s Mates performing aircraft wiring maintenance and electrical component replacement on Cold War-era carrier aircraft encountered asbestos-containing electrical wiring insulation materials in aircraft wire bundles and electrical component assemblies consistent with the aircraft electrical system manufacturing specifications of the Cold War construction period.

Aircraft Electrical System Asbestos

AE ratings encountered asbestos-containing materials during aircraft electrical maintenance:

  • Aircraft wire bundle insulation — Cold War-era Navy carrier aircraft incorporated electrical wiring with insulation materials consistent with the aircraft electrical system manufacturing practice and MIL-SPEC wiring specifications of the construction period. Some aircraft wire bundle insulation materials used in the aircraft electrical systems of the 1950s and 1960s incorporated asbestos fiber as a component of the electrical insulation compound. AE ratings performing wiring repairs and wire bundle replacement operations on Cold War-era carrier aircraft cut and stripped wire insulation materials during aircraft wiring maintenance, with wire insulation cutting operations releasing insulation material particulates during aircraft electrical maintenance
  • Electrical junction box and terminal board insulation — the electrical junction boxes, terminal boards, and distribution panels installed in Cold War-era carrier aircraft incorporated insulating board materials consistent with the electrical component manufacturing practice of the period. AE ratings accessing and servicing aircraft electrical junction boxes and terminal boards during aircraft electrical maintenance encountered the insulating board materials in the electrical distribution equipment
  • Aircraft generator brush and commutator maintenance — the aircraft generators on Cold War-era Navy carrier aircraft required periodic brush replacement and commutator maintenance. AE ratings performing aircraft generator maintenance removed and replaced carbon brushes and cleaned commutator surfaces during each generator maintenance cycle

Aircraft Carrier Electrical Maintenance Facility Asbestos

AE ratings at carrier aircraft maintenance facilities accumulated background asbestos:

  • Carrier hangar deck and aircraft maintenance space construction — the aircraft carrier hangar deck spaces and below-hangar maintenance areas where AE ratings performed aircraft electrical maintenance were constructed within the carrier hull using construction materials incorporating asbestos-containing pipe insulation and construction materials consistent with the carrier’s construction period. AE ratings working in carrier hangar deck spaces during aircraft maintenance accumulated background asbestos exposure from the carrier construction materials
  • Shore station aircraft electrical maintenance hangar construction — the aircraft maintenance hangars at Naval Air Stations where AE ratings maintained carrier aircraft during shore-based maintenance cycles were constructed with military construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing building materials in hangar construction. AE ratings performing aircraft electrical maintenance in NAS hangar facilities accumulated background asbestos exposure from the hangar construction

VA Claims for Aviation Electrician’s Mate Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy aircraft carrier and air station service. Aviation Electrician’s Mates who served aboard aircraft carriers or Naval Air Stations and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.