A ground engineer with the RAF, John has been teaching the Royal Navy personnel about his own specialism – to do with the equipment on the flight deck. With this in mind, we spoke to John to find out more about what this involved.
Q: How did you end up in your current role?
John Vyse (JV) :I am currently stationed within General Engineering Flight (GEF) at RAF Marham. I am attached to 617 sqn as the lead ground support equipment (GSE) mechanical technician. 617 Sqn are more famously known as the ‘Dambusters’ for their actions in the bombing of German dams during world war 2. They then operated as a Tornado GR4 sqn until recently where they formed their role as the first F35 sqn. 617 Sqn are running operational tests on board HMS Queen Elizabeth and with my experience working on the F35 GSE, I was asked to come on board and assist them.
Q: How does the specialist knowledge of a Royal Air Force ground engineer fit within the engineering operation on the HMS Queen Elizabeth?
JV: GEF is split up into 3 trades, we have; mechanical, electrical and workshop technicians. We specialise in maintaining ground support equipment and vehicles. This equipment includes everything from aircraft steps through to hydraulic plant and power generation to support aircraft maintenance and operation, from Land Rovers’ to emergency fire fighting vehicles and aircraft refuelling trucks.
The Royal Navy do not have an equivalent Ground Equipment branch and therefore utilise their Aircraft Engineering Technicians (AETs) as part of the Air Engineering Department (AED) to look after their ground support equipment. This is due to the limited space for manpower onboard the ship, with the AED also fulfilling roles such as maintaining Rotary Wing equipment, manning the Aviation Workshops and being responsible for the storage, preparation and delivery of all Air Weapons that are used by aircraft embarked on the ship.
The AETs within the AED have as yet had very limited training on GSE due to the embryonic nature of the aircraft, and the ship having an exceptionally busy deployed period over the last 12 months. With this detachment being so important, and to promote good interoperability between the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force it was essential to have us join HMS Queen Elizabeth. Not only to ensure the serviceability of the equipment throughout the detachment but to train the AETs on the new F35 GSE, the systems and processes that go along with that.
The training package to train the maintenance processes for F35 GSE is still in development at RAF Marham. As someone who is already trained, I have been tasked with assisting in developing the skill set and experience of the maintainers within the AED, focusing on the main areas which they can then apply to almost everything they will encounter when we leave, and allowing them to be self sufficient for future deployments.
I have taught them the system we use to record all maintenance and where we find all publications regarding maintenance and policy etc. Once, they had a grasp on how to navigate this system, it was essential for them to get some practice and the best way to do this was to give them a job to do and let them have a go, answering questions as and when they arise.
The AETs are already technicians (their core job outside of the AED is to maintain all Fleet Air Arm aircraft) therefore; I did not have to focus on teaching them how to look at technical drawings or read these publications etc, which saves a lot of time. It is more about how to apply what they already know to the world of GSE and the processes we go through to diagnose and fix equipment when problems occur.
The AETs will all eventually do an F35 approved GSE course and along with what we have taught them, ensures that they are all very competent at carrying out this role in the future without GEF on board. Taking on this role will allow us to move forward and develop a more structured package if we are required to do something similar in the future, possibly on HMS Prince of Wales.
Q: What systems and equipment are you working on while on board?
JV: The F35 is a 5th generation aircraft and the equipment that supports it uses state of the art technology. I am working on the following equipment; diesel power generators, hydraulic plant and air carts, to list a few. The purpose of this equipment is to allow for maintenance and function testing of the aircrafts systems without running the aircrafts engines.
Q: What are some of the challenging engineering aspects of the work you are doing?
JV: The Royal Navy’s engineering policies and procedures are different to ours and this was something that we had to adjust to and the fact that the Navy have no specialist branch for maintaining GSE. This meant that when we had faults on equipment we had to talk the AETs through what we was doing, taking our time but, at the same time fix it as quickly as possible so not to hamper the capability of the sqn.
Q: When you have left, who will take on this role?
JV: Once we are back at Marham, the Royal Navy AETs will take on the role of maintaining the F35 ground support equipment. They will spend some time away from maintaining Aircraft to take on this specialist role. I believe they do this for a short period before returning to work on aircraft. In which case, they will pass on their knowledge as new members join them.
Q: What is it like being at sea (presumably for the first time)?
JV: It took me a few days to get my ‘Sea legs’ but, I think I am there now. I think the size of the ship helps a lot as it doesn’t rock quite as much as I expected. I wasn’t sure about coming on board however, I am enjoying it.
Q: What are your impressions of working on board HMS Queen Elizabeth? How is this different from the other postings you have had (e.g. in the Falklands)?
JV: Usually when we go out of area we are limited to where we can go and what we can do. Being on board HMS Queen Elizabeth there is even less to do and we spend most of our time in work. Obtaining spares to fix equipment is always an issue but I was quite surprised how much we can get on board here in a short space of time.
The Falklands had lots of beautiful places that you could visit in your spare time and lots of wild life that we wouldn’t be able to see any where else in the world. Here all I can see is the sea but, it I have still experienced some very impressive sights.
Q: What lessons will you take back with you to RAF Marham, and will you have chance to share this learning?
JV: The biggest lesson that I have learned is how differently the Royal Navy go about their work and how we can fit into that routine as smoothly as possible. We did not have a set plan for training them and this is something we can now develop for the future.
Q: How can an individual become a Royal Air Force ground engineer?
JV: The first step would be to take a look at the RAF recruitment website and get a feel of what will be expected. You would then need to fill out an application form and wait to be contacted by your local careers office. The process from there is pretty straight forward and then once you have completed basic training at RAF Halton, you will be posted to MOD St Athan to carry out phase 2 trade training in the engineering discipline that you have chosen. I originally joined the RAF in a different trade and re-mustered to become a mechanical technician in GEF. I had done around 5.5 years in my previous trade before doing so and the opportunity is there for others to do the same.
Q: What three things should young people know about life as an engineer in the Royal Air Force?
JV: 1. GEF technicians get trained to a very high standard, with the opportunity to gain all sorts of experience on a huge range of equipment and this sets you up for a fantastic career, in or out of the armed forces.
2. There is lots of opportunity to travel and work away around the world, gain new experiences and meet new people, some of which will remain great friends for life. There are huge opportunities for people to get involved in sport and this often includes travelling.
3. Continuous professional development (CPD) is actively encouraged throughout the trades in GEF. Something I have taken advantage of and I employ everyone to do so. Recently there have been schemes where foundation degrees have been paid for.