Diary of a Sponsored Reservist (SR) Engineer

By Stephen Lavender – Senior Aircraft Licensed Engineer (Sponsored Reservist)

 

February 2011

I finally received joining instructions for the General Service Knowledge (GSK) course and packed all items on the kit list conscious that arriving deficient might not be a good idea!  On arriving at RAF Halton I began to get that strange feeling only service personnel get when reporting for training, probably as you know what’s coming!  On reporting to the guardroom, I found that no one was aware of the course I was on or what accommodation I was in; another familiar feeling – maybe the RAF was going to be more like the army than I thought?  However a quick phone call to the correct guardroom (recruit training have their own one!) and I was on my way to Halton’s Recruit Training Squadron. I settled into Douglas block (12 man room) awaiting the start of the course and spent my first night under itchy blankets for almost 20 years!

As it transpired there were only four of us on the course – two engineers, a padre and a nurse (must be a joke in there somewhere!).  Two of us had previous military experience and the two that didn’t looked slightly nervous as we awaited collection at 06:30 on Monday morning.  There was a barrage of noise as we heard three pairs of ammo boots crash into the foyer and we were presented with three immaculate instructors in their No 2 dress.

 The course had begun and we soon understood what was to be expected of us. We were in a phase 1 training establishment and the new recruits had high standards to achieve.  We were on the first “Sponsored Reservist/Chaplains GSK” course and the instructors recognised that we may need to be handled differently due to our somewhat more mature years!  The attitude was taken that we were there to learn (three weeks’ worth in a week) and we already had life experiences and skills that need not be installed.  Throughout the course the instructors were fantastic and very humorous; lots of one line quips that kept us chuckling most of the day.

 Day 1 included a team bonding command task session, which really broke the ice and instantly formed us as a team – teamwork and the sense of belonging is something you do get from the military.  We spent the rest of the day in lessons learning about tri service ranks, Health &Safety and the all important RAF core values.  That evening we were given our yellow cap badge backing disc- a get out of jail badge that signifies you are too new to fully understand drill and the paying of compliments.  We were also shown how to prepare for bed and locker inspections!

Day 2 started with the inspection, not a bad effort on all our parts.  Maybe we all had some experience of ironing and cleaning!  Again we spent a lot of time in lessons gaining more of the service knowledge we were there to learn.  Then we had our introduction to DRILL. From this point on we had to call out the timings when performing drill, which is every time you are outside and cutting about (walking smartly).

 Day 3 we realised there would be a drill check and a written exam on the GSK.  The week was flying by and it was good to get some pressure applied.  More drill on the square and indoor drill shed only served to confuse us – surely drill stays with you forever?  I used to like drill, why did it seem so difficult now?  The classroom work concentrated on “equality and diversity” – something the RAF is very focused on.  It was really good to hear these messages, the Forces have moved forward since I left and have become much more tri service.

 Day 4 quickly blended into our last day – assessments! We sat our GSK exam and felt we had a good knowledge of forthcoming service in the RAF, however, were we up to standard at drill? An even smarter (was that possible?) instructor from the ceremonial section arrived and watched us perform a routine, shouting out the timings to not a bad standard.  We all felt proud that we had “achieved the standard” and promptly were told to remove the yellow backing disc.  No more immunity!

The afternoon was spent on the high wire confidence course, which was a fantastic end to a rewarding course.  We all felt the course achieved its aims and are ready to move on to the next 15 day military training part – with weapons!

January 2011

At AirTanker Services this year, we had a stand down period for Christmas.  This was a welcome break so that we could recharge our batteries in readiness for the run up to the delivery of our first aircraft towards the end of this year.  Some saw this pause in production as a hindrance and would probably have come in if allowed!  Having worked in the military then straight onto shift patterns in the commercial environment, it was strange for me to have time off over Christmas and bizarrely, I started to fall into the group of people who would have come in!  This stand down is unlikely to happen again as we will be providing a 24 hour operation towards the end of this year and we fully expect to be busy from day one!

My Sponsored Reservist training is now back on track and in two weeks, I will be at RAF Halton attending the General Service Knowledge course.  I will then be able to feedback the requirements and expectations of what is truly involved in becoming an SR.

Regarding my current role, we are moving into a key phase within “Fleet Engineering”.  One of the contractual milestones is to achieve our Part 145 maintenance approval in May this year and this has provided us with several challenges.  Part 145 Approval will allow us to provide maintenance to any airline operating the A330 up to a certain level.  In reality, the only maintenance service we will provide is likely to be to the AirTanker A330 aircraft; however the Civil Aviation Authority requires us to have the necessary company procedures, personnel, equipment and tooling in place to achieve the Approval. So we have huge range of purchasing activities, recruitment events and a set of procedural documents to complete within the next four months.

One of the more interesting aspects of my job will be to take on responsibility for the maintenance of the military avionics and Defensive Aids Suite (DAS) fitted to the aircraft.  I am comfortable with the systems fitted to a standard A330 aircraft however the military differences will provide a new and challenging aspect to the job. I have spent some time with Thales Avionics Limited, the manufacturer of the equipment, and it is great to be involved at such an early stage because it allows me to understand the capabilities and complexities of the new systems.  At least for all the complexities of the military differences, the In Flight Entertainment (IFE) will be an easy-to-maintain, simple system, which is usually not the case in commercial airlines!

One positive with working normal office hours is that I can commit more time to coaching my Under 9 football team.  Unfortunately, coaching is something we need more of as we are not very good; only one point so far this season!  The boys really enjoy the game, which is the main thing and what grass roots is all about.  The RAF do have a football association which run coaching courses so I aim to enrol on one soon as they are held at Brize Norton.

December 2010

Just before my last diary entry, I was “attested”. This is the formal ceremony where you swear allegiance to the Queen. I have done this before as a young 17 year old in the Oxford recruitment centre and it still holds up as a special event. You have to answer a series of questions confirming that you know what you’re letting yourself in for! The questions really bring home the fact that you are joining the military and that you are subject to military regulations and Law. It still felt like a milestone and the ceremony left me feeling as though I had achieved something. So I sit as an acting Sergeant Sponsored Reservist (with a temporary ID card). It is unclear at the moment whether I will keep my old military number and at my age, it may take some time to learn a new one!

Unfortunately the basic military knowledge course scheduled for December has been cancelled so I will have to wait until February now. A bit frustrating as now my training schedule has slipped. The weather during that week was sub zero so it may be a blessing in disguise – I thought my days in arctic Norway with 3 commando were behind me but the weather looks pretty similar so far!

As AirTanker Services continues to grow and 2011 races towards us, the links with Brize Norton and the RAF grow ever stronger. We look forward to seeing the first 11 RAF Engineers start their training in January and hope to stay in regular contact to start building strong working relationships amongst our maintenance team. The next tranche of RAF Engineer recruitment is imminent and we are currently recruiting A330 civil licenced Engineers too. I have been involved in the recruitment process and it is great to see the interest level so high.

The interviews have provided some interesting questions for us regarding the Sponsored Reservist status and as such, we have a better knowledge to answer questions.

In a nutshell, the SR role can be explained as a mechanism to enable AirTanker Services’ personnel to be able to be deployed down route with the aircraft.  When at the main base (RAF Brize Norton), both RAF and civilian colleagues will work alongside each other for AirTanker Services, working under the relevant shift supervisor, be they RAF or civilian (know as mixed manning). However when the aircraft is deployed to an operating base or for a short term mission, then the maintenance and control comes under RAF command (the aircraft will still be maintained under JAR 145 regulations hence requiring licensed personnel). So on deployment, the Sponsored Reservist becomes embedded RAF staff under the military rule of law and command. This deployed activity is likely to involve two months away in every twenty months.

November 2010

As I move closer to becoming a Sponsored Reservist the process is becoming more real. Previously the route for gaining SR status have been intentions where as now I have passed some key mile stones and by the time this goes to press I should be attested and therefore officially a Sponsored Reserve – all be it an untrained one!

 This month I have taken the R.A.F fitness test. This is a test routinely run at the physical training centre on Brize Norton station. It consists of an aerobic test – “beep test” and a “muscular” test.

During the beep test you jog between two lines 20M apart to the soundtrack of audio beeps. The spacing between the beeps gradually shortens and as a consequence you have to speed up to make the line before the next beep. You are given three warnings if you don’t make the line at which point you have to stop. These tests are a great way of testing your fitness as even the fittest of people get pushed to the limit! The pass levels are set sensibly according to your age group. A pass is coded green, blue and deep blue.

Green being a pass rated as “Good – your exercise programme means that your level of aerobic fitness is optimised for health”

Blue rated as “Very good – you are minimising your risk of premature illness and mortality”

Deep blue rated as “Excellent – you are an extremely fit individual giving yourself the best chance of optimal health”

The muscular test is divided into two parts, a best effort number of press ups in 60 seconds and best effort number of sit ups in 60 seconds.

The RAF Fitness Test is used as a measure of health rather than a standard pass fail criteria. Due to the colour code banding system you can get a good indication of your relative risk of premature mortality and morbidity.  More info/pass fail criteria for the RAFFT can be found on the RAF website. The site quotes “Meeting the new RAFFT standards have been proven, through the ‘gold standard’ of research, to give an individual the best possible chance of ageing ‘healthily’ and ‘disease free’.”

 I have also been to the clothing stores to be issued my combat uniform; the storeman was obviously very experienced as he reeled off my chest, waist, height and beret size with amazing accuracy whilst his assistant raced around the store collecting the items I required. I did query the size of my combat jacket; I felt it was too large. I tried the next size down but he said it would be too short in the arm – he was of course correct!

So I now walk around the office in my business attire with my combat high leg boots on, in an attempt to break the boots in before my first part of the phase one recruits training. I do get some funny looks!

The next phase towards being a sponsored reservist is the general Service Knowledge course. This is a 5 day course at RAF Halton which I hope to attend in December, more to follow. 

Just recently we had an induction day for the first 11 RAF engineers selected for initial posting to the AirTanker services maintenance team.  It was really good to meet the lads who will shortly be starting training for part 66 licenses.  The Engineers at AirTanker services we will be working in a mixed manning environment, where RAF personnel will be the majority, so it was great to see the beginnings of the team we will be part of.  Also recruitment continues for the next batch of B1/B2 Sponsored reservist engineers as we head into 2011 and ramp up ready for CAA maintenance approvals.

 

October 2010

Many of us in the aviation maintenance industry have been aware of the “AirTanker” programme and have been awaiting more information to see what positions would be offered.  We knew that the main A330 platform would require Licensed Engineers to certify the work and there was mention of sponsored reservist (SR) status, which was intriguing. There was not much detail about the Engineering side of things on the website so discussion with others in the industry generally moved on to questions around relocating to Oxfordshire, working one Aircraft type and this ‘SR’ issue.

I have been watching AirTanker with some interest as I live locally and hold A330 approval. The programme lasts for 27 years so it provides job stability (rare in civil aviation) and the SR element of the role actually seemed quite appealing to me!  I had served in the Army as an Aircraft Engineer for 13 years and after deciding I was having far too much fun in the Forces, I left to work for the airline BMi in order to get some stability.

I have been with AirTanker for three weeks now and feel able to reflect on the “shock and awe” effects of having started here!   I was notified of the upcoming position by e-mail after registering with the Company website, which I had been monitoring for some time.  The job description closely matched my qualifications so I applied.  It was during the interview process that I realised that the position I would hold would not be in place for over a year, which meant that I would be starting in an advisory role – again, a new experience for me.  I was impressed by the vision and professionalism of what I had seen during the interview process and decided I wanted the job.  I think my desire for the position helped me in the second interview stage – something that I picked up on a training course last week.

 As it happens I am the first Engineering Sponsored Reservist a.k.a. the guinea pig!   I have been told that my ATrS position will be equivalent to the RAF rank of “Chief Tech”, which I am comfortable with because it is similar to the rank of Sergeant that I held in the Army.  I am conscious that I am not seen to be given the rank cheaply, and “out of a cornflake packet”, so I am keen to complete any military courses required.  I also have to understand the RAF ethos, which shouldn’t be a problem given that I am looking forward to being part of the camaraderie, culture and way of life that goes with being a member of the military.    It will also be great to be able to blend the best bits from both civilian and military staff – not just from a personal perspective but also in respect to the entire programme.

Part of my transition into the SR role involves training at RAF Halton, giving me the chance to prove myself and revel in the physical training that I miss from my days in the Army.  But the opportunities are not just limited to the RAF training.  I will also be involved in the planning stages of the programme, providing me with the chance to shape the maintenance environment I will be working in.  This role will be an exciting addition to my career so far and I look forward to new challenges and tasks that are coming my way – and of course to continuing to keep other aspiring AirTanker Services SRs updated as to what it all involves!