What I do

I work on Robinson aircraft, mainly helicopters, diagnosing mechanical or electrical problems, carrying out repairs and replacing defective parts.

How I became a technician

In secondary school, I took computer science, graphics and history for GCSE. I then went to college to do electrical engineering. Instead of going to university, I wanted a hands-on role. I decided to come here to HQ Aviation. I started here last year.

For my apprenticeship, I am working up to getting a B1.3 engineering licence. Once you have passed all the tests, you can certify work to say you are happy to release an aircraft, and that it is airworthy.

Since I was young, I have loved making things and using tools, so I absolutely love engineering.

I was lucky enough to be offered a tester week by the main engineer here to see how I would get on and he offered me a position after that.

A typical day in my
working life

I come in for a morning meeting at around 8.30am and go through which aircraft is the priority and what work is required. We are then assigned jobs on aircraft, and we work on those until 10.30am. Every aircraft has to have a 50-hour check or a 100-hour check. The simplest check is 50-hour, so that is an oil or filter change. That’s a common everyday job.

Other work can include cleaning the aircraft and the blades, making sure the blades are airworthy, checking landing gear for cracks, etc. Someone else always has to check your work to give everyone peace of mind.

The job is mostly hands-on, but we do use software. We have stores that hold all the aircraft parts, so you have to use the computer to locate the parts. We also have manuals online that tell us how to do a job and those manuals are regularly updated by the company.

Be your own person. My parents really wanted me to go to university, but I wanted to be hands-on. Do what you want, even if it’s not what others may want for you.

When you have finished an aircraft, it goes for a flight test before anyone else flies it. You feel amazing that you have been part of that.

A little more about
my everyday role

What I love most about my job

The satisfaction of following my passion. I enjoy coming to work every day; it is not a chore, and every day is different.

The next steps in my career journey

Once you get your licence, you can stay working on those specific machines and move up to a management role, or you can expand your knowledge of different types of aircraft, so that there are a greater number of machines you can work on. If I pass my exams, I would like to move on to more machines.

My hobbies

When I was younger, I used to play with Lego, and I remember once making a fan when it was hot; I think I was 10 or 11 then.

Now I play a lot of basketball. I also like IT and play computer games.

Find out more about this role

Discover what qualifications you’ll need, how much you can earn, and what the next steps are.

Nine apprentices sitting on sofas socialising

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