Profile

I maintain and fix one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world – the Eurofighter Typhoon. I have been a mechanical technician on this aircraft for over 8 years and I’m still learning something new every day!

When I left school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for a career. I wanted to be a pilot, but I didn’t think my qualifications were good enough or that I was smart enough. I didn’t enjoy exams, so I decided to avoid A-levels and take a different path entirely. After studying music technology for two years (my biggest passion after aircraft), I decided to attempt to join the Royal Air Force as an aircraft technician. To my surprise, I was accepted.

Not long after I joined the RAF, I applied for a pilot scholarship. An even bigger surprise was that I was accepted for this also. I had gone from thinking I wasn’t good enough to get anywhere close to an aircraft, to having my first flying lesson in less than 18 months.

I am now an experienced mechanical aircraft technician supervisor on the Typhoon, and I fly in my spare time as a hobby. The picture below is the Typhoon, and the one below that is the aircraft I fly (Just as cool as the Typhoon, of course, but not quite as fast!).

In the future, I am hoping to have a slight career change, and fly airplanes for a job instead of fixing them.

I am very passionate about helping young people realise that there is no set path into a STEM career, and there are many opportunities even if you have a tough time with school and/or exams. I have got to where I am without A-levels or having been to University and it was a huge challenge but if I can do it – anyone can!

Enjoy some of the beautiful views I’ve had the privilege of enjoying while flying…

__________________________________________________________

As a mechanical supervisor, it is my job to ensure that all work carried out by my technicians is done safely.

Where I currently work, we basically take the aircraft to pieces, inspect all of the components, and then put it back together again and test it to make sure it works. Think of it as a huge, complex lego build! The whole process for one aircraft can take >6 months, and that’s why we call it ‘depth’ maintenance, because we dig very deep into the aircraft to make sure there are no faults or damage that might not be visible usually.

Keeping our aircraft fit to fly is really important, as they are responsible for being ready 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to carry out a role called ‘Quick Reaction Alert’. We have pilots and engineers ready to get the jets into the air at a moments notice, to respond to any potential threats in UK airspace. (Yes, even on Christmas Day!) If you have access to YouTube, see the video below to see what Quick Reaction Alert involves and the process of scrambling our aircraft…