With mechanical engineering skills in high demand, the UK's armed forces serve a vital role in training tomorrow's airframe technicians. Working Week talks to Mark Duddridge, a civilian engineering instructor based at HMS Sultan
Mark Duddridge
HMS Sultan, spread across 72.5Ha (179 acres) of land outside Gosport, Hampshire is the Royal Navy's largest training establishment, employing more than 3,000 service and civilian staff. As a civilian airframe repair instructional officer working for the Ministry of Defence at the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering, Mark Duddridge is different to many of his fellow instructors, most of whom are currently serving in the armed forces.
How did you enter the engineering trade?
I started out as an apprentice studying sheet metal work with British Aerospace at Southampton in 1990, before the business later became Hamble Aero Structures. The four-year course provided me with a solid background in airframe inspection, maintenance and repair. Having completed my apprenticeship I continued my training with Hamble, as a wheeler responsible for hand-forming panels for Harriers.
After a year and half I decided to try my hand at contracting which saw me gain a lot of experience across the civilian sector. My first role saw me working at ATC Lasham where I carried out heavy maintenance on a range of aircraft types from Boeing 707s to McDonnell Douglas DC-8 cargo aircraft. I then moved on to work in manufacturing with Westland at Weston-Super-Mare before joining Flight Refuelling at Wimborne, where once again I worked with sheet metal.
What does your role involve?
I joined the MoD in January 2001, arriving at HMS Sultan to join the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering as a qualified instructor. We have 18 instructors in the building providing training on a cross-section of engineering skills from airframe maintenance, sheet material working, electronic repair and practical wiring.
Because some of my colleagues are actively serving members of the armed forces they will be posted to other duties. The civilian instructors, many of whom are ex-service personnel, help ensure some continuity. The vast majority, about 95%, of our students are Royal Navy, but we also support the other services and provide bespoke training courses for civilian "income generation" students.
Our three-week short air maintenance course is designed for experienced students, some of whom might have been posted to the UK's Mobile Air Services Unit and require refresher training. This unit, based at Fleetlands near Gosport, is predominantly a naval unit that carries out maintenance for all three services. One week they will be working at RNAS Culdrose, a few days later they could find themselves in Afghanistan.
Is the training practical based or a mix of hands-on and theory?
It's very much a practical course. You can explain the theory behind an engineering process, but in reality there's no alternative to practical-based learning. All our instruction is carried out on Category Five rotary airframes - usually a Westland Sea King or Wessex - so students can learn in the confidence that they cannot damage an airworthy airframe.
Students will be required to design repairs, demonstrate a complete understanding of modern health and safety requirements and learn how to raise workshop orders. It's very rewarding to see the students develop in terms of their skillset and the confidence with which they operate.
How would you differentiate between civilian and military engineering training?
The armed forces continue to provide an excellent environment in which to learn the skills required to build a career in aeronautical engineering. The training opportunities never stop. After 22 years practical experience gained in the forces, equipped with a foundation degree and HND earned while serving, ex-services engineers can look forward to some excellent employment prospects in the civilian sector.
flight.workingweek@flightglobal.com
Source: Flight International
