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Trade groups of the past

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ex90brat

LAC
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1
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I wonder if anyone could explain to me differences between trades now and those of the 60's. My service history was:
Locking 58-61 Apprentice Ground radar fitter C&R
Trimingham 61-63 (Cpl Tech)
Newton 63-64 Bloodhound 2 course
North coates 64-66 17JSTU Bloodhound trials (SGT)
112 Sqdn 66-70
Neatishead (SLEWC) 70-74 Then "redundant" (CH TECH)

In that time I was trade gp 2. What would the modern equvalent trade be and what training would you go through.

I am researching this so I can put something on my web site to cmpare then with now.
www.tomsnet.org

Many thanks for any input at all
 
Hello mate,

from TG2 you would have evolved into an LTechAD (Electronic Tech Air defence) which was in TG3.

In the mid 90s LTech TC, AF & AD amalgamated into a single trade - Eng Tech El.

From 2004 ish, a further amalgamation happened when they combined TG11 (TCC/TCOs) with TG3 to form TG4.

This is now the ICT Tech branch. Chf Tech rank has been binned, as a FS you would now be a ICT Manager.

Some details of the training etc can be found here.

Hope this helps.
 
Hello mate,

from TG2 you would have evolved into an LTechAD (Electronic Tech Air defence) which was in TG3.

QUOTE]

MC - you missed a couple - L Fitt GR and L Fitt GC - who morphed into L Fitt AF(R) and L Fitt AF(C) and I'm pretty sure L Fitt AD for a short period prior to the Tech part and the creation of the AF, TC and AD branches of the trade (that didn't last long at all...)

Ex-90 - you must have passed out as one of the "original" Eng Techs then?
 
MC - you missed a couple - L Fitt GR and L Fitt GC - who morphed into L Fitt AF(R) and L Fitt AF(C) and I'm pretty sure L Fitt AD for a short period prior to the Tech part and the creation of the AF, TC and AD branches of the trade (that didn't last long at all...)

Ex-90 - you must have passed out as one of the "original" Eng Techs then?

Thanks for filling in the blanks Shettie, that was before I joined.:PDT_Xtremez_42:
 
Thanks to all

Thanks to all

Many thanks for all your replies and useful information. As a matter of interest I passed out as a J/T ground radar fitter C&R. I think the eng techs came in after the 90th entry. The training you now have interested me, I did my Cisco CCNP, a few years back before I retired.
Do they still teach magnetron and waveguide theory,turning gear operation etc?. We had to fix to component level, easy with valves. just shows how old I am.
Thanks again
Tom
 
from TG2 you would have evolved into an LTechAD (Electronic Tech Air defence)


TG2 eventually became A Tech E (Aircraft Technician Electrical) and then Eng Tech AE (Engineering Technician Aircraft Electrical) until the trade was amalgamated into the multiskilled avionics trade of ATAV. which is now in TG1.

That's a fair old bit of trade group juggling...........:PDT_Xtremez_35:

TW
 
TG2 eventually became A Tech E (Aircraft Technician Electrical) and then Eng Tech AE (Engineering Technician Aircraft Electrical) until the trade was amalgamated into the multiskilled avionics trade of ATAV. which is now in TG1.

That's a fair old bit of trade group juggling...........:PDT_Xtremez_35:

TW

Don't forget that the whole Avionics thing and it's predecessors of Flight Systems, Air Comms, Air Radar and Air Cameras were in Trade Group 2 as well.
 
Many thanks for all your replies and useful information. As a matter of interest I passed out as a J/T ground radar fitter C&R. I think the eng techs came in after the 90th entry. The training you now have interested me, I did my Cisco CCNP, a few years back before I retired.
Do they still teach magnetron and waveguide theory,turning gear operation etc?. We had to fix to component level, easy with valves. just shows how old I am.
Thanks again
Tom

Tom

I haven't got the course breakdown but having spoken to a couple of the lads recently posted out of training they cover the following....

Mathematics
Basic fault finding.
Use of Test Equipment.
Basic Radar and Comms theory.
Lots of IT based training ie Active Directory, Networks etc.

If they are subsequently posted into a slot that requires them to work on equipment other than IT (on an airfield or AD Radar for instance) they go back to training and complete an Applied Principles course which reinforces the fault finding and Radar/Comms Theory. They can then complete any equipment courses required.
 
Was that before Flight Systems?

Yes well before. It's from a time, late 70's maybe earlier, when fairy trades were all split into different factions. Some of the real KOS's may know better. This meant the fairies could delay any job by arguing amongst themselves whose box or plocket it was and anyway if it involved a plug and wires they could always slopey shoulder the job to the DFers. Fairies came in 5 varieties if I remember correctly. Flight Systems, Navigation Instrumentation, Air Comms, Air Radar and Air Cameras though I never came across any air camera bods myself. Now of course all fairies and leckys are one big happy assimilated family just like the rigger/sooty heavies:PDT_Xtremez_14:
 
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When I was an appo at Cosford (1972), there were Nav Instruments, Air Comms and Air Radar apprentices.
That was before I reverted back to a mechanical type, (Revert to type always)
 
The electronics trades were all under TG2 in the mid 70s when ground electronics trades were known as TG2 (ground).
L Fitt GC then split into the 3 staples of L Tech AF/AD/TC to form TG3,
L Tech FS remained under TG2 and occupied a grey area between the ground and air electronics worlds. The only method of entry to the ground trades were Direct Entry to J/T or Mechanic followed by Fitters further training on time and selection. When I joined eng techs were a dual trade, TG2, for aircraft engineering only. Air Comms / Air Radar was my original choice before I found out DE TCs got out as J/Ts 2 years earlier and got posted to everywhere in the world.

We were still learning valve theory on the TC course in the early 80s, combined with fault diagnosis/repair to component level, invaluable considering the majority of field TC kit was a minimum of 20 years old. The Digital Techniques phase didn't come in until the mid 80s.

That CCNPs a bitch nowadays too.
 
Tg1 !!!!

Tg1 !!!!

Any aircraft trades ! OOOO sorry I thought you meant what trades do you think WILL be trade groups of the past!!! If we keep getting treated the way we are there won't be anyone left !!! :PDT_Xtremez_09::PDT_Xtremez_21::PDT_Xtremez_38:
 
Thanks for all info. When I trained as an App in 58-61 we could "pick" one of following trades

Air Radio fitter :dealt wilth all things in aircraft radio and radar. Probably
now known as avionics.
Ground Radar: this was divided into two sub trades and you could
train as C&R which was early warning radars or Nav
which was airfield approach radars ec.

Ground Wireless: I think this was again divided into two sub trades but
not sure of details.

How things have changed
 
Not fairy or elect related in anyway but Works and bricks anyone?
 
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