Harry_R_Jumpjet
SAC
- 126
- 18
- 1
Sniffed around the site for a day or two and thought I'd better do the decent thing.
Joined up in 1978 as A Tech P, did usual Swinderby and Halton stuff.
1978-82: on 237 OCU, Buccs and Hunters at Honington. Good intro to lots of things in life!
1982-85: Harriers on 4 Sqn at Gutersloh. Best time for lots of reasons.
Post RAFG - Wanted to stay on Leaping Heaps and go to Wittering. Got posted to Wattisham instead. Begins with 'W' and has 'tt' in the middle.
1985: 56 Sqn Phantoms at Wattisham. Looked for exchange posting so I could go to college.
1985-88: EFDC in Engine Bay at Wattisham. Not the liveliest job, but doing the one-week Reliability Engineering course at Bristol Uni helped in getting the Civvy Strasse job.
1988-90: Eng Records at Wattisham. Steady. Finished HNC in Electronics.
Options:
1. Nothing changes. Stay as I am.
2. Go for Engineer Officer commission.
3. Draw stumps after 12 years and look for new career in Civ Str.
Opinions (are like arrseholes - everybody's got one):
1. Career going nowhere fast, despite ticks in right boxes.
2. Far too much faffing around with young family and own house in Suffolk. Long term goals not worth the short term pain.
3. Plenty of jobs to be had, but didn't know what I wanted to do. New I didn't want any more spannering for a while. Pitch it right, could work out well. B@lls it up, and I'm stuffed. De-mob date focuses the mind.
Outcome:
Joined the world's premier engineering company in 1990 - not continuing the sootie side of life on their major product, but Electrical Design Engineer doing Safety and Reliability work (see 1985-88 comment) on nuclear submarine propulsion control, protection and instrumentation systems. Continued in the Marine side of the business through various jobs. Now project manager for advanced automation and control systems for future warships and commercial vessels. Chartered Engineer, and in last year of MSc in Engineering Management.
Just read this through, and realised I'm in danger of sounding like Bruce Willis. Feck! No! Too late ....... I've pressed the button!
Joined up in 1978 as A Tech P, did usual Swinderby and Halton stuff.
1978-82: on 237 OCU, Buccs and Hunters at Honington. Good intro to lots of things in life!
1982-85: Harriers on 4 Sqn at Gutersloh. Best time for lots of reasons.
Post RAFG - Wanted to stay on Leaping Heaps and go to Wittering. Got posted to Wattisham instead. Begins with 'W' and has 'tt' in the middle.
1985: 56 Sqn Phantoms at Wattisham. Looked for exchange posting so I could go to college.
1985-88: EFDC in Engine Bay at Wattisham. Not the liveliest job, but doing the one-week Reliability Engineering course at Bristol Uni helped in getting the Civvy Strasse job.
1988-90: Eng Records at Wattisham. Steady. Finished HNC in Electronics.
Options:
1. Nothing changes. Stay as I am.
2. Go for Engineer Officer commission.
3. Draw stumps after 12 years and look for new career in Civ Str.
Opinions (are like arrseholes - everybody's got one):
1. Career going nowhere fast, despite ticks in right boxes.
2. Far too much faffing around with young family and own house in Suffolk. Long term goals not worth the short term pain.
3. Plenty of jobs to be had, but didn't know what I wanted to do. New I didn't want any more spannering for a while. Pitch it right, could work out well. B@lls it up, and I'm stuffed. De-mob date focuses the mind.
Outcome:
Joined the world's premier engineering company in 1990 - not continuing the sootie side of life on their major product, but Electrical Design Engineer doing Safety and Reliability work (see 1985-88 comment) on nuclear submarine propulsion control, protection and instrumentation systems. Continued in the Marine side of the business through various jobs. Now project manager for advanced automation and control systems for future warships and commercial vessels. Chartered Engineer, and in last year of MSc in Engineering Management.
Just read this through, and realised I'm in danger of sounding like Bruce Willis. Feck! No! Too late ....... I've pressed the button!
DT_Xtremez_14: