Overview
My career in the Air Force began in 2016 when I joined through their undergraduate sponsorship scheme as an Electronics Engineering Officer. An Electronics Engineering Officer is a commissioned officer position, whereby, I am entrusted with the commission of the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia to discharge my duties as a military leader. My career in Air Force has allowed me to perform a variety of roles under the Electronics Engineering Officer specialisation, including aerospace design engineering through to contract management. By the end of my time in the Air Force, I reached the rank of Flight Lieutenant (O-3) and had gained experience as a leader in a team of airmen and junior officers.
In summary, my experience in Air Force has been characterised by the following roles:
For further insight into these experiences and some highlights from these roles, please continue reading below.
In summary, my experience in Air Force has been characterised by the following roles:
- Engineering Contract Manager - Air Lift Systems Program Office
- Avionics Systems Engineer - Airbus
- Graduate Engineer - Headquarters' Air Mobility Group
- Initial Officer Course - Officers' Training School
For further insight into these experiences and some highlights from these roles, please continue reading below.
Engineering Contract Manager - Air Lift Systems Program Office
The Air Lift Systems Program Office (ALSPO) falls within the Department of Defence's Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG). The role of ALSPO is to support the sustainment and upgrading of the C-130J Hercules and C-27J Spartan fleets of aircraft.
As Engineering Contract Manager, I was responsible for the provision of engineering services for the C-130J Hercules fleet. This was achieved by establishing and maintaining supplier relationships; co-ordinating engineering resources; and managing engineering projects. A pivotal part of my role was nurturing the relationship between the Commonwealth of Australia and our industry partners. Airbus is the prime contractor for C-130J engineering services with Lockheed Martin providing specialist support as the original aircraft manufacturer. Within my role, I worked with Airbus and Lockheed Martin to manage the cost, schedule, and quality of engineering services provided to the Commonwealth of Australia, to ensure Australian tax-payers receive value-for-money, and the Air Force has serviceable aircraft to deploy. |
By managing the delivery of engineering services for the C-130J fleet, I was able to maximise the availability of operationally ready aircraft for the Australian Government to task and deploy. Seeing our aircraft deployed at short notice to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief across the globe was the most rewarding part of this job.
By leading innovation through engineering projects and process improvements with our industry partners, I directly contributed to the benefits delivered across the world. Examples of support delivered during my tenure in this position included:
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Avionics Systems Engineer - Airbus
Prior to the above, I had the opportunity to be seconded to Airbus as a Avionics Systems Engineer. This secondment started by performing sustainment engineering activities such as fault investigations, special technical instructions, and minor modifications to improve aircraft reliability.
After three months in the team, a new project was stood up to integrate a AAQ-28(v) Litening Targeting Pod, an advanced precision targeting system, to one C-130J Hercules aircraft as a prototype. To support this project, an operating station located on the flight deck, known as the Augmented Crew Station (ACS), had to be developed and and integrated with the aircraft avionics systems. As a result of my proven ability to solve complex problems, I was selected to lead the system design and integration of the ACS with the AAQ-28(v) Litening Targeting Pod from both a hardware and software perspective. |
Through leading the ACS project, I gained experience in many aspects of aircraft engineering, including:
Overall, the Augmented Crew Station and Litening Pod project provides the C-130J Hercules with a precision identification capability that can be used for precise delivery of Australian Aid, identification of individuals during a search and rescue, or surveillance of a disaster struck area to assist local authorities. By leading the engineering development of this project, I have been able to directly improve the lives of those who will receive assistance form the Royal Australian Air Force using this advanced capability, now and into the future. |
Graduate Engineer - Headquarters' Air Mobility Group
My first role out of initial training was with Headquarters' Air Mobility Group (HQAMG) where I was a graduate engineer. As a graduate, we are provided the opportunity to join multiple units working with HQAMG to provide air mobility capability. During this time, I worked with:
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Initial Officer Course - Officers' Training School
I began my professional career in the Royal Australian Air Force with four months at RAAF Base East Sale for the Initial Officer Course.
Our initial training takes new recruits on a journey. It begins with a focus on building a foundation of discipline and teamwork through orders which are aimed to push and challenge the group. After this, we enter a military skills phase, where we focus on core military skills such as weapons handling, ground defence training, and field exercises. During this time, we are pushed mentally and physically whilst camping out in the field, living off rations and building our own defence systems. The final phase focuses on military leadership, which is an essential part of our role as officers of the Royal Australian Air Force. It explores the theory of leadership and challenges us to apply our learning during field exercises. This is achieved through activities such as leading a flight of troops out in the field to achieve objectives set by a military commander. |
Over the course of our initial training, we built strong friendships and memories which have stayed with us through our own unique career paths in the Royal Australian Air Force. From a diverse cohort of pilots, logisticians, engineers, and intelligence officers, I was honoured to conclude our initial training by being awarded the Leadership and Military Qualities Award. This award is given to the officer who demonstrates the greatest achievements in leadership and military ethos over the duration of the Initial Officer Course i.e. Dux of Class.
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