Share This Page:

  

Aircraft Controller

Discussions on joining & training in the Royal Navy.
Post Reply
James90
Member
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun 06 Sep, 2009 12:29 pm
Location: Windsor

Aircraft Controller

Post by James90 »

Hi,

Im trying to hunt down as much info on Aircraft Controller's as possible but with little success. I plan on applying next month but have a few questions that I can't find answers to.

Firstly where do aircraft controllers fit into things? As far as i can tell their involved within the planning of flights and controlling aircraft on departure and arrival but i would of thought ATC officers would of done ALL of the controlling? Does anyone know the workload differences between ATC officers and aircraft controllers?

Secondly I know AC's have the go through FATs at Cranwell, is this all of the tests that pilots and observers have to go through? or is it only certain ones? And i assume there isn't the interviews at cranwell like OASC?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

James
Hallsy
Member
Member
Posts: 104
Joined: Sun 15 Aug, 2004 6:33 pm
Location: Norwich

Post by Hallsy »

now i cant say im an expert when it comes to the AC branch but i shall tell you what i can.

AC aircraft controller you will be trained as a tactical AC where as a ATC is not tactically trained i think.

The AC onboard my ship was the only one onboard the frigate, he worked directly under the flight commander. He was often in the shack on the computer sorting out flying briefs and mapping different things on charts, i presume vectors and stuff like that. he was the controller for a lynx. he was the guy who actually did control the ship and offered the command team (captain) the link between the ship and aircraft. he was the rank of leading hand.

when it was tactical flying i think he was often involved in torpedo stuff thats me just listening in though.

when not flying he was also whats known as the flight deck buffer, he was incharge of looking after the maintenance of the flight deck, he would often help the flight out in the hanger with general cleaning of the hangar an aircraft.

you dont do the same tests as a pilot an observer from my limited knowledge.

you do have to pass annual tests

and i think you are only able to control single aircraft until you qualify further on in your career.

you could be posted to somewhere like yeovilton or culdrose.

the AC school is in yeovilton i think, and you may spend a while just working the towers to gain experience, i spoke to an AB AC and thats what she said she had been doing.

i hope that has given you a lil better insight into the AC job

oh and it is well worth it, i think its a great job, you seem to get left alone onboard a type 23 to just do what you do as you are the only one onboard
James90
Member
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun 06 Sep, 2009 12:29 pm
Location: Windsor

Post by James90 »

Thanks for the insight!

Looks like a sound job, be interested to see what FAT tests AC's have to do but I'll find out at the AFCO, as their what I'm worried about at the moment.

Cheers for the info
Wholley
Guest
Guest

Saw This Coming.

Post by Wholley »

Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope(First Sea Lord)Has said in an e-mail to the Fleet that the building of the new aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales will be"discontinued"It appears that the useless'Euro-fighter'cannot land on a deck and Lockheed Martin's JSF is years behind schedule,so it leaves the MoD with two new ships it can't afford and no aircraft for fly from them.
New seat covers for the Harrier then :o
Allies?Who needs allies when you have the British government?

I'll get me coat :D
bored_stupid
Guest
Guest

Re: Saw This Coming.

Post by bored_stupid »

Wholley wrote:It appears that the useless'Euro-fighter'cannot land on a deck
That's a bit like complaing an A380 can't fly supersonic.

Typhoon was never envisaged to be a carrier-borne aircraft so why would it have been designed with the heavier and more robust undercarriage of the likes of the F18/Rafale, which would have had a derogatory effect on it's performance.

As for the Carriers, if they do get cancelled we may as well just turn the Royal Navy into a costal protection force and save all that money as without the Carriers the Navy will be nothing as the idea we'd be any sort of a Naval power without them is frankly laughable.

It'll be a terrible blow to the Navy and also British industry as once you loose the capability to build this type of ship it'll be gone for good.
Wholley
Guest
Guest

Post by Wholley »

I don't think British industry would be hurt that much as the original contract went to a French shipyard.
I agree with you though,it's an awful blow to the Royal Navy.
The American FA-18"Hornet and Super Hornet"were designed for flight deck ops.Maybe the British should have thought ahead a little.
The Hawker Harrier is still flown by the USMC and a derivative is still manufactured in Canada by Boeing(AV_8A)

This from the USS Essex.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhowrg-bI5w
bored_stupid
Guest
Guest

Post by bored_stupid »

Well Thales is a French firm but the contract was for construction to take place in the UK under Thales' UK division so it will be British jobs that are lost.

As for whether we should have "thought ahead a little" to building in a carrier capabilty into the Typhoon. There was no reason to, the Eurofighter project was always designed to equipt European Airforces so it would have been completely unnecessary and stupidly expensive to have incorporated a carrier based design into the aircraft. This is one of the (many) reasons the French left the programme to go it alone with Rafale.

Navy planes are always heavier, more expensive and have restrictions on their designs as a trade off for carrier operations, it'd make no sense at all to include such limitations on a plane designed for an Air Force which is why the F16, F15 and F22 are not able to fly from Carriers.

Nice vid by the way, although I have to admit it doesn't look quite right without the "jump" into the air, I always love watching planes taking off on a ski jump, always seems more graceful some how.

Here's a couple of examples:

One of HMS Ark Royals Sea Harriers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAYjZPne ... re=related

And here's the Russians doing it, now these jets certainly make carrier take offs look good 8)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwzG3amo2u8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nx_hHXoFhY&feature=fvw
Post Reply