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Working for 1710 Naval Air Squadron who are the technical specialists that assess and repair damage to helicopters and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) across all branches of the armed forces and in any location.
Adam is passionate about the opportunities that engineering personnel get to experience in this unique world of work. He said: “Working for a unit such as 1710 Naval Air Squadron is a great opportunity. I am lucky to have stayed within the environment of structural engineering, it has allowed me to progress my skills, knowledge and learn new and different techniques. Having the responsibility to design repair schemes gives a great sense of empowerment and achievement.”
Currently deployed on operations in West Africa, Adam recognises the challenges of pre-empting a design solution, requiring him to deploy with materials and tools out to site, without having seen the damage first hand.
“Conducting repairs in austere sites presents many challenges, and I have found myself working all over the world; Afghanistan, Norway, California, Oman, Sicily, N. Ireland. Each location presented a different challenge, both in resourcing and the climatic environment I was working in, but all taskings had a commonality - they required the repair solution to be brought to the aircraft. Very often I am required to deliver a solution that I am not properly scaled for, however, through my extensive time in the military not only have I developed a keen skill to pre-empt emergent requirements, but also an ability to adapt the design solution to exacting standards. This has enabled military aircraft to return to duties as safely and effectively as possible.
“I deploy ahead of the repair team in order to understand and then plan how to carry out the repair. The aim is to always be fully self-sufficient with all materials, hand-tooling and adhesive I require. This can mean taking out up to two pallets of equipment and materials. There is always an impetus to get it right first time, as I normally only get one chance to fly materiel out there.”
Asked what other challenges there can be in an operational setting, Adam added: “When down route, I may not have access to all the information I would have in the UK. In order for me to design a compliant repair to the appropriate standards I require copious amounts of reference material, inclusive of computer-based data. This is particularly pertinent because I am regularly required to develop work-arounds and combat emergent issues.”
The real impact of this work is getting aircraft operational as quickly as possible, but the fact is that Adam, and his specialist colleagues, can save the MOD significant amounts of money. When the choice is between deploying the repair team or replacing an aircraft – real savings and operational efficiencies are achieved.
Adam manages the entire repair from cradle to grave. From initial designs, through-project resourcing and workforce management; he also completes all repair clearance checks, before then preparing to re-deploy for the next tasking. If this weren’t impressive enough, he is also a qualified Compliance Verification Engineer, which is a rare achievement for someone of his rank.
Recognised for his contributions to Defence, Adam has also been awarded Armed Forces Technician of the Year 2021 by the IET.
So, what next for Adam? He is keen to continue his own engineering journey, as well as helping others to learn and develop their technical skills along the way. And for himself? Adam has been an Incorporated Engineer with IMechE for four years, and has his sights set on Chartered Engineer registration.