- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 60
After 30+ years in the CF as an aircraft technician, now a manager, I find it a bit insulting to find aircraft technicians lumped into a group called "support trades" along with non-air trades (non 500 series). Note that there is a separate group - "air crew trades." I take it that since air crew are not "support," they must comprise the true (and thus superior) rest of the "air force." Sort of like comparing combat arms trades to cooks feeding them.
I'm not sure who created this group, probably aircrew who actually believes that this is a fair place to put maintainers. I doubt there was any malice involved, and I am not pointing any fingers. It should be remembered that the "air force" has long given preferential treatment to aircrew. There has always been an under appreciation of the contributions of our technicians by aircrew, and the subordination of our maintenance community to aircrew has been going on for as long as there has been an "air force" in this country. As a result, this touches a nerve.
Let me set you (??) straight. There are over 4000 highly trained AVS, AVN, and ACS technicians in the CF who wear the same hat badge as aircrew do. Aircraft technicians make up the bulk of the air force. Without us, there would be no aircraft to fly, no air force. Period. We ARE the air force, not some support element. We are just as important as any operator on the team.
Suggest you create a group called Aircraft maintenance trades.
Better still, why don't we get our own website - airforce.ca, and go blue? Why are we on an army website?
I'm not sure who created this group, probably aircrew who actually believes that this is a fair place to put maintainers. I doubt there was any malice involved, and I am not pointing any fingers. It should be remembered that the "air force" has long given preferential treatment to aircrew. There has always been an under appreciation of the contributions of our technicians by aircrew, and the subordination of our maintenance community to aircrew has been going on for as long as there has been an "air force" in this country. As a result, this touches a nerve.
Let me set you (??) straight. There are over 4000 highly trained AVS, AVN, and ACS technicians in the CF who wear the same hat badge as aircrew do. Aircraft technicians make up the bulk of the air force. Without us, there would be no aircraft to fly, no air force. Period. We ARE the air force, not some support element. We are just as important as any operator on the team.
Suggest you create a group called Aircraft maintenance trades.
Better still, why don't we get our own website - airforce.ca, and go blue? Why are we on an army website?