bhmve said:
Great info on the trade guys. Something else I would like to know are the hours for an AVN Tech. I am working for Air Canada Jazz right now and there are lots of night shifts. Would be nice to not have to work nights.
I would just like to know what an average day is like in the hanger. Thanks guys.
Big answer? It depends. Just here in Trenton, if you work at 424 (SAR Sqn,) you'll generally be 7:00am - 3:00pm one week Mon - Fri, then 3:00pm - 11:00pm the next. There are also times you'll have to be on duty crew, where you're on call all weekend and 11:00pm to 7:00am every week night. You might also be in an office job, where you're 7:30am to 3:30pm, although those are less common. You might be at 8AMS in Trenton, where you'd work 7:00am - 3:00pm Mon-Fri, sometimes being on call as well. You might end up at 436, which works 7 days a week, 12 hour shifts, 4 days on, 4 days off, alternating days and nights. There's also 429 Sqn, I don't even know their schedule, but they have a ton of trips away, and they definitely have people on almost, if not right around the clock. And that's just Trenton. After Borden, it's completely hit or miss, but you can definitely count on shiftwork happening at some point in your career. Usually at the start, but it can happen any time at all. A friend of mine used to work for Jazz, and now he works for 436, on 12-hour shiftwork. He makes a buttload more than he did at Jazz, and likes this job much better, but that's a personal thing.
Short answer? Count on shiftwork, and on the off-chance you end up with straight days right from the get-go (not bloody likely, but could happen,) consider it a bonus.
As far as an average day in the hangar, I can only speak to where I work, at 424 squadron. We're Search and Rescue, so some days there's a lot of waiting to do. It's 90% servicing, outside of the waiting part. We part, we start, we do A and B-checks (post and pre-flight.) We fuel, we configure the cargo compartment, we go to mess dinners. Then the planes break. Usually it's all of them at once, and then we scramble like maintaining maniacs to get them serviceable again. When you're SAR, you work through the night to get stuff done, if that's what needs to happen to have a serviceable Herc. I've worked at a couple of other places like this, but this is the only one I can vouch for. Some people work in shops, like Tire Bay or Engine Bay, where they work straight days, and go home at 3. Unless we need them after hours, then someone's getting called in, but that's not that often. Sometimes there are trips. Usually they're Mobile Repair Parties, to places unknown. Could be Sudbury where the plane breaks, could be Iqaluit with four propeller changes to do. (Yes, that happened.) It's all over the place, but it's the best adventure.
If you need any other info, feel free to PM me. I took a big pay cut when I joined, but I've definitely overcome and passed my previous salary, it doesn't take long. Are you an AME?
Feel free to PM me if you want.
