What to expect from life as an AVN?

[TDMS]

Hello,

I am in the application process of becoming a AVN.  Most of what's on here is where you may end up and I know that will be pretty much anywhere. 

I was wondering more what life is like on the job.  Is it shift work or is most of it done during the day?  It sounds like your assigned to a sqn so I would think you would just be working on one type of air craft.  Do you work in teams or does it depend on the job?  When new things are introduced is there training on it before hand? 

What is included in the job deception... I am hoping for something other than, "Whatever you are told to do."     Is it all mechanical maintenance?  Do AVN do group crew functions as well?  Is there a lot of paper work or reporting/recording what was done?

I am not sure when AVN may get posted outside of Canada.  I would think they may go if part of their sqn goes but how often does that happen?  I think the last time we send CF18 was for Kosovo.  Do we have any helicopters with out troops posted now?  And thus would there be AVN there to support?  On the other side, would we send AVN with air craft if they go on training or away to competition?

 

[aesop081]

Hello,

I am in the application process of becoming a AVN. 

Good or you, we need lots of new technicians.

  Is it shift work or is most of it done during the day? 

My Sqn works on a shift schedule. I cant speak for the others.

It sounds like your assigned to a sqn so I would think you would just be working on one type of air craft. 

You can be assigned to a Flying Sqn or to an Aircraft maintenance Sqn. Most technicians i know only work on one aircraft.

Do you work in teams or does it depend on the job?

I havent seen too many technicians work alone. Here at my Sqn you are assigned to one of 3 servicing crews or to the maintenance crew and work with alot of other technicians getting the job done.

  When new things are introduced is there training on it before hand? 

Always.

   Is it all mechanical maintenance? 

I will have to leave that one to an AVN to answer

Do AVN do group crew functions as well? 

Yes. You can be a member of the tow crew and start crew. Where i work, servicing is an all-trades job.

Is there a lot of paper work or reporting/recording what was done?

Yes there is.

  On the other side, would we send AVN with air craft if they go on training or away to competition?

I will leave your postings questions for others in the trade but i will tell you that technicians where i work travel just as much as aircrews do. We take techs on every deployement we do.

 

[Loachman]

A few go to Kandahar caring for Sperwer, but that's coming to an end. Most of that is strictly inside-of-the-wire stuff, but everybody does the same workup training including wpns (Pistol/C7/C9/C6/Shotgun/M72/Carl Gustaf/M203), combat first aid, convoy and IED drills etcetera as there is always the potential to go outside for a number of reasons. Tac Hel deploys to the field fairly regularly, in all seasons, although not as much as before, and the Sea King community goes sailing for extended periods.

And always expect the unexpected...

 

[cp140tech]

Hi TDMS,

  Your work schedule will depend on where you're employed.  In a first line servicing/snags environment you will almost certainly work on a shift ie- 7 days on 3 off 7 on 4 off, alternating from day to evening or midnight shifts within this duty cycle.  If you end up working in a shop or in second line maintenance you will likely work straight days.

  You will almost certainly only be working on one type of aircraft at a time, which will be determined by the unit you are posted to.  Working on your own won't happen for the first few years of your career, but as you become more experienced/qualified you will spend some time working at tasks by yourself.  It really depends on how busy things are and the nature of the task.... sometimes only one person can see/fit/reach and there's no point in having  a second body around.  Other jobs are too large to be carried out individually and we'll be working in groups.  There are items known as independent checks within some jobs that will require that a second qualified tech inspect the work at specific points in the job as well.  You will always be trained before performing any task.

  The job description is pretty simple, but the job can be quite varied.  You will have the opportunity to change specialties several times in your career... I started out working in a third line electrical repair shop and have spent the last several years performing first/second line servicing and maintenance on turboprop engines.  This summer I'm posted to 423 in Shearwater where I'll be retrained and get the chance to go to sea, there are any number of employment opportunities for us.  Short answer, we fix aircraft, but you won't find many people who follow the exact same career path.  It's wide open right now, and your opportunities are limited by your imagination and motivation. 

  There is a lot of paperwork, and as you become more qualified, you will find yourself performing more of it. 

  There are few foreign postings for us at the junior levels, Germany is the only one that comes to mind.  There are a few available to senior NCO's, but not many that I'm aware of.  There are a number of opportunities for deployments, depending on your fleet.   Wherever the aircraft go, they usually need some techs. 

  It's a great job, if you have any questions don't hesitate to pm me and I'll give you as much detail as I can.

  good luck.

 

[Sparkplugs]

Hi there!  I'm an AVN tech here in Trenton, just wanted to respond to a few of your questions from what I know here.  Here in Trenton, if you get posted here, you'll start on a snags/servicing crew, which runs 24/7, and you'll be working 12-hour shifts.  The shifts are actually a pretty sweet deal when it comes to getting leave.  You also end up with a 3-day weekend, every second weekend.  All new avn's start here, unless you end up on the C-17's, but I haven't seen any new pte's get posted directly there yet.  During the day, when there;s lots of flying, we're really busy.  We take care of the parks, starts, fuelling, and any snags that may come up.  The avs guys are also a part of this, we just have different checks and inspections to do, of course. 

You don't often work by yourself, especially on something as big as the Herc.  There might be anywhere from 1, to 20 techs working on the same airplane.  The training you'll end up doing is all learn-as-you-go, for the most part.  They don't have enough techs to spare to do a ton of training.  Remember that even when your 1.5 year stint in Borden is done, at some point after you get to a sqn, you'll have to do your QL5's, which is a type course of the aircraft they're sticking you on.  The one for the current Herc fleet is 3.5 months for engines, and 3.5 months for airframe techs.  Type courses vary by the aircraft, and I can only vouch for the Herc. 

You won't get spec pay until you have both a type course, and you've reached the rank of Cpl. 

We do lots of mechanical maintenance...  but anything big goes to the maintenance department, which is also AVN's, but usually more experienced ones.  Any snags that can be taken care of in less than 12 hours, we take care of.  On the Hercs at least, you'll end up learning how to do engine runups, which are actually pretty fun.  Paperwork?  Tons.  Very little is done by hand, it's almost all on the computer, but everything you do, will be documented and signed for.  Until you have your own qualifications, someone else will always have to vouch for your work.



There are lots of new aircraft coming into the Forces, like the C-17's, new J-model Hercs, and eventually, the Cyclones.  It's not a bad time to be an AVN, I've seen some advanced promotions here, which means you may get your spec pay a bit quicker.  However, you have to be a keener, nobody will babysit you once you get to a unit.  It's fun though, I wouldn't give it up for anything. 

Anyway, hope some of this helps, if you have any other questions, feel free to PM me and I'll definitely get back to you.  I wish I had been more informed before I joined, haha, it's a good thing things have turned out well!  Cheers.


Edited for OPSEC

 

[HItorMiss]

Spark no need to say who is where, in what trade doing what. It's just not needed

 

[Sparkplugs]

Spark no need to say who is where, in what trade doing what. It's just not needed

My apologies, didn't mean any harm.  Promise!  I'll proofread better next time I post, sorry!  :-[

 

[aesop081]

We do lots of mechanical maintenance...  but anything big goes to the maintenance department, which is also AVN's, but usually more experienced ones.  Any snags that can be taken care of in less than 12 hours, we take care of. 

Just to clarify things for the uninitiated, this is not how it works for all aircraft.

On some other airframes, the servicing side handles all snags and the maintenance department handles only periodic inspections.

 

[Sparkplugs]

Just to clarify things for the uninitiated, this is not how it works for all aircraft.

On some other airframes, the servicing side handles all snags and the maintenance department handles only periodic inspections.

Like I said, this is how it is in Trenton, I can't vouch for other bases.

 

[TDMS]

Awesome!  Thank you to everyone for your help.  I got a call last week and I am scheduled to start BMQ on August 11th. 

From what I read here and AVN techs I talked to at the Ottawa air show I am very sure I am making the right choice and gonna have a blast.

Thanks again everyone.