A Day In The Life of an Aircraft Fitter
As an Aircraft Fitter on the Typhoon final assembly I have an active role in putting together one of Europe's most impressive fighter jets. The parts for the Typhoon are made all over Europe, but for the RAF jets, they end up here at BAE Systems, in Warton, to be put together.
The company that I work for, BAE Systems, is one of the main companies involved in the production of the Typhoon. As a global business BAE Systems offers the latest technologies in aerospace, defence and security, with sites in the UK, Australia, Sweden, US, and Saudi Arabia.
Being an Aircraft Fitter is exciting as you get to see projects come together within a relatively short period of time. Individual components that arrive on site soon become part of an aircraft that features the latest generation of materials, technology and engineering. The fact that I've got a central role in putting it all together makes me feel pretty cool!
7:00am Arrive at work in time for the daily start up meeting. This gives the team an opportunity to suggest ideas for making our life at BAE Systems easier and more efficient. The ideas can be to do with anything from reducing production times to improving health and safety. There are one or two new ideas that come up and we feedback on how some of the ideas from previous meetings are going. Not all the ideas work but something that could make our job easier and quicker is worth a try!
8:00am I grab a cup of coffee and head over to the production line, where a shipment has just arrived in from Italy. We get components from sites all over the world, and my role comes at the start of the final assembly production. Today we're bolting the left wing to the main body of the aircraft. It could take us a while to finish this- as you can imagine, piecing together specialist parts takes patience and skill to get right. Any mistakes and it'll get sent back to us so there's no point in trying to rush through it. It is hard work but I get a really good feeling when we get an aircraft right- it's an incredible process to watch, from each individual part arriving to seeing the finished product at the end of the assembly line.
Noon Lunchtime! Although my role is 'hands on' it does take a lot of concentration so it's good to have a brain break and a chat with my colleagues.
1:00pm Got a meeting with the education team about the upcoming BAE Systems schools road-show. I'm an ambassador for BAE Systems which means I represent the company at different events in schools and for young people around the country. At the events I tell pupils what kind of work I do and how I got into it- it's a big change to my usual day at work and the kids ask loads of different questions which keeps me on my toes! We're given a brief about the task we'll help support and a few other arrangements.
2:00pm Remember when I said how important it was to get a job right? My point has just been proven, as I get back to the production line to find that the Electromagnetic Engineering department has found a small problem with the aircraft electrical bonding. When a fault like this is found it gets added to the 'snag list'- a record of everything that needs correcting on a piece of work before it can move on to the next stage in the assembly process. So the team and I get to work. Although it's frustrating having to do things over it's important that the aircraft is built to industry standards so that the customer knows it's safe to fly in.
3:30pm I've been called over to assist another team on the aircraft they're producing. This happens quite a lot in my role, and I enjoy it as it gives me a chance to have a nosy at what's going on at the other end of the production line! They're working to a strict deadline so I've been moved over to try and help them meet it. We're attaching the panels for the aircraft's main landing gears and it's a change to the usual work I do, which gives me a chance to make use of the different skills I learnt during my training as well as developing new ones.
5:00pm I'm about to start my HND in Manufacturing Engineering so I check for any deadlines I have coming up- doing qualifications on the job creates extra work but means I can progress in the industry. Plus whilst I'm working at BAE Systems they fund the training so it makes sense to make the most of any opportunities I'm offered. I make sure my work area's clean and tidy and go home for the day.
Jon sat A-levels at his local college before joining the BAE Systems Engineering Apprentice scheme. Since joining BAE Systems he has completed a BTEC National Diploma, NVQ Level 3 in Aeronautical Engineering and a HNC in Manufacturing Engineering. He is about to take the HND in Manufacturing Engineering.
