written experience report.adam mccall

WRITTEN EXPERIENCE REPORT

Adam McCall BEng (Hons), IEng, MSOE

Overview

A Royal Air Force trained Engineering Technician with seventeen years’ experience in the

aerospace field; responsible for the scheduled maintenance and repair of military aircraft,

systems and components; both in the United Kingdom and on operations worldwide.

Serving a full-time RAF apprenticeship as an Airframe Mechanic; the candidate has

continually expanded his skills and responsibilities to broader, more technical tasks and has

progressed to the rank of Senior Non Commissioned Officer.

An experienced Senior Supervisor, adept at motivating and leading a team to successfully

achieve maintenance tasks. Ensures the team is given clearly defined objectives and

comprehensive feedback in order to operate within strict deadlines and regulatory

requirements.

Accomplished in an Engineering Management role; currently holding a Bay Lead position

within a large defence contractor (BAE Systems PLC); responsible for strict compliance with

Military Aviation Authority (MAA) regulations within the Military Approved Organisation

Scheme (MAOS) framework. A Continuous Improvement champion; bringing his proven

ability to lead and successfully deliver change to his area of responsibility. Responsible for

the production of and adherence to; processes in the facility to ensure strict compliance with

Health & Safety (SHE) and Quality regulations by all staff.

Adam McCall IEng Written Experience Report Page | 1

Career

Nov 97 – Dec 97 RAF – Basic Training RAF Halton

Eight weeks at Recruit Training Squadron (RTS) conducting an introduction to military life,

discipline, fitness and teamwork.

Jan 98 – Oct 98 RAF Airframe Mechanic Training RAF Cosford

Activities

RAF Aircraft Airframe Mechanic (AAM) technical training at Airframe Training Squadron

(AFTS) RAF Cosford. Full time, immersed trade training in mixed classroom and practical

environment with consolidation on live aircraft.

Training / Education / Personal Development

City & Guilds - Engineering Craft Studies Part 1 – Qualification.

Achievements

Received the ‘Top Trainee’ award for the best overall performance during the course.

Received the ‘Robbie House Salver’ award for the most outstanding results during

the basic engineering and hand skills elements of the course.

Promotion to Leading Aircraftsman (LAC).

Nov 98 – May 00 No. 17(F) Squadron RAF Bruggen

Activities

Employed as an Airframe Mechanic on front line Tornado GR1 strike squadron at RAF

Bruggen in Germany.

Responsibilities

Flight line maintenance including ground handling, replenishment, weapon loading, aircraft

marshalling, aircraft despatch/receipt and in-use trouble shooting.


Tornado airframe maintenance as an operator mechanic; including scheduled and

unscheduled activities. Responsibilities included preventative maintenance, rectification,

component replacement and functional testing as part of the Airframe trade team.


RAF - Trade Ability Tests (TATs) - Consolidation of Airframe trade training.

RAF - Composite Flight Servicing – Training Course.

Achievements

Participated in first Operational Campaign – Op Engadine – NATO actions in the

former Yugoslavia state of Kosovo.

Promoted to Senior Aircraftsman (SAC) and selected for further training course.

Jun 00 – Apr 01 RAF Airframe Fitter Training RAF Cosford

Activities

Further training on Airframe Fitters course to complete RAF apprenticeship.


BTEC - National Certificate – Engineering (Merit) - Qualification

Achievements

Awarded a Certificate of Merit for outstanding achievement.

Promoted to Junior Technician

May 01 – Mar 04 Tornado Aircraft Servicing Flight RAF Marham

Activities

Scheduled depth maintenance activities on Tornado GR4 aircraft.

Responsibilities

Operator/Technician on aircraft maintenance team responsible for the scheduled

maintenance and structural repair of Tornado aircraft. Activities include: fault diagnosis,

inspection, structural repair, component and structural replacement, functional testing, flight

testing and modification.


RAF - Tornado Skill of Hand - Training Course– Authorised to carry out fabrication

and repair of Tornado airframe primary structure.

RAF - Tornado Airframe on Aircraft Maintenance – Training Course – In depth

training on Tornado hydraulic, landing gear, environmental control and flying control

systems.

RAF - Aircraft Battle Damage Repair - Training Course – Structural repair course

delivering contingency repair techniques for use in operations.

City & Guilds – Engineering Craft Studies Part 3 – Qualification.

Achievements

Participated in Operation Telic – Gulf War 2.

Apr 04 – Dec 05 Fast Jet & Weapons OEU RAF Coningsby

Activities

Employed on the RAF Operational Evaluation Unit (OEU) operating four types of military fast

jet aircraft.

Responsibilities

Responsible for the first line maintenance, testing and evaluation of RAF fast jet aircraft,

weapons and in-service modifications, including the design and implementation of structural

and airframe aspects of these modifications.


City & Guilds - NVQ level 3 - Aircraft/Component Maintenance – Qualification.

RAF - Multi-Skill Assimilation – Training Course – Responsibilities expanded to

include propulsion maintenance activities.

RAF - Harrier Airframe on Aircraft - Training Course - In depth training on Harrier

hydraulic, landing gear, environmental control and flying control systems.

Achievements

Participated in the successful trial, evaluation and delivery into service of the

Brimstone anti-armour and Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

Selected for promotion to Cpl/Junior Supervisor level.

Jan 06 – Dec 12 No. II (AC) Squadron RAF Marham

Activities

Employed on No. II (AC) Sqn. One of the RAF front Line Tornado GR4 units.

Responsibilities

Responsible to the Senior Engineering Officer (SEngO), via the Rectification Controller for

the timely diagnosis and recovery of aircraft in-flight faults. Lead a team of Engineering

Technicians to deliver this aim via the use of test equipment, detailed debriefing of pilots,

maintenance documentation and electronic logistics information systems to return the

aircraft to the flying program with the minimum of delay. Required to co-ordinate the

activities of engineering tradesmen, logistics organisation and outside agencies, whilst

accurately compiling maintenance records to ensure air-worthiness is maintained.

Responsible for carrying out scheduled maintenance and depth repair of Tornado aircraft;

filling the role of maintenance controller for this activity. Ensuring that complex maintenance

activities are planned and co-ordinated so that processes do not conflict and the aircraft

ultimately returns to service in the minimum times scale.


RAF - Tornado Propulsion on Aircraft - Training Course

RAF - Vibration Monitoring Equipment for Aero Engines - Training Course

RAF - Junior Management and Leadership - Training Course

Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) – Certificate in Team Leading –

Qualification.

EMTA – Certificate for Domestic Electrical Installers – Qualification.

ECS – Health & Safety Assessment – Qualification.

City & Guilds – Domestic Electrical Installation – Qualification.

City & Guilds – Certificate in the Requirements for Electrical Installations – Level 3

Qualification.

City & Guilds – Certificate of Management of Electrical Equipment Maintenance –

Level 3 Qualification.

City & Guilds – Certificate for the Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment –

Level 3 Qualification.

City & Guilds – Certificate in Inspection, Testing and Certification of Electrical

Installations – Level 3 Qualification.

RAF - Aircraft Technician Supervisor – Management and Supervision of Engineering

Tradesmen – Training Course.

Engineering Council UK – Engineering Technician – Professional Registration

through Society of Operations Engineers (SOE).

City & Guilds – Licentiateship Award In Engineering – Level 4 Qualification.

Higher National Certificate (HNC) – Mechanical Engineering – De Montfort University

– Level 4 Qualification.

Higher National Diploma (HND) with Distinction – Mechanical Engineering – De

Montfort University – Level 5 Qualification.

Achievements

Designed and produced a pioneering repair to a Tornado canopy assembly that

prevented the item needing to be returned to the sub-contractor for an expensive

repair and was subsequently adopted by the Design Authority (BAE Systems PLC)

as an approved repair method.

Represented the Sqn at the annual RB199 Trade Managers meeting hosted by Rolls

Royce PLC at their Filton military facility in Bristol. This would normally be attended

by Chief Technician rank and above.

Commander-in-Chief’s Commendation – Air Chief Marshal Sir Simon Bryant –

Awarded for acting in the role of Mechanical Trade Manager on the Storm Shadow

Contingency Flight during Operation Ellamy. This role is normally held at Chief

Technician level and in this role was responsible to the Tornado Force commander

for all Propulsion and Airframe maintenance on a fleet of twenty Tornado aircraft

delivering UK launched offensive strikes in Libya.

Selected for promotion to Sgt/Senior Supervisor level.

Jan 13 – Typhoon Maintenance Support Flight RAF Coningsby

Activities

Aircraft Component Repair Facility Manager in the Typhoon Availability Service (TAS), BAE

Systems at RAF Coningsby; an industry led contract to provide full depth maintenance

support to the RAF fleet of Typhoon aircraft.

Responsibilities

Filling the BAE Systems role of Senior Supervisor - Typhoon Wheel, Tyre & Tank Bay, TAS,

RAF Coningsby. Responsible to the Off Aircraft Bays Manager (Mr Phil Wallis BAE Systems)

for all activities within the facility.

Responsible for delivering the following under the SQCDP process:

Safety- Ensures that all personnel in the facility conduct themselves in a safe manner

through carrying out Risk, COSHH, PUWER, Manual Handling and Noise Risk

Assessments. Writing and introducing Safe Systems of Work to ensure compliance

with SHE regulation. Participating in the SHE audit process including carrying out

audits, instigating audit finding investigations and recovery actions.

Quality- Ensuring strict compliance with all procedures and processes. Participating

in the Quality audit process including carrying out audits, instigating audit finding

investigations and recovery actions. Liaising with relevant authorities to question

approved data and where necessary writing improved/new procedures. Encouraging

the use of the Maintenance Error Management Systems to educate personnel that

despite everything errors do happen; however it is important that they are openly and

honestly reported so that the whole TAS environment can learn and implement

process changes where necessary to prevent re-occurrence. Participate in quality

failing investigations to establish the root cause of any errors, thus enabling

corrective processes to be established.

Cost – Budgetary responsibility for the facility in terms of minimising the Bill Of

Materials (BOM) as far as possible, questioning design limits where evidence

suggests that limits may be expanded with the aim of maintaining quality but

minimising cost to the organisation and the customer.

Delivery – Responsible for the output of the facility to the Service Delivery Manager,

collating labour and production hour’s data to assess the Earned Value of the facility

against contracted targets. Continuous monitoring of performance against target and

reflecting on findings to anticipate issues using the Success, Opportunities, Failure,

Threats (SOFT) model.


People – Directly responsible for the personal development of those personnel under

my command. Primarily through the appraisal process, conducting annual and mid-

point appraisals for these individuals. Providing career guidance, support and duty of

care to staff through discussing aspirations and goals, setting objectives and

identifying/allocating training courses or corrective actions as required. Currently

mentoring one Junior Supervisor at the request of a fellow Senior Supervisor to

improve performance short comings. Responsible for delivering On-the-Job-Training

(OJT) in the facility and holding responsibility for authorising personnel as competent

to carry out specific engineering tasks. Required to act as chairman in daily/weekly

stand up meetings to ensure that all team members and management are aware of

the performance against targets. Also required to resolve disputes between

personnel and organisations, act as an intermediary and obtain guidance from other

agencies when necessary.


RAF - Intermediate Management and Leadership – Training Course.

CMI – Award in Management and Leadership – Level 5 Qualification.

RAF – Technical Engineering Asset Management Training – Training Course.

SOE – Member of the IPlantE Professional Sector – Professional Registration.

BAE Systems PLC – Lean Leadership Academy – Continuous Improvement –

Training Course.

BAE Systems/Baines Simmons - Human Factors – Aviation Safety Error

Management – Training Course.

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health – Managing Safely – Qualification.

RAF – Cryogenics and Gas Maintenance – Training Course.

Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours – Engineering (Mechanical) –

Staffordshire University – Level 6 Qualification.

Achievements

Successfully completed Degree studies achieving First Class Honours in Mechanical

Engineering.

Was able to use my degree dissertation project to produce a detailed cost analysis

study that was crucial in reversing a previous MOD decision not to purchase a

Typhoon Supersonic Fuel Tank test capability. By gathering real time data over a six

month period I was able to construct an in house repair model that identified a

significant seven figure saving over the next ten years, for an initial six figure outlay

on the development and purchase of test equipment. This has now been

commissioned with delivery anticipated in 2015.

Attended a multi-national Eurofighter meeting for the commissioning of the fuel tank

test set as the sole RAF representative in the three agency, (RAF, BAE Systems and

MOD) UK delegation.

Instigated and facilitated a Continuous Improvement event in the Tyre Bay using

Lean techniques from the Lean Leadership Academy and was able to sell the need

for change to my team and management. Ensured the team were responsible for

identifying and implementing the improvements to ensure that momentum was

maintained, whilst ensuring that they could be quantified to measure success.

This proved to be an invaluable exercise in which significant improvements and three

single points of failure were identified:

1. The first was a quick win that involved re-organising the layout of the facility into a

more logical, smooth flowing process. This was achieved in the weeks following

the event.

2. The second change involved collating the necessary evidence to petition the

Engineering Authority to amend the technical data for wheel maintenance and

thus reduce the length of the leak check requirement

3. The third involved a procurement project to replace an unreliable, manually

operated cleaning machine with multiple, automated devices. Instigated the

project, identified specification and suitable contractors; identified a preferred

machine and contractor; invited candidates to tender for contract, obtained a

machine from the preferred supplier for trial purposes; secured funding for the

project; liaised with the wheel manufacturer (Meggitt UK) and the Typhoon

Engineering Authority to obtain authority to use the machines’, conducted

PUWER, COSHH and Risk assessments and wrote safe system of work for their

use.

Career Summary

Having proven his capability as an Engineering Technician and Team Leader the candidate

is looking to consolidate his career development to this point through formal recognition from

the Engineering Council UK as an Incorporated Engineer (IEng).

Continuing with his proven track record of continuous professional development; he has

identified short, medium and long term objectives looking forward over the next five years.

This timescale is significant as this is the point at which the candidate’s service with the RAF

will expire.

Short Term Objectives – Within 1 Year

Recently enrolled on full Level 5 Certificate in Management and Leadership with the

Chartered Management Institute (CMI). This is a Foundation Degree level

qualification and will serve to formally capture the management skills learned through

experience. It will also serve as a period of reflection to aid the application of lessons

learned to future situations.

Recognising the importance of health and well-being, has found exercise to be

incredibly effective at reducing work induced stress. A passionate mountain bike rider

who aims to embark on a Trail Cycle Leader (TCL) qualification through the MBLA.

Not only will this deliver health benefits but it will also further develop leadership skills

and enhance understanding of team dynamics in adverse conditions.

Medium Term Objectives – Two to Three Years

Aim to expand into a design or procurement roll this can be achieved in the RAF

through a roll on a Project Team (PT) where he will be called upon to liaise with

industry and deliver large, expensive government contracts. The project experience

gained while fulfilling his current role and during his degree studies means this is an

opportunity he would relish.

With this objective in mind will explore project management tools, qualifications and

opportunities in preparation. Has found Continuous Improvement both interesting and

a useful tool, would like to pursue this and will research opportunities to conduct Six

Sigma training.

Long Term Objectives – Up to Five Years

Progress towards CEng status through academic study and expanding

responsibilities in preparation for departure from Royal Air Force.


Appendix 1 – Organisation Chart (Double-Click image to open)


Appendix 2 - Continuing professional development summary

DATE ACTIVITY

VALUE (Low, Med, High)

LEARNING OUTCOMES/COMMENTS

SPECIFIC PD AREA(Technical,

Management, Legislative, Misc)

27/06/14

CMI Management & Leadership Course

MediumLevel 4 Certificate in Leadership & Management

Management

26/06/14Engineering (Mechanical) Degree

HighBachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours

Technical/Management

21/02/14Oxygen Bay Maintenance Course

LowTrade Qualification related to Cryogenics & Gas maintenance

Technical/Legislative

12/09/13Managing Safely

MedInstitute of Occupation Safety & Health approved course

Management/Legislative

06/09/13Lean Leadership Academy

Med

Continuous Improvement 6S training course provided by Janus Lean Leadership Ltd

Management

19/08/13FLT operator Course

LowDefence School of Transport Fork Lift Truck training

Misc

25/06/13Elected as Member of SOE

LowMember of IPlantE Professional Sector

Misc

21/06/13

RAF Technical Engineering Asset Management Training Course

MedTechnical Management Techniques and Responsibilities


02/04/13

CMI Management & Leadership Course

MedLevel 5 Award in Leadership & Management

Management

15/03/13

RAF Intermediate Management & Leadership Course

MedManagement Techniques & Responsibilities


21/06/11

Higher National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering

HighHND with Distinction - De Montfort University

Technical

DATE ACTIVITY

VALUE (Low, Med, High)

LEARNING OUTCOMES/COMMENTS

SPECIFIC PD AREA(Technical,

Management, Legislative, Misc)

25/06/10

Higher National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering

HighHNC – De Montfort University

Technical

18/11/08Licentiateship Award in Engineering

MedCity & Guilds Level 4 Award

Technical

28/10/08Professional Registration

MedRecognised at Engineering Technician Level by ECUK

Misc

Appendix 3 - career development plan

REVIEW(Where am I now?)

IDENTIFY GOALS(Where do I want to

be?)

SKILLS REQUIRED(What do I need to help me get there?)

HOW TO ACHIEVE(How am I going to

get there?)Currently responsible for the output and careers of my own facility and team members.

Fully competent in this role and gain formal, transferrable recognition of these skills.

Appropriate Level Management Qualification.

Pursue Level 5 Certificate in Management & Leadership through Chartered Management Institute.

Currently responsible for the output and careers of my own facility and team members.

Expand leadership skills to easily transfer to other roles, companies and larger teams.

Enhanced leadership skills and ability to deal with the unexpected.

Pursue Mountain Bike Leaders Association – Trail Cycle Leader award and lead adventurous training expeditions.

Currently holding low level budgetary responsibilities and delivering smaller projects.

Responsible for large project delivery in Project Team Role.

Sound Project Management Skills.

Use RAF Resettlement grant to pursue Prince 2 Project Management Training

Successfully running and driving Continuous Improvement activities in area of responsibility.

Running large scale change projects.

Sound Continuous Improvement and Lean Skills

Use RAF Enhance Learning Credit funding to pursue Six Sigma Green Belt Training.

Performing at the Level of an ECUK Incorporated Engineer.

Progressing towards CEng status.

Further academic study and skills in line with ISpec for CEng.

Explore Masters level study opportunities in Engineering.


written experience report.adam mccall

Documents

airframe trade training

raf basic training raf

immersed trade training

tornado airframe maintenance

airframe trade team

fulltime raf apprenticeship

recruit training squadron

scheduled maintenance