Bomber Command Servicing Schools-----Strike Command Servicing Schools

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

13 years 11 months

Posts: 118

I am looking into the above Servicing Schools as part of a research project I am undertaking as regarding the training of SNCO's as Aircraft Servicing Chiefs. Known as Crew Chiefs.

Hope you can Help

Trenchardbrat

Original post

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

I think VC10 one was a case of doing all the different trade VC10 courses at Brize. The engine one was 6 weeks.

Member for

13 years 11 months

Posts: 118

I think VC10 one was a case of doing all the different trade VC10 courses at Brize. The engine one was 6 weeks.

The Victor Crew Chief Course was 7 Months at 3 different locations the Conway 20101 side of it was a week

Thanks for not leaving my item Blank

Trenchard brat 86th

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

Yes, but Conway wise we also did all the Aircraft and systems as we had to run them for the other trades. Plus as a Sooty the fuel system, Pressurisation, APU and a lot of the wiggles were down to you.

Member for

15 years

Posts: 281

As well as the Tech training we received on Albert, we also had to do SERE and sea survival at St Mawgan (probably Mountbatten in V Force days and I know that some of the lucky blighters got to do it all again at Goose Bay). We got the proper helmet and oxy mask fit followed by a couple of runs in the altitude training chamber at Henlow (North Luff for V?) including the explosive decompression one which clears your sinuses.

The classroom learning bit was the aircraft specific Q course for each trade (plus a weapons overview) and took just over 6 months and you would go down to the Flight Line in the evening to get your spannering skills outside your basic trade up to scratch. If you were a heavy you would spend a lot of time soldering and tracing wiggly amp problems and if you were a light it would be wheel changes, starter motor changes etc. All the time filling Gen Books and Spares bags 'with every known thing which will be really useful downroute'

Once you had passed out of the school you went to the section where you were taught a lot of get you home fixes and spent a lot of time in the Sim consolidating. Then you were buddied up with a qualified AGE (We weren't known as ASC/Crew Chiefs) who beasted you around various routes. Wherever possible one route would take in a BX so you could stock up on MagLITES and Gerber/Leathermans and all the other paraphenalia.

Most people I know passed their Route Check after about 12 months all told and then you got your Reds and Greens about 6 months after

Member for

13 years 11 months

Posts: 118

Thanks for the info on the C130 I would prefer the Victor any day to the C130 as we had the best seat in a K2 between the pilots much better than the Herc seats any day my longest flight 9hrs 40min.Marham to Offutt non stop
Faster than a civil airliner any day

Member for

14 years 6 months

Posts: 46

Don't forget Nimrods! As I recall the following applied to Nimrod personnel.
First ASCs were trained at HSA Woodford.
Then Nimrod experienced Chf Techs/Sgts were trained for approx 3 months at the Nimrod Servicing School (NSS) at Kinloss. Sgts were made Special Acting Rank Paid Chf Techs. During the early/mid eighties? the Nimrod course changed to approx 9 months when non Nimrod trained SNCOs were chosen/volunteered. The course attendees did Halton (A/f, Prop training), Cosford (Elect, Av training) then Kinloss for Nimrod aircraft training, then did 6 months under a mentor on the line.
During their 5 year tour as an ASC most Sgts were promoted to Chf Techs, due to time promotion being the criteria at the time. Only a few reverted to the rank of Sgt.
After the Vulcans/Victors packed in there was a bit of a rebellion as a lot of those Chf Techs reverted to the rank of Sgt, due to the promotion criteria at the time. Then in Jan 1987? trade was changed to Aircraft Ground Engineer (AGE) when volunteers did a 6 months course at Kinloss, with 6 months on the job training on the line. AGEs were normally screened for 5 years. Hope that helps the big picture.