Aircraft Structures Technician / Supervisor / Junior Supervisor at Royal Canadian Air Force — Canadian Armed Forces (2021-01 – Present)
Provide technical, operational, planning, and leadership support within a complex military aerospace organization responsible for CH-147F Chinook helicopter operations.
- Plan and coordinate complex aerospace maintenance activities supporting operationally tasked CH-147F Chinook aircraft.
- Translate aircraft technical requirements into executable operational plans involving personnel, specialized equipment, maintenance resources, timelines, safety requirements, and operational priorities.
- Coordinate multiple concurrent activities while maintaining aircraft readiness and operational deadlines.
- Assess technical deficiencies, inspection findings, aircraft structural conditions, and maintenance requirements to determine operational impacts and appropriate corrective actions.
- Coordinate with technical specialists, supervisors, operational personnel, and supporting organizations to resolve complex aerospace issues.
- Provide technical recommendations to leadership based on aircraft condition, technical requirements, operational priorities, and available resources.
- Identify operational and technical risks and coordinate mitigation measures to maintain progress toward mission objectives.
- Supervise and coordinate teams ranging from approximately 12 to 60 personnel.
- Allocate personnel and technical resources against competing operational requirements.
- Lead teams in high-tempo aerospace maintenance environments where safety, technical compliance, schedule, aircraft availability, and mission requirements must be balanced.
- Provide technical mentorship and guidance to junior aerospace personnel.
- Conduct technical and operational briefings.
- Coordinate training and qualification requirements across personnel and operational priorities.
- Coordinate 200-hour and 400-hour inspection requirements.
- Support and coordinate Periodic Maintenance Inspection (PMI) activities.
- Develop plans for complex maintenance activities involving personnel, equipment, aircraft availability, technical requirements, and operational timelines.
- Monitor execution and adjust plans when operational or technical circumstances change.
- Evaluate the relationship between aircraft technical condition, maintenance requirements, aircraft availability, and operational effectiveness.
- Serve as an ASO/REF Training Coordinator, coordinating technical training requirements and supporting the development of aerospace personnel.
- Hold formal Project Officer training and apply project-management principles to operational and technical activities.
- Coordinate requirements, resources, schedules, personnel, stakeholders, and deliverables for complex activities.
- Identify issues and coordinate corrective action with appropriate stakeholders.
- Communicate technical and operational information to leadership and multidisciplinary teams.
Aircraft Structures Technician / Maintenance Planner at Royal Canadian Air Force (2015-01 – 2021-12)
Provided aerospace maintenance planning, technical coordination, engineering engagement, and operational support for the CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft.
- Planned and coordinated CP-140 Aurora periodic inspection and maintenance activities in support of aircraft operational readiness.
- Worked directly with engineering authorities regarding periodic inspection requirements, technical issues, aircraft condition, and maintenance solutions.
- Coordinated technical requirements between engineering, maintenance organizations, aircraft technicians, and operational stakeholders.
- Assessed technical requirements against aircraft availability, operational schedules, personnel resources, equipment, and maintenance timelines.
- Supported decisions regarding maintenance priorities and aircraft readiness.
- Coordinated the execution of technical activities where engineering requirements and operational requirements had to be balanced.
- Developed practical understanding of the relationship between aerospace engineering decisions, technical capability, maintenance requirements, and real-world operational outcomes.
- Supported and deployed on Operation NANOOK, providing CP-140 aerospace maintenance and operational support.
- Deployed to Iceland during the COVID-19 pandemic in support of a multinational military exercise.
- Operated within a multinational environment involving Canadian, British, and American military organizations, including naval, air force, and army elements.
- Coordinated aircraft maintenance and operational requirements within a complex international environment involving multiple organizations and stakeholders.
- Supported aircraft operations where personnel, specialized equipment, maintenance resources, logistics, aircraft availability, and operational timelines had to be coordinated simultaneously.
- Adapted aerospace maintenance planning to changing operational, logistical, environmental, and personnel conditions.
- Gained firsthand experience supporting aerospace operations outside the normal home-unit environment and operating in unfamiliar and challenging locations.
- Worked with allied military organizations in support of shared operational objectives.
- Served as an interface between engineering authorities, maintenance personnel, and operational organizations.
- Communicated technical limitations, requirements, and recommendations to operational stakeholders.
- Supported assessment of technical solutions against practical operational requirements.
- Contributed to planning decisions involving technical feasibility, aircraft availability, resources, timelines, and mission requirements.
- Developed an operational understanding of how technical aerospace capabilities translate into real-world mission effectiveness.
