Charlie Bunkin

Experienced aircraft fitter with over 10 years of hands on experience inside the aerospace industry. Extensive experience across multiple aircraft platforms including the AW159, AW139, AW101. I have delivered on-aircraft maintenance, liaised closely with engineering teams and supported customers off site to ensure strict compliance with airworthiness, safety, and quality requirements.

I have supported both production and in-service aircraft, supported engineering teams and overhauled manufacturing processes in line with lean initiatives to drive operational efficiency. I have experience working directly with frontline operations, engineering and quality. Throughout my career, I have gained valuable insight into the various factors that enable a company to compete at a world-class level.

I take a methodical yet enthusiastic approach to each task I undertake and possess a versatile skill set that can be applied across any industry to make a project successful. I have excellent communication and inter-personal skills which can assist any team or business to succeed.

Aircraft Fitter / Main Gearbox Specialist at Leonardo Helicopters UK (2023-01 – Present)

• Main Gearbox Repair & Overhaul: Manage the complete lifecycle of Lynx Wildcat (AW159) main gearbox, encompassing complex assembly techniques and comprehensive inspection. Applying advanced technical expertise to accurately set critical gear patterns and backlash tolerances, ensuring in flight safety, performance, and mechanical reliability.
• Live Testing & Fault Diagnostics: Conduct rigorous post-assembly testing and fault-finding procedures, identifying and resolving mechanical issues such as oil leaks, seal replacements, and running pattern adjustments.
• Part 145: Operating within a Part 145 repair and overhaul facility I provide comprehensive technical support and hands-on maintenance across a diverse spectrum of auxiliary and secondary transmission systems, encompassing main rotor heads, intermediate and tail gearboxes for several aircraft platforms.
• Company Working Parties (CWP's): Acting as a core technical specialist for CWP's, carrying out maintenance, rectification work and transmission servicing at external locations and military sites.
• Coordinate Logistical & Operational Planning: Organise the preparation for field deployments by defining tooling requirements, managing material allocation, documentation, and ensuring all regulatory paperwork is complete and at the latest issue prior to site arrival.
• Manage Client Relations & Safety Compliance: Liaise closely with clients during off-site operations, ensuring strict adherence to airworthiness safety standards, quality assurance procedures, and operational protocols.

Aircraft Technician / Lynx Wildcat Maintenance at Morson – RNAS Yeovilton (2022-01 – 2023-12)

• Direct Squadron Support: Conducted continuous maintenance, servicing, and component-level repairs on the Lynx Wildcat fleet within an active military airbase, ensuring maximising fleet availability and operational readiness for active-duty squadrons.
• Flight-Line Fault Diagnosis & Rectification: Performed in-situ fault-finding and component replacement directly on military aircraft, resolving complex transmission system defects on the flight line to ensure zero disruption to operational flight schedules.
• Critical Flight-Control Maintenance: Serviced essential flight-critical assemblies, including Main Rotor Heads, Main Gearboxes, and Hydraulic systems, carrying out targeted repairs, replacing out of life components (such as tie bars, blade sleeves, and pitch change rods) in strict accordance with military airworthiness standards.
• Military Aircraft Certification: I undertook a month-long intensive Wildcat course provided by the WIST Training school at RNAS Yeovilton. Gained in-depth platform knowledge covering aircraft systems, safety procedures, cockpit displays, airframe structure, fuel systems, and engine construction. Passed via a written exam to gain my certification and stamp.

Aerospace Technician / Assembly Specialist at Cobham Mission Systems (EATON) (2021-01 – 2022-12)

• Air-to-Air Refuelling System Integration: Conducted the complex mechanical and electrical assembly of advanced air-to-air refuelling pods for prime aerospace contractors and global military organisations, including NATO, Boeing and Airbus.
• Multidisciplinary Technical Assembly: Performed cross-discipline engineering tasks encompassing structural assembly, electrical looming, avionics integration, fuel system routing, and integration of Line Replacement Units (LRUs).
• US Government KC-46 Programme: Contributed directly to a high-profile United States defence contract, manufacturing and integrating critical refuelling systems for the Boeing KC46 Pegasus military aerial refuelling aircraft.
• Cross-Platform Engineering Compliance: Applied a versatile, cross-discipline skill set across structural, electrical, and fluid systems to ensure all manufactured components met the rigorous quality and airworthiness standards required for international compliance.

Engineering Standards Technician at Leonardo Helicopters UK (2020-01 – 2021-12)

• Engineering Standards Office: Based full-time within the engineering offices, acting as a critical link between production and design by collaborating directly with engineering specialists to investigate manufacturing issues.
• Production QN's: Managed and resolved Quality Notifications (QNs), conducting detailed reviews of design specifications and technical data to identify root cause and respond to QNs with effective engineering data.
• Technical Documentation & Standards Validation: Approved critical technical documentation by cross-referencing engineering drawings against Declarations of Design and Performance (DDP's) and Certificates of Conformity (CoC's).
• Flight Test Certification Management: Administered the UK Certification database, taking direct responsibility for the RED/BLUE banding process to control and track parts designated for temporary installation onto aircraft for flight testing.
• Strict Regulatory Compliance: Ensured all production modifications and part approvals strictly aligned with internal company procedures (WHPS) as well as international military and aerospace standards (MS and MIL standards).

Indentured Engineering Apprentice / Mechanical Technician at Honeywell Aerospace UK (2015-01 – 2020-12)

• Indentured Engineering Apprenticeship: Successfully completed a rigorous 4-year apprenticeship programme to become a fully qualified mechanical engineer, specialising in the precision assembly of critical aerospace systems.
• End-to-End Assembly: Assembled complex mechanical units from raw kits through to final inspection, utilizing a wide array of precision engineering techniques. Carried out intricate hand-fitting, component balancing, critical shimming, safety locking and strict torque applications to ensure all moving parts operated reliably under operational conditions.
• Component Manufacturing & Testing: Built and pressure-tested advanced environmental and fluid control systems for major aerospace platforms, including Eurofighter Typhoon canopy seals, Airbus A380 wing anti-icing valves, Environmental Control Systems (ECS), and fuel extraction units for fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
• Legacy Repair & Overhaul (R&O): Conducted comprehensive overhaul on legacy aerospace hardware, executing full mechanical teardowns, deep-level inspections, and component refurbishment to return life-expired units to current airworthiness standards.
• Broad Technical Skill Development: Built a strong mechanical foundation across multiple manufacturing disciplines, acquiring comprehensive knowledge in aerospace material properties, precision machining techniques, and exact testing protocols.
• Lean Production & Cell Operations: Studied lean manufacturing and continuous improvement strategies and applied this to our production cell to drive operational efficiency and eliminate waste. I ran daily technical briefings to align build priorities, communicate project status, and streamline workshop output.

Wildcat Technician (Mechanical) in Aerospace Engineering – WIST / RNAS Yeovilton (2022-01 – 2022-12)

NVQ Level 3 Extended Diploma in Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering (Fitting and Assembly) in Mechanical Engineering – Yeovil College (2014-01 – 2017-12)

NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Technology (QCF) in Engineering Technology – Yeovil College (2014-01 – 2017-12)