Isabella Burgess, Apprentice Aircraft Maintenance Engineer at the Royal Flying Doctors SA/NT
What is your Job?
1st Year Apprentice Engineer
What does a normal day look like for you?
A day in the hangar:
Morning meeting at the start of the day to check in with everyone and share any important information, brief on what aircraft are in the hangar and what work needs to be done. Jobs are divided up and then everyone makes sure they have their morning coffee.
Tuesday and Thursdays are early starts to clean the aircraft inside and out.
The day is then any regular jobs such as water washes and charts being updated and then on to the heavy maintenance. Other jobs will come up throughout the day too as the aircraft fly and things break etc.
End of the day is clean up, paperwork and head home.
A day at school:
Trade school for me is in Brisbane and in blocks of roughly three weeks at a time every few months. I’ll fly in the day before so I’m there when classes start at 0730 the next morning.
Each block is a different subject and there is an exam at the end of each one. Classes go from 0730 to 1430 so you have a good chunk of time to study once classes are over, Friday is even an early finish at 1230. Being in Brisbane for those weeks can be fun and I like trying all the different food options that I don’t have access to in Alice Springs, it can be hard being away from home sometimes but you make friends at school and it’s nice to meet up with other apprentices doing the same thing as you from all over Australia.
What is your favourite part of the job?
I like to see how things work so pulling bits apart and being able to put them back together is very satisfying.
How did you get to where you are today?
I started working in Aviation as a ramp agent/ pit crew in Tasmania unloading, loading, receiving, dispatching and cleaning aircraft at the end of the night. I wanted a job where I wouldn’t be stuck at a desk or in customer service. Working at the airport was perfect for me, it was shift work which suited me and I enjoyed working late nights under the stars. It is definitely a male dominated area of aviation but if you’re fit and healthy you can do the work just as well as any of the guys, if not better which is something I was and still am very proud of. While working in Hobart, I met a few of the engineers based there, I watched what they were doing and they were kind enough to talk me through some of the jobs and show me what they were working on. I saved up some money and moved to Queensland to get my cert IV in Mechanical Aeroskills (fancy way of saying maintenance engineering) with the goal of then getting an apprenticeship and becoming a Licensed Aircraft Engineer. An apprenticeship opened in Alice Springs and I applied even though I didn’t hadn’t even started my Cert IV yet, I ended up getting the job which was very exciting so now my company cover the cost for my training and I get paid a salary too, along with a significant amount to cover housing costs because I live in a regional area.
What qualifications do you need to apply for your job?
Maths and English up to at least grade 10.
Drivers License
Clear police check and ability to get an ASIC (Aviation Security Identification Card)
What character qualities do you think suit this position?
Resilience, determination and resourcefulness.
Resilience because it can be difficult being one of few or the only woman surrounded by men all day every day, even if you have an excellent team, it can be quite isolating.
Determination to push through the hard days where you feel lonely and a bit lost, you’re an apprentice and you’re here to learn so of course there are going to be lots of things you don’t know or understand. This is where it is good to have made friends at trade school because then there are other people you know who are in the exact same situation as you.
Resourcefulness because you don’t always have the perfect tools for the job. Sometimes those tools just don’t exist so you have to make do with what you’ve got and make it work.
What is involved in the training for your job or for the qualification you gained to get your job?
Journal of practical experience, you need to document all the jobs you do. This is your proof that you have completed the practical element of your apprenticeship.
Trade school and exams. Some of the subjects are maths, physics, aerodynamics, materials and hardware and maintenance practices. Lots to learn and study but if you don’t get the mark you need to pass the first time then then you can always re-sit an exam. For a cert IV you need 50%, for a license you need 75%.
If you could go back and give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
Stand up for yourself more, it can be really hard but it is necessary, especially as a women in a male dominated area of aviation. You have a right to be treated with as much respect as anyone else.
What advice would you give younger girls wanting to start a career in Aviation?
Do it, it is difficult but very rewarding. Aviation is always changing and there will always be room for growth and development, it’s such a massive industry with so many different areas there will definitely be somewhere for you.
In engineering particularly, you are surrounded by like -minded people and it’s easy to make firm friends. The money is good and you’re not stuck out in the Australian sun all day every day while you still get to work with your hands.
Insipirational quotes & tips:
Fight for your right to be yourself, present yourself how you want and in a way that makes you feel comfortable in your own skin (with all appropriate PPE), you should be allowed to express as much or as little femininity as you want. It doesn’t change your ability to do your job and if anyone else is hung up on how you present then that’s their problem, not yours.
- Do what you need to do to get your hair out of your face, it is worth waking up that extra ten minutes earlier to braid it.
- Good fitting shorts/ pants make life so much more enjoyable. It is difficult finding women’s workwear that fits properly, don’t be scared to try the men’s options. Finding something that has enough pockets for all your pens and tools and is the right colour for your work uniform is difficult. It is so worth the time and money to find good quality clothing you feel comfortable in if you can. I wear men’s “short cut shorts” but because I am short myself, they look normal length and I can happily bend down in them without feeling like they are too tight, just don’t forget your belt.
- Keep lip balm, deodorant and hand moisturiser in your toolbox. No one likes cracked lips and on particularly hot days it’s good to have some deodorant handy. If you’re handling lots of chemicals and liquid (cleaning aircraft components) it’s not worth having the skin on your hands peel or blister when its entirely preventable. Even wearing gloves for a long amount of time can mess with your skin so always moisturise.
