As an Apprentice Naval Airman (Aircraft Handler)

As an Apprentice Naval Airman (Aircraft Handler), you’re responsible for safety whenever there’s aircraft on the deck or the ground. That means working with flight crews at Royal Naval Air Stations (RNAS), on our state-of-the-art warships, or even the new Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier.

Wage: £20,400 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

• Six weeks of paid holiday every year
• Free medical and dental care
• Subsidised travel and accommodation
• Excellent pension scheme

Training course: Aviation ground operative (level 2)
Hours: Shifts to be confirmed. 40 hours a week
Start date: Friday 2 August 2030
Duration: 1 year
Positions available: 51

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

Your core responsibility is to ensure our aircraft are in the right place and ready for action when we need them

On a ship, you’ll operate the lift that brings the aircraft out of the hangar before securing them to the flight deck

Sometimes you’ll be up against challenging weather conditions, so it’s an element of your role that requires real skill, judgement, and perseverance

During training you’ll develop the skills you need to fight fuel, hangar, and aircraft fires. That means in the event of an emergency, everyone will look to you for guidance

You’ll need to use all of your powers of concentration, every day. As you manoeuvre aircraft into place, lives may be at stake. Any driving experience you have will be put to use as you form part of the team that keeps our aircraft flight ready

It’s a physical job where you’ll work outside in all conditions, but by making sure that our jets and helicopters are in the right place at the right time, you’ll be playing a key role in providing Royal Navy’s airborne capability

Where you'll work

Navy Command HQ
The Admiral Sir Henry Leach Building
Portsmouth
Hampshire
PO2 8BY

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider
ROYAL NAVY

Training course
Aviation ground operative (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Work in line with organisational and legal requirements relating to health and safety, and be aware of, report and prevent hazards in an aviation environment
• Contribute to security of self and others in own area of responsibility e.g. in airside / landside areas
• Comply with all relevant legislation, procedures and regulations in an aviation environment within own area of responsibility
• Communicate effectively transmitting and receiving information and recording it as required
• Work effectively as part of a team and with others identifying and responding to the needs of individuals, including colleagues, other organisations or customers
• Use aviation systems effectively relevant to own role to achieve the required outcome
• Take appropriate action in the event of an incident, disruption or emergency, liaising with relevant people and recording actions and outcomes as required
• Follow procedures for identification and safe handling of dangerous goods in own area of responsibility
• Marshalling: Effectively use the correct marshalling hand signals and techniques required to safely position and manoeuver vehicles into and around the aircraft
• Loading instruction report: Correctly interpret information on a LIR and ensure procedures within their own role are conducted according to the report
• Load and unload: Complete loading and unloading of aircraft safely within the allocated time in accordance with the LIR and organisational procedures, including, restraint/unrestraint of a ULD and baggage nets following supervisor’s instruction
• Specialist equipment, including unit load device serviceability: Identify the correct specialist equipment that is required for specific purposes on, at and around the aircraft to achieve the desired outcome, including serviceability check of ULDs and report on both serviceability and defects in accordance with organisational procedures
• Servicing: Identify the services required to facilitate an aircraft arrival, departure or turnaround and prepare/configure aircraft holds for departure
• Operate aviation specialist equipment: Conduct regularly scheduled inspections prior to using aviation specialist equipment, operate equipment in accordance with standard operating procedures and ensure it is stored in a safe secure manner after use
• Pushback aircraft: Follow the correct procedures for preparing to, and pushing back an aircraft
• Tow aircraft: Follow correct procedures to prepare for and when towing aircraft
• Ensuring a hazard-free airside environment: Work with the team in reducing the risks and hazards from operating aircraft and vehicles airside, implementing procedures and processes to deal with an airside emergency
• Save & preserve endangered life: As a team member, conduct a search and rescue of life, provide treatment, and support casualties involved in incidents
• Resolve fire & rescue aviation incidents: Work as part of a fire and rescue team to control and extinguish aviation fires and special service incidents, supporting the people involved
• Drive fire service vehicles airside: Prepare a fire vehicle for airside use and drive a fire service support vehicle airside in a safe manner, following applicable rules and regulations
• Test, maintain and operate specialist rescue equipment: Select, check and use specialist firefighting equipment in accordance with organisational policy, recording and reporting faults if identified
• Protect the environment from hazardous materials: Work as part of a fire and rescue team to set up and carry out decontamination procedures appropriate to the risk, including the decontamination of people
• Support Aviation Operations: Collect and collate relevant aviation information required by own role and communicate it in accordance with standard operating procedures, responding to urgent incidents
• Operate Aviation Specialist equipment: Conduct daily inspections prior to using the specialist equipment in accordance with own role, operate it in accordance with standard operating procedures and ensure it is left in a safe, secure manner in its allocated area
• Ensuring a hazard-free airside environment: Work as part of a team to identify and reduce risks and hazards relating to the operation of aircraft and vehicles airside and when implementing processes and procedures when responding to an airside emergency
• Operate aviation IT equipment: Use IT equipment effectively in an aviation environment, ensuring adherence to security and organisational regulations and requirements
• Travel documentation: Identify and scrutinise travel documentation required to meet customer, organisation and legal requirements for travel and report anomalies to the passenger and line manager in accordance with relevant regulations
• Check-in: Work as a team member to correctly check-in all booked passengers and baggage in accordance with the organisation’s aviation and IT systems and procedures
• Gate processes: Effectively communicate to passengers using the public address and IT systems, and carry out the boarding functions, ensuring accurate headcounts and security and pre-boarding briefs and passenger handling duties; communicate with flight crew regarding customer and other requirement
• Customer service and communication: Be polite, helpful and customer focussed whilst maintaining customer service standards, processing passengers with restricted movement (PRMs) and ensuring compliance with regulations and commercial operations