Hi, I’m Mick and I’m currently a Sponsored Reservist (SR) B2 Engineer with AirTanker. I’m ex-military and served 25 years over a variety of postings, including working with Fast Jets, Large Aircraft, and Helicopters. I enjoyed my time over the 25 years meeting lifelong friends on the journey and I could tell you many stories over my time, but perhaps that’s something for another day!
 
 I joined AirTanker around 10 years ago after leaving the RAF to become an instructor at British Airways (BA), however Covid came along and so did furlough. I thought the safest place to be at the time was AirTanker so reapplied to come back. Do I regret that decision? Not at all! BA looked after me, but I like the good things that the military lifestyle can offer that no other job will easily be able to match. As an SR Engineer with AirTanker, I get the opportunity to go away to several locations - Cyprus has been a mainstay over the years, and I make the most of it, taking my bike (for any cyclists the roads are fantastic out there) and getting plenty of opportunity to explore. I’m currently prepping for a month out in Brisbane in a 5-star hotel and whilst it’s not 5-star hotels all the time when we go away, I’ll enjoy it when it is!

 

Could this be you? See what Mick has to say about our jobs below:

Our primary role is to ensure the safe and effective operation of the RAF’s fleet of Voyager aircraft which provides sole air-to-air refuelling (AAR) capability to the RAF and also provides air transport and aeromedical evacuation. The fleet consists of 14 Aircraft - nine of which are typically in use by the RAF, one of which is our flagship ‘Vespina’ aircraft which is available to transport senior members of parliament such as the Prime Minister as well as members of the royal family. The additional five aircraft can be available for leasing to the civil market to customers such as Jet2.com. 

We are extremely unique and offer an experience and variety like no other.  While we are an organisation of 1200+ individuals, we have a family feel and it  doesn’t take long to get to know everybody. 

The pay you get as an SR Engineer is competitive with engineers in civil airlines, but it’s not about the money, it’s about the work we do in support of Defence which is core to our purpose, that really makes us all proud to work here. 

 

We are currently looking for Sponsored Reservist B1 and B2 Engineers and Technicians. These roles have the variety that no other engineer role can give. I could be in the hangar doing scheduled maintenance today, tomorrow I could be flying as a down route engineer to Barbados, next week I could be running the Line Station in Cyprus. The roles involve travelling with the aircraft and I spend approx.. 100 days away a year. This could be in military accommodation or could be in nice hotels round the world. 

Why should you become an SR?

You get the camaraderie that comes with military life, not just having colleagues at work but good friends. The job is as varied as it gets, with deployments to outfield stations, worldwide trails of fighter jets to exercises on all sides of the world (Las Vegas, Australia, Qatar to name a few). The variety is so much more than working in a hangar or walking the line at a civilian airport. Yes, military life for some who have served/serving can be challenging, but you are rewarded well for it as an SR (Approx £9000 a year to remain current on Mod1/Mod 2 Fitness test etc). So yes, as with most careers there is rough with the smooth, as an SR once you return home the military uniform goes back in the cupboard, and you put your civilian attire back on!