First Female Hercules GE

[CoffmanStarter]

Many congratulations Sgt Hobson :D:D:D:D

This Month, Sgt Sophie Hobson took to the air on her first solo route as a qualified Ground Engineer (GE) - the first female Ground Engineer for the Hercules in its 50 years in service.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/682DA433_5056_A318_A803828F336EBE5F.jpg

More here ...

RAF News 1st Female Hercules GE (http://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/first-female-ground-engineer-for-the-hercules-goes-solo-28062013)

Coff.

[clicker]

She must be very clever, according to the link she even took the photographs.

[diginagain]

Is a rusty 12" adjustable spanner really part of the toolkit?

(It could be an 8" shifter, I suppose, but that'd make her hands tiny).

[Nervous SLF]

Perhaps she uses that spanner to "encourage" the pilots to keep their hands off switches the pilots shouldn't touch ?

:)

[SASless]

Progressive the RAF.....who would have thought it would happen....Wimmen working on airplanes. Beags will be calling for Earl to fetch the Buick in the Crapper when he hears this!

[Dengue_Dude]

Good luck to her, I remember meeting the first female ALMs on the OCU, they didn't too bad.

Even the toolkit looks the same, didn't it belong to Robbie Etherington, if it did, it'll be good for another few years.

[MightyGem]

She must be very clever, according to the link she even took the photographs.
You don't need to be clever(but she obviously is anyway) to press the timer button on a camera. :rolleyes:

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Perhaps she uses that spanner to "encourage" the pilots to keep their hands off switches the pilots shouldn't touch ?

Well, when driving HM airiframes, I would never argue with a Sgt hefting a large adjustable, female or no. Take on a regiment of fulcrums, yes. Argue with a Sgt, no. Man's gotta know his limitations.

[Basil]

ISTR that, 70 years ago, young ladies were building hairyplanes.

[smujsmith]

As an ex Herk GE myself, great news. I was lucky enough to work with some great ladies in the RAF. Ros Robinson, Great Loady. Wendy Smith, Navigator and all round good egg, Flo Shouls, respect, a cracking Flight Engineer, Unfortunately never experienced being driven by a lady driver airframe, perhaps they held out longer than the rest. Why should putting your arse on the line be the preserve of blokes ? :rolleyes:

Smudge

PS Dengue Dude, looks like a brand new toolkit to me. I inherited mine from a certain Brian Jones. Like the original owner, it was a few spanners short of a full toolkit, but I managed to bring it back to spec! :ok:

[mini]

Have her scrubbed and sent to my tent...

Seriously, good on ya girl. :ok:

[NutLoose]

Quote:
She must be very clever, according to the link she even took the photographs.
You don't need to be clever(but she obviously is anyway) to press the timer button on a camera.

Or simply an IR remote in her hand, odd choice of tool to be holding as in the aviation world adjustables are frowned upon.

In these days of equal opportunities in the Forces it still amazes me that they single out women and push them in PR blurb for simply doing a job. You don't see it for a male counterpart that is the XYZ GE..

[TomJoad]

In these days of equal opportunities in the Forces it still amazes me that they single out women and push them in PR blurb for simply doing a job. You don't see it for a male counterpart that is the XYZ GE..



That's because there is still a need to encourage more girls into the profession - simple market forces. As a secondary school teacher I can readily vouch for the positive impact stories like this have in influencing girls uptake of subjects like Physics, Mathematics and Tech subjects. Like it or not females are still disproportionately represented in engineering in the UK and in so doing we are ignoring 50% of the talent pool in this country. So please let's see more of these stories. Well done Sgt Hobson.:ok:

[Chugalug2]

there is still a need to encourage more girls into the profession
Hammer and nail, TJ. Dan-Air boasted a lady captain who was also a grandmother, long before the likes of Lord King decided to get him some (mainly from Dan-Air!). She was always courteous and patient with the "What's it like to be a woman in a man's world?" style interviews, often at the foot of the air-stairs after a long multi sector day.

In common with other female pilots in that company she was a professional aviator, sticking to the rules and procedures instead of forever seeking to explore their boundaries. Cue for the "but military aviation is different" posts?

[alfred_the_great]

Out of curiosity, why has it taken so long for the "first female Herc GE" to appear?

[SASless]

PS Dengue Dude, looks like a brand new toolkit to me. I inherited mine from a certain Brian Jones. Like the original owner, it was a few spanners short of a full toolkit, but I managed to bring it back to spec.

Now that is a scary thought.....errrr....any notion of how,where, and why they went missing....the Spanners that is?

[gr4techie]

Might as well bin the big toolkit when you have an adjustable spanner.

The only other thing a mech needs is a big hammer to do "a slight technical tap" or beat the aircraft into submission. Square peg will go into round hole with a big enough hammer.

[Nimman]

Surprised it has taken so long considering the number of GE's in the fleet, Nimrod and Sentry had some well over 10 years ago.

[SASless]

The Three P Method works fine....Pound it to shape....Pound it to fit....and Paint it to match!

[smujsmith]

SASless,

Re your excellent question as to the wherewithal of the missing spanners. Many of us had the impression they were in the boot of his car. Particularly the US supplied ratchet ring spanners. I never came accross an incident on Albert of a loose spanner causing a problem (oh blimey, now what have I left myself open to :eek:). But stand to be corrected. Brian, of course, was the epitome of the finest engineering practices and integrity. I can't vouch for his sanity though :ok:

Smudge

PS, Re your last post, do you now work in a pound shop ? :hmm:

[airborne_artist]

ISTR that, 70 years ago, young ladies were building hairyplanes. And delivering them to squadrons ;)

[gopher01]

Some of us who started on the job back in the days of Chalky White of great repute, Black Harry etc, would say that that the only new bit is that Sophie is a young woman, as we had a few old women around as ground engineers back in the good old days.
Who needed an adjustable spanner when a small ball pein hammer, a GS screwdriver,a large roll of bodge/duct tape and some locking wire would see you round a global! And if that didn't work you graduated to a bigger hammer.
I wish her the very best in the best job in the RAF and hope she has as good a time as I did in my ten years as a GE. Yes, I came back and did it twice it was so good a job!

[Rocket2]

That tool kit is incomplete - the essential roll of speed tape is not there :}

[c130jage]

I wish sophie all the very best in her career as a GE, it is one of the most challenging but worthwhile jobs for an engineer to undertake. I spend the final years in the mob as a C130J AGE and its was the highlight of an unbelieveable career for me. Good luck Sophie, I am sure you will follow in some great footsteps and do the GE community proud.

[teeteringhead]

but that'd make her hands tiny ... my Great Uncle Johnnie always advised going out with girls with tiny hands ...........:E


"a slight technical tap" using the RTA no doubt (Reciprocal Tolerance Adjuster);)

[Al R]

.. well done to Sophie - well done to anyone who passes that course. Isn't highlighting achievement on the basis of gender these days though, slightly retro and patronising? Sgt Hobson can wield a spanner with the best of them and I don't imagine any woman gets anywhere in the military these days despite/because of gender.

I concede that there might be a PR angle to this for some people to get their teeth into, but I don't buy it.. thats a fight for parents and teachers to take up. Let's just do the basics - let's train mechanical engineers to ensure the RAF can fly around the world, not change it. In return, we shouldn't ask social engineers to fill sandbags at Kandahar.

I was going to refer to Sophie's Choice/Hobson's Choice but remembered they are both film titles.

[Mick Strigg]

"Women integrated into the Armed Forces"

Great headline RAF; glad you have finally caught up with the other two services that have had women doing the same engineering jobs as men for years.

[OKOC]

My Uncle Melvin retired as a practicing gynaecologist and retrained as a GE.

He is the only person ever to get 110% marks for the practical element of the GE course which on his course was "rebuilding a car engine from scratch". He naturally questioned this "..how can I get more than 100% in an exam?" to be told " we have never seen anyone rebuild an engine through the exhaust pipe before".

I know, I'll get my coat bye.

[diginagain]

... my Great Uncle Johnnie always advised going out with girls with tiny hands ...........It took a while ......

[Dengue_Dude]

It took a while ......[QUOTE]

Only to a few . . . . :ok:

[Whossat Forrus]

Complete set of blank headboards in Gander set to get zapped!!