Engineer Officer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wherever Aunty Betty sends me.
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BEngO advice
As an ex-airman and serving Engo with 12 years "in command" experience of working with/for SNCOs and airman (statement not boast), IMHO Dhurst, AvTech and PerArdua have offered you some really good advice for your early years 
. However, I would like to add the following points:
1. Listen to your SNCOs as they invariably want the same as you BUT don't blindly follow them as you won't be respected and just like in all walks of life you will find a T@$$er out there who won't be on your side.
2. Listen, ask for options and opinions, ask even more questions, THEN make a decision.
3. Try not to change decisions at a drop of a hat because it appears unpopular with YOUR Boss, have a backbone and defend your troops, the right solution isn't always "flog the troops".
4. Dumb questions are easier to correct than dumb mistakes.
5. Remember that the "troops" are people too, some more educated, some less but all want to be valued.
6. Basic manners cost you nothing but often treating people as you expect to be treated pays huge dividends. They are not your servants!
6. Even the lowest ranks have good ideas sometimes.
7. Don’t be aloof, get involved, do the sh1tty jobs so that you can speak from experience.
8. Finally, never make excuses, your friends won't care and your enemies won’t be interested or believe you.
Good luck
. However, I would like to add the following points:1. Listen to your SNCOs as they invariably want the same as you BUT don't blindly follow them as you won't be respected and just like in all walks of life you will find a T@$$er out there who won't be on your side.
2. Listen, ask for options and opinions, ask even more questions, THEN make a decision.
3. Try not to change decisions at a drop of a hat because it appears unpopular with YOUR Boss, have a backbone and defend your troops, the right solution isn't always "flog the troops".
4. Dumb questions are easier to correct than dumb mistakes.
5. Remember that the "troops" are people too, some more educated, some less but all want to be valued.
6. Basic manners cost you nothing but often treating people as you expect to be treated pays huge dividends. They are not your servants!
6. Even the lowest ranks have good ideas sometimes.
7. Don’t be aloof, get involved, do the sh1tty jobs so that you can speak from experience.
8. Finally, never make excuses, your friends won't care and your enemies won’t be interested or believe you.
Good luck
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: UK
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DHurst
Please lighten up... You've fallen straight into my evil SNCO trap. For 99% of info' you are given by a SNCOs, 1% is most likely a wind up (calculated to embarrass, but not dangerous). Your job, bearing in mind you are well educated, have a degree and been in charge of 6 people, is to work out which is which. Of course the aircrew will like you, so will the ground crew and so will the cooks and so will the admin staff etc etc provided you give them something to like. Attitude and respect my future officer friend. Attitude to those above, below and of course your peers is what makes everything work. Look at your early posts as an outsider. Based on what you said about 24 weeks training etc would you like you? If the answers maybe not then we are all in with a chance. If however, you answer yes then if we should ever meet on a busy SH Sqn in a far dusty land then as the song goes 'there may be trouble ahead' You'll be fine. Just don't take yourself to seriously. Anyway us SNECs love a fresh BEngO...great sport on those long night shifts!!
Please lighten up... You've fallen straight into my evil SNCO trap. For 99% of info' you are given by a SNCOs, 1% is most likely a wind up (calculated to embarrass, but not dangerous). Your job, bearing in mind you are well educated, have a degree and been in charge of 6 people, is to work out which is which. Of course the aircrew will like you, so will the ground crew and so will the cooks and so will the admin staff etc etc provided you give them something to like. Attitude and respect my future officer friend. Attitude to those above, below and of course your peers is what makes everything work. Look at your early posts as an outsider. Based on what you said about 24 weeks training etc would you like you? If the answers maybe not then we are all in with a chance. If however, you answer yes then if we should ever meet on a busy SH Sqn in a far dusty land then as the song goes 'there may be trouble ahead' You'll be fine. Just don't take yourself to seriously. Anyway us SNECs love a fresh BEngO...great sport on those long night shifts!!
Join Date: Apr 2006
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It's worth remembering that some of those snec's are just as fresh to their rank as you are yours. As has already been said, the trick is to sort the good info/guidance from the bad. You'll be fine...most are eventually.
Join Date: Jul 2006
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Just to add, theres some really good EngOs out there at the moment. For instance the new SEngO 33 (MG) is one of them. Rumour is that he was in a famous ish Boy Band in the London area during the late 80's before joining as an airman then getting a commission.
Join Date: Jun 2006
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Originally Posted by Toddington Ted
Severance
The current EngO training course (Engineer Specialist Training) is perfectly adequate, but that's the problem, its adequate, that's all even though it is closely validated and amended when feasible; the various powers that be have decided, quite rightly, that the course needs to change in order to train our future JEngOs to the training performance standard required in the 21st Century RAF. So, from 31 July 2006 there will be much more emphasis on work down the hangar with the Jags (even CE folks will continue to do some of this) and more emphasis than now on deployed ops training with better scenarios for both the CE and AS students. I won't waffle further so as to avoid boring all and sundry. I hope dhurst isn't put off, I wouldn't be if I was starting out now (but I'm rapidly approaching the other end of the pipe, so to speak!) go for it!
The current EngO training course (Engineer Specialist Training) is perfectly adequate, but that's the problem, its adequate, that's all even though it is closely validated and amended when feasible; the various powers that be have decided, quite rightly, that the course needs to change in order to train our future JEngOs to the training performance standard required in the 21st Century RAF. So, from 31 July 2006 there will be much more emphasis on work down the hangar with the Jags (even CE folks will continue to do some of this) and more emphasis than now on deployed ops training with better scenarios for both the CE and AS students. I won't waffle further so as to avoid boring all and sundry. I hope dhurst isn't put off, I wouldn't be if I was starting out now (but I'm rapidly approaching the other end of the pipe, so to speak!) go for it!
Sticking them in an enourmous sand pit with absolutely no spares and have a lot of self important blokes shout at them, threatening all kinds of things if this 'task' isn't met would be more like it. Still, it's a step in the right direction I suppose.......
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Lincoln
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The revolution in Engineering training started a couple of years back. The course was split into CE and AS after Eng Manning bit and they did stuff relevant to their seperate streams. The CE staff were given a completely clear slate and consequently came up with the idea of 'lets not just fill the students full of academic nonsense, lets throw away the powerpoint and teach them what they really need to know to do their job'. Even the final exam was scenario based open book exam with the kind of questions that your future boss just might ask you. The new approach proved such a success that it was decided to redisign the whole of the course along those lines. As for the hangar Phase, the CE scenarios also started a couple of years ago, they were a major step away from 'day 1 in the big brother house and jet C has a fairy snag' regimented style of the AS side of the house. Unfortunately it took a long time for the AS engineers to buy into the fact that comms just might be an essential part of running a squadron in todays modern Airforce.
The new course has not yet been run so I guess its 'wait out' to see if it delivers what it promises.
Bear
The new course has not yet been run so I guess its 'wait out' to see if it delivers what it promises.
Bear
Join Date: Jan 2005
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As far as I'm concerned Inginear has hit the nail on the head. Well said, you've nicely condensed some of the self-serving rhetoric, well intentioned advice and wind-ups into the practicalities of reality.
Respect.
Respect.
