First Female Hercules GE

[airborne_artist]

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

And delivering them to squadrons

[gopher01]

Herc Ground Engineers

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 ...........

"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]

Originally Posted by teeteringhead

... my Great Uncle Johnnie always advised going out with girls with tiny hands ...........

It took a while ......

[Dengue_Dude]

[quote]It took a while ......Only to a few . . . .

[Whossat Forrus]

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