Air Engineering Department (AED)
The Air Engineering Department (AED) ensures aircraft are fully supported when embarked by providing engineering services, workshops, and an engineering organisation. Our aim is to support the flying task of embarked squadrons, and to maintain air engineering standards and practices. AED mission statement is to maximise Tailored Air Group (TAG) Operational Capability by providing an optimised air engineering support service, safe and efficient weapon stowage and preparation, and facilitate the integration of TAG assets and maintenance personnel.
The Electrical Section provide workshop facilities for the following aircraft systems; power supplies including the testing and charging of batteries, flying controls, fuel controls, anti-icing and aircraft instrumentation. These specialised maintainers can quickly test, repair and return an item to the embarked Squadron to meet a busy flying programme, thus maintaining its operational capability.
Air Weapons Workshops service and repair all carrier release units for air launched munitions. They also have the remit of maintaining and servicing aircraft ejection seats and helicopter under-slung cargo release units.
Mechanical Workshops has responsibility for the maintenance and fault repair of all motor transport onboard. They have a qualified NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) technician within the section. The workshop is also responsible for the servicing and repair of all the ground support equipment required to ensure the effective maintenance and serviceability of the aircraft embarked on HMS Ark Royal.
Radio Workshops have the responsibility for the maintenance, testing and repair of all aircraft radio, radar, communications and navigation equipment of an embarked Squadron or unit. They have the skills, equipment and facilities to repair items down to component level and are specialists in their field.
The Weapon Supply team provide and manage an explosive organisation which ensures the safe custody, availability, preparation handling and supply of all weapons prior to their transfer to the Squadron to be loaded on to aircraft.
The Survival Equipment Section [SE] branch is responsible for the provision and maintenance off all survival equipment used in RN aircraft. This ranges from parachutes and liferafts through to lifejackets and personal locator beacons. In addition the SE branch undertakes all aspects of survival training for RN aircrew this includes lecturing and the running of arduous survival training exercises predominantly of a sea survival nature but also including land survival and escape and evasion. The branch is also heavily involved in sea survival training for the general naval service and runs the RN Sea Survival School.
Under the leadership of the Hangar Control Officer (HCO), the Hangar Party ensure the Hangar is maintained to a safe standard that can receive aircraft. Space in the Hangar is at a premium therefore careful management is required when stowing many aircraft and equipment. Moving the aircraft from the Hangar to the Flight Deck is another important role, with careful liaison required between the HCO and the Aircraft Control Room Officer.
The Stores Section ensures that spares and equipment required by the AED and Embarked Squadrons are available in an efficient and timely manner. All stores are electronically checked to ensure they are 'fit for purpose' prior to issue. Items that are difficult to acquire are checked for availability, prioritised and monitored to ensure the delivery date is met. A secondary role is to ensure the relevant technical publications are available and that they are checked and updated on a regular basis.
The Flight Deck Operations department not only supports aviation in the workshops, hangar and ammunition magazines, the Aircraft Control Room Officer is responsible for co-ordinating all aircraft moves between hangar and deck. It also play a key role on the flight deck itself: the main tasks include providing load lifting teams, hosting and refuelling visiting aircraft and carrying out in-Flight Refuelling. This support enables aircraft to land, be lashed down, refuelled and launched with no squadron maintainer support.
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