Technicians and engineers involved with air refuelling must be highly skilled to carry out their duties within the field of avionics. Flight refuelling involves the advanced system of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another while airborne, allowing the receiving plane to continue its journey without having to land on the ground to refuel.
This feat of engineering was put in place to allow for aircraft to carry extra cargo "be it people, produce or weapons" as they can take off with less fuel, reach its maximum weight limit with payload, then be topped up with fuel once in the air. It is also thought to save between 35-40% of fuel on long-haul flights.
Qualifications and key skills
Flight refuelling engineers seeking employment must have a good grasp of IT, science and maths and be precise and efficient in the way they work. Teamwork is a vital part of the career, as well as an aptitude for analytical work and have an interest in-flight technology.
Key employers
About 30,000 aerospace staff are employed in the UK and vacancies can be found in the private sector, such as suppliers, airlines and manufacturers, through recruitment agencies and job adverts, and the public sector jobs can be found within the government and armed forces. Refuelling technicians will be expected to be specialists in their field and completing a relevant training course is vital.