A WARRINGTON man has completed the tough training needed to serve on the flight deck of the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers.
Thomas Burgess, aged 21, has now qualified as a naval airman and will go on to serve aboard the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The former Warrington & Vale Royal College student says he joined the navy because he wanted a challenge.
Despite the old-fashioned job title, airmen can be both men and women in today’s Royal Navy. Their job is on the flight deck, helping secure, manoeuvre and manage the ship’s aircraft. Airmen are also trained in firefighting and emergency rescue in case of crashes.
Working on exposed decks at any time of the day and night, and dealing with live aircraft is arguably one of the most dangerous jobs in the navy.
In total, 11 men and women recently completed their training at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, at Helston in Cornwall.
Friends and family were invited to a special ceremony where they were handed their certificates and naval airmen badges by Commodore David Elford.
It means they officially pass into the Royal Navy’s Aircraft Handlers’ Branch, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
Naval airmen serve on the decks of the Royal Navy’s largest warships, the aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, as well as Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships and other navy warships.
