You’ll provide the crucial link between the aircraft and its base, whether that’s at sea or on land.
This job sits within the Warfare Profession and is a Warfare (Aviation) Rating role. You’ll train to be an air space expert, where a high level of responsibility comes as standard. Wherever you are in the world, you‘ll make the crucial decisions that help keep our state-of-the-art aircraft flying, our people safe and our operations on track.
What you will get paid from day one
Salary up to this amount as a WO1 basic pay
Since I joined the Royal Navy I’ve been part of some major operations, from the Caribbean to the Persian Gulf. People of all ranks respect my opinion, which means I’m always involved in each mission.
Lloyd
Aircraft Controller, Fleet Air Arm
As an Aircraft Controller (AC) you will play a pivotal role in helping enable the Royal Navy's front-line aviation capability at sea. At the heart of the ship, you will be a key member of the war fighting team within the Operations Room. You will be the only person on board responsible for the safety of all Rotary Wing aircraft under your control. This involves directing the ships airborne weapon carrier from a radar screen to achieve the mission success. In addition, you will act as the ship's aviation advisor during all flying serials answering directly to the ship's Command Team. A challenging but rewarding role.
From picking your role to starting on your first day, these are the steps you'll take to join as a rating.
Once you’ve registered your interest in a Profession, and have satisfied some basic eligibility criteria, you will be sent an online application form.
You’ll be tested on: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Work Rate, Spatial Reasoning, Electrical Comprehension and Mechanical Comprehension. You will need to attempt all sections of the DAA.
To help you prepare, you can practise the DAA.
A formal Selection Interview to confirm suitability of your chosen Profession followed by discussion of your preferred roles that are available within that Profession, including Submarine Service It will also cover the initial stages of the Security application. This is normally conducted using your own device over the Shine video platform.
This is a four-day induction to life in the Royal Navy, which includes assessments of your Fitness and your Medical eligibility, it is a pass or fail course.
Once you’ve passed all eligibility criteria, including a Security Check, you’ll be offered a place at HMS Raleigh to commence your initial training. Allocation to a specific role within your chosen profession will occur during the latter part of initial training.
10 weeks at HMS Raleigh, learning basic military skills. After phase one training you will spend the next few months developing your professional skills and knowledge across a range of courses intertwined within your Leading Aircraft Controller’s Qualifying Course (LACPQC)
In the first 10 weeks at HMS Collingwood you will learn all about the on-board Command System and how to operate and transmit on radios and receive basic Leadership training during ARLC and learn how to survive life at sea.
Your next phase of training will be carried out at the Royal Navy School of Aircraft Control (RNSAC) located within RNAS Yeovilton (Somerset). For the next 15 weeks, you will learn the basics of controlling an Air System.
Once you have mastered these basics the tempo of training will increase and you will return to HMS Collingwood for a further 14 weeks to complete your final phase of the course within the Aviation Training Element (AvTE) at the Maritime Warfare School (MWS) (in Portsmouth),
Once qualified as a controller, attention will be focused on the Leadership aspect of your role on board. This is where attendance at the Royal Navy Leadership Academy (RNLA – located within HMS Collingwood) is essential. This four-week intense Leadership course will help you build upon what leadership skills you have gained thus far and apply them into different and more challenging/dynamic situations to adequately prepare you to be an effective Leading Hand employed onboard His Majesty’s Frigate or Destroyer at sea on completion.
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