Inspired by his father’s aviation career, one of Aviation Command’s newest aircraft technicians is set to follow in his footsteps and work on Army’s new fleet of Black Hawks.
Craftsman Lee Robinson graduated from the RAAF School of Technical Training as an aircraft technician last month and stood side by side with his father, Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Wayne Robinson, wearing the same light blue beret.
Though few words passed between them, Craftsman Robinson knew it was a watershed moment for them both.
“Finally being able to wear the same colours as him, being in the same Corps [Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers] and the same role just makes it extra special,” Craftsman Robinson said.
“There were a few tears; it was a proud moment on both sides.”
Growing up in Townsville, Craftsman Robinson enlisted in February 2016 as a driver specialist and drove a plethora of vehicles all over Australia.
While he loved the role, he yearned for another challenge, which resulted in a corps transfer in 2022. To his father, it came as no surprise.
“He has always been interested in aircraft; he has a pile of models,” WO2 Robinson said.
“I had friends at Toowoomba that were mad on radio-control flying models. One of the guys actually gave him a powered glider – which we crashed about an hour later. He’s mechanically minded like me.”
Craftsman Robinson said his enlistment as a driver specialist, then his transfer to the aircraft technician trade, were inspired by his father.
“Finally being able to wear the same colours as him, being in the same Corps [Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers] and the same role just makes it extra special.”
With a background in civil aviation, WO2 Robinson’s career with Army began in 1996 with a string of Recognition of Prior Learning in place of courses, including one on Black Hawks, which he had built in his civilian work.
Coincidentally, Craftsman Robinson will be part of the first Initial Employment Training course to work on the UH-60M Black Hawk at the Rotary Wing Aircraft Maintenance School in Oakey.
The training will enable Craftsman Robinson to be part of Army’s aviation maintenance workforce, responsible for keeping Army’s feet of helicopters operational.
“Working on new airframes will be pretty cool, especially with the new AH-64 Apache airframe coming in – even on the mature airframes like the Chinook,” Craftsman Robinson said.
“I’ll work on anything really, but the Black Hawk takes the cake.”
With father and son wearing the same uniform and specialising in the same profession, there’s no doubt further instances are to follow where WO2 Robinson will feel he has come full circle.
One of those occurred on graduation day as they posed for a photo in front of a Mirage aircraft, which WO2 Robinson had worked on before Craftsman Robinson was born.
“I’ve worked on a lot of aircraft,” WO2 Robinson said.
“I built the F/A-18s for the Air Force, the Sea Hawks for the Navy and the Black Hawks for the Army. I’ve worked on 747s, Tiger Moths, things like that. We were flown all over, and across Australia in the back of a Black Hawk, which was really good.”
Craftsman Robinson inherited his thirst for knowledge from his father, which WO2 Robinson said was ideal since the course is quite challenging.
“It’s inspiring to see some of the older blokes like Dad getting around – they know the ins and outs of the aircraft like the back of their hand. Being close to that level is pretty much the goal.”
“It’s a hard course to get through at RAAF Base Wagga; they don’t muck around,” he said.
“You do everything from maths and physics, aerodynamics and what have you, so some of them struggle to get through.”
Craftsman Robinson is looking forward to opportunities to travel and work on aircraft with advanced avionics and weapon systems. For now, however, he can’t wait to be proficient in his trade.
“Just having that level of knowledge that some of the older members of the corps and the job have,” he said.
“It’s inspiring to see some of the older blokes like Dad getting around – they know the ins and outs of the aircraft like the back of their hand. Being close to that level is pretty much the goal.”
Army is investing in the UH-60M Black Hawk utility and AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to complement the CH-47F Chinook cargo fleet, as well as the development and growth of its aviation maintenance workforce.
Army Aviation is seeking technicians to support the emerging fleet.
