According to the ADF’s recruitment portal, the key responsibility of an aviation operations specialist (AOS) is to “provide communications and operations support to Army helicopters”.

It is a concise job description considering the critical role AOS personnel play in aviation operations. 

Sergeant Myfanwy Ransley, of the Townsville-based 5th Aviation Regiment, who has worked as an AOS for the past eight years, said it was like spinning six plates at once.

“And you might have to fix one of the plates while not dropping the other five,” Sergeant Ransley said.

She said people suited to the role needed to have a level of attention to detail, to like chaos, and to enjoy problem-solving and untangling issues.

“You need to enjoy not knowing what the day is going to hold, pushing through problems and fighting for information to support the aircraft,” Sergeant Ransley said.

The role appealed to 50-year-old Corporal Nathan Scott.

An accomplished triathlete, long-time soccer referee and former senior sales executive, Corporal Scott joined Defence five years ago, and already has a service resume full of missions, including: Operation Vanuatu Assist; flood responses in Broome, Cairns and Ingham; back-to-back Exercise Talisman Sabres; and two deployments to Papua New Guinea.

He said being an AOS was ideal for people who enjoyed a multitude of challenges on a regular basis.

“Things can go wrong and they do, and you are trained to adapt and correct,” Corporal Scott said.

“This is a supporting role. We provide the aircrew everything they need to control the aircraft and conduct the mission. And, should things go wrong, there is a team fully equipped to help them either recover or correct their situation.”

'When the pilots are doing well it’s because we’ve done our bit to get them out the door with everything they need.'

The role is often described as part air traffic controller, part software and IT technician, part communications expert and, if needs be, part rescue and recovery.

“PNG is a good example,” said Corporal Scott, who recently took part in Exercise Helicon Luk supporting flight training for CH-47F Chinook crews in the Central Highlands.

“We sourced and created the mapping AO [Area of Operations] used by the aircrew, so that the pilots were prepared for the terrain they encountered.”

Sergeant Ransley said the AOS workload was divided into three phases: pre-mission, mission and post-mission.

“Pre-mission we work both in the aircraft and in the command post. We set up the aircraft with the data that it needs to fly the mission, whether that’s in relation to navigation, electronic warfare or communications,” Sergeant Ransley said.

“We also have an awareness of where the aircraft is going, who’s on it, what they’re doing, where they’re dropping people off, what their mission is. We brief things like weather and we support pilots with any information they need for the sortie they are flying.”

Typically assigned to a tactical operations centre, AOS personnel go wherever the helicopters go, operating from diverse locations including naval vessels or in the field alongside refuellers and maintainers.

With the rapid expansion of Army Aviation to include 29 AH-64E Apaches, 40 UH-60 Black Hawks and 14 CH-47F Chinooks, aviation trades are a recruitment priority for the ADF.

According to Corporal Scott, it’s the best job in Army. 

“When the pilots are doing well it’s because we’ve done our bit to get them out the door with everything they need,” he said.

It takes six to nine months of training to become an AOS.

For more information, visit the ADF Careers website.