"NYSF introduced me to the different pathways for career and education opportunities I could take to achieve my dream, and the motivation and dedication required to achieve them. "
NYSF 2014 Alumnus Linus Chow is a Flight Simulator Technician. Unable to enter the course he initially wanted to do didn’t stop him from pursuing his career. Read on to find out how Linus took control of his own future and is now working in a job he loves.
“I’m Linus Chow, and I attended NYSF 2014 Session C and was in the Maxwell group. I’m a Flight Simulator Technician for the MRH90 Helicopter supplying training for Australian Army pilots.
Attending NYSF was an experience and a paradigm shift for me that changed my perspective on life after high school. NYSF introduced me to the different pathways for career and education opportunities I could take to achieve my dream and the motivation and dedication required to achieve them.
After completing the HSC and not receiving the results I needed to go into Aeronautical Engineering, as NYSF taught me, I continued to follow my passion in Aviation and decided to get into aircraft maintenance. I went on to study a Certificate (IV) in Aircraft Avionics at Aviskills Tamworth (TAFE) for a year and a half finishing late 2016. Three months after graduating I received a job offer in Flight Simulation in Townsville with THALES Australia. The job was a mix of IT and aviation so it was right up my alley and I accepted the position.
L - R - Performing maintenance, At NYSF in 2014, MRH90 Helicopter
The Job
My job consists of carrying out scheduled maintenance of the Flight Simulator, fixing and troubleshooting anything that goes wrong and generating scenarios in the simulation for the pilots. Most of the work is on computers and electronic hardware, as it takes about 60 computers to operate the simulator and the visual systems that consist of 7 projectors, it requires a lot of work to keep everything seamless.
The job has taken me to different locations to provide support such as Williamtown, working on the Boeing 737 AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) and the EC135 helicopter at Nowra, giving me the opportunity to work with a variety of simulators and people in the industry.
The job is rewarding and there is always something to do. I’m learning different things every day and helping provide critical pilot training to the Defence Force. All in all, the job gives me great satisfaction and I’m very lucky things worked out well for me.
The Simulator
- It’s a full-motion simulator which provides motion in response to the simulation providing pilots with some of the most realistic training in the simulation industry.
- Allows pilots to practice scenarios in a safe environment which would be too dangerous to perform in the real aircraft such as flight emergencies.
- Cost effective training compared to using real aircraft.
- Debrief stations allowing a replay of flights as a training tool.
- Simulates all types of weather conditions and locations around Australia.
Top - front view of the simulator with the actuators retracted. Bottom - Pilots perspective in the simulator.
My advice to students is that there are many pathways you can take to achieve your career goals and this same concept can be applied to life in general and is one of the useful things NYSF taught me.
In the future, I plan to stay in the simulation industry and possibly do a part-time degree in an engineering field related to the industry and take on an engineering role.