Paul Cowlard

In my role as a VQA, I am responsible for thoroughly inspecting our fleet of commercial vehicles, which we rent to our customers, ensuring that all vehicles are roadworthy and safe to use. Our fleet ranges from small vans, right the way up to HGV's.

The inspections include checking for accident damage, mechanical issues, servicing requirements and compliance. This is all documented using the Record 360 app on tablet. I will then use various tools on my PC, in order to complete damage claims and get vehicles booked in for damage repairs, servicing, mechanical issues or tyres.

When required, I am out on the road, delivering vehicles to our clients, so I have gained a lot of experienced in driving various sized vans. This also means that I am dealing with our customers on a regular basis, so providing first class customer services is a very important part of the job.

In this role, I was responsible for towing multi-million pound aircraft in and out of the Hangar for the maintenance department, and taking care of all maintenance ground equipment and company vehicles. This involved carrying out annual or six monthly safety inspections and keeping detailed records on computer. I was also responsible for general Hangar maintenance, assisting with aircraft engineering when required, and aircraft detailing.

At 1 Aviation, I was solely responsible for the day to day running of our aircraft hangarage facility at Biggin Hill Airport. Our company dealt with many different types, from small piston engine aircraft up to mid-range executive jets. I had many roles within the company which included aircraft ground handling, aircraft valeting, touching in aircraft paintwork, assisting with aircraft engineering, general building/facility maintenance, landscaping, and customer relations. I also dealt with the renewal of communications and energy contracts etc, and the ordering of all items required for the business, including aircraft parts.

My day to day responsibilities were identical to the ones that I had during my employment with 1 Aviation, but here I was able to gain valuable experience in the ground handling of helicopters as well as fixed wing aircraft.