– My goal is to be as good as possible, and to cope with all the challenges that are thrown my way, says Lasse Skarpodde. He is about to start his apprenticeship at the combat aircraft base on Ørlandet. The armed forces have a major shortage of aircraft technicians. It could threaten the operational capability of the new F-35 fighter jets. Now the Norwegian Armed Forces are deploying the F-16 fighter jet to increase the competence of young people who are undergoing education. – It is simply the case that they must be able to try and fail in a place where it does not have major dramatic consequences. Being able to try to make mistakes on the F-16 before starting to screw up the F-35 is important, says commander of 132 Air Wing in Ørland, Martin Tesli. Arve Henriksen (left), acting hangar commander at Ørland air station and Martin Tesli, commander of 132 Air Wing at Ørland, strongly believe that practicing on the F-16 will be a very good experience for the apprentices. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news Used for training instead of being sold Norway has entered into an agreement with, among others, Romania for the sale of 32 F-16 fighters. But some aircraft have been kept from sale, and on Ørlandet there are now two F-16 aircraft and a fighter jet engine. On Tuesday, what the Armed Forces have called an apprentice lab opened. There is a workshop hall specially designed to give aviation apprentices more knowledge and extensive training in turning on fighter planes. – It is a huge milestone that we have been working on for over a year. We saw that screwing up the F-35 is too little for the apprentices. So then the idea was to get the F-16, says acting hangar manager in the maintenance group at Ørland air station, Arve Henriksen. Now the apprentices get to work on the F-16 for a whole year, before they will eventually take on the F-35. The apprenticeship is two years. – It takes several years to educate people. They must be at the school desk and they must have an apprenticeship. Therefore, we have no time to lose. It is the people who are the most important resource in the Armed Forces, says Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp). Skarpodde is one of twelve apprentices who will now be the first to test out the new scheme on Ørlandet. He is looking forward to it. Lasse Skarpodde has completed Vg1, 2 and 3 in Tromsø and Bardufoss, among others. He is very much looking forward to his apprenticeship at the airbase. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news – It’s one of the best things you can get your hands on. It’ll be fun. From the beginning, Skarpodde attended his first year of high school in Tromsø before he moved to Bardufoss and studied aviation for two years there. He has since been a recruit at Kjevik, among other things. The education course is three years at upper secondary school and two years as an apprentice. New national line not far from the base In the spring it was decided that a national department for aviation subjects would also be established in Trøndelag. It has been added to Fosen Secondary School in Bjugn in Ørland municipality. From before, this educational offer is also available in Bardufoss, Bodø, Sola and Skedsmo. This is one of the two F-16 fighters the aviation apprentices will practice on at the air station on Ørlandet. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news It has been a challenge for the Norwegian Defense Forces that personnel around the planes have not stayed in the area. Now the Minister of Defense hopes that the local education line can ensure access to aircraft technicians in the years to come. – There is a need for more personnel to get the full benefit of the fantastic capacity of the F-35. Then we need, among other things, more technicians. They will, for the most part, be trained here locally if we get the airline the county council is working on, and we have to support that from the Defense’s side, says Gram. Young people from all over the country, Henning Laksholm, Vetle Haugland and Sigve Drange, also arrived at the air base this Sunday, at the same time as Skarpodde. They are from Stavanger, Kristiansand and Vega in Helgeland. From left Henning Laksholm, Vetle Haugland and Sigve Drange. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news They have a background in both aircraft mechanics and aircraft avionics. – We feel very well looked after. It is clear that this is something that is strongly desired, and that we get a good plan around us, says Haugland. – We can train good aircraft mechanics from the ground up, and then they become good at screwing and good at routines. Then they start working on the F-35 afterwards and then we have a significantly better result from the aircraft mechanics who come there, says station manager Tesli. The right equipment for the right purpose is part of what must be learned. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / no
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Apprentice Lasse Skarpodde wants to become an aircraft mechanic on the F-35, the Norwegian Armed Forces have a major shortage of technicians – news Trøndelag
