Boyle flies high
• WMark Boyle standing in front of the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. Photos supplied.
By Daisy Baker
April 27, 2022
A passion for working with aircraft has taken Mark Boyle from his hometown of Jetsonville around the country as a member of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
He left the North-East in 2003 to undertake RAAF Recruit Training in Edinburgh for 12 weeks where he learned basic military skills.
After returning to Australia, he continued his study at the RAAF School of Technical Training at RAAF Base Wagga for six months, completing Aircraft Life Support Fitter training.
Here he learned how to service and repair aircraft safety and survival equipment such as aircrew helmets, vests and life rafts.
Mr Boyle now lives in the Hawkesbury region of Western Sydney where he is posted at the RAAF Base in Richmond, working on a C130J Hercules aircraft.
He said he loves working with his hands and the changing technology keeps the career interesting.
“I enjoy making things from scratch and have a keen interest in the recent advancements of aircraft part manufacture using 3D printing and a computer aided cutting and milling machine,” he said.
In 2020 he returned to the RAAF Base at Wagga Wagga and completed further training as an Aircraft Structural Technician, learning how to manufacture and repair aircraft airframes and structural components using metal and composite fibres.
Mr Boyle said juggling deployments to different regions with family life is a challenging aspect of the job.
“Being in the Air Force means you are posted around Australia so time away from my wife and two young boys is always tough during deployments and exercises,” he said.
“It’s also challenging in that my parents are still based in Scottsdale and my wife’s family are in Perth.
“Defence life can be difficult in that you never really put down roots in the community or area you are posted to.”
When asked his advice for someone looking to get into the RAAF, Mr Boyle said it’s important to think about being away from home and for the individual to weigh up the pros and cons of joining the ADF for them.
“It really is a rewarding career and the job is always changing which makes it interesting as well as fun,” he said.
Having recently changed trades in the RAAF, he said in the coming years he is keen to work up through the ranks, learning all he can about aircraft structural repairs, building on his skills in metal fabrication.
At this stage he doesn’t have any concrete plans to return to the North-East, although he said he loves bringing his family back to his hometown for holidays when possible, enjoying mountain biking around the state.
• Mark Boyle on a back seat joy ride in an FA/18 Hornet whilst on exercise in Guam.