Peter Clark from Onehunga High School in Auckland can't believe his luck when he gets to check out a career as an Air Warfare Specialist (AWS) aboard the air force P-3K2 Orion. He's always wanted to be a pilot but when he gets a taste of what the AWS role is all about, he discovers there's plenty more amazing opportunities with the RNZAF outside of flying the aircrafts.
Meeting up with his mentor Sergeant Simon Martelli, Peter is quickly immersed in an adventure to learn more about the role of an AWS. He finds out about the aircraft's state-of-the-art camera equipment and radar technology, before seeing where bombs and torpedoes are housed during times of combat. In its role as a search and rescue aircraft, the space is now filled with life raft and survival aides.
Inside the P-3, Peter gets familiar with an array of technical equipment operated during flight and is even given a role himself providing the optics brief as the team on board prepare for a real-life mission requested by the Ministry of Fisheries.
The Orion has been dispatched to investigate a fishing boat that may be illegally fishing in New Zealand waters. Descending to a lower altitude, safety comes first and the team equip themselves for flying at a lower level then set about detailing the boat's markings to check its legality.
It's all part of a day in the life of an AWS and at the end of what has been a real insight into an exciting career, Peter is left with an appreciation of the teamwork involved. "It's pretty cool!" sums up his thoughts about a job he previously knew nothing about.
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