Aircraft structural technician Trung always dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but he ended up scoring a Defence gig a little closer to Earth
Aviation has always been Trung’s thing. Dreaming of a career in space, he spent his childhood looking up at the sky and getting excited over anything that flew.
“I wanted to be an astronaut,” he says. “But getting up close and personal with aircraft every day is still a childhood dream fulfilled.”
Raised in Vietnam, the biggest hurdle in Trung’s pathway was getting the support from his family to kickstart a career in the Australian Defence Force. With a mother who’d lived through the Vietnam War, it took a lot of convincing that working with military aircraft was safe, secure – and rewarding.
“I showed my mother that what I do protects the nation,” he says. “Australia adopted three generations of my family post the Vietnam War – and I see this as a way I can return the favour.”
Career in the clouds
Upon applying for the Air Force after high school, Trung got skilled up – and fast – in some pretty specific trades. Through Defence, he completed a Certificate IV in Aeroskills (Structural), which he followed with structural tech and trade supervisor qualifications.
These days, Trung spends his weekdays working on aircraft – most-recently the C-17A Globemaster – which means quadruple-checking their model-specific structure, skins, pipeline integrity and attachment hardware.
One day he might be using a drone to carry out a paint survey on the top of a plane – the next, drafting detailed technical drawings.
“We’re one of the last trades to fabricate aircraft parts locally,” he says. “I love being able to work physically, too.”
Trung’s study and career path to becoming a aircraft structural technician
- Cert IV in Aeroskills (Structural)
- Aircraft Structural Fitter
- Aircraft Structural Technician
- Trade Supervisor Qualification
This article was first published in Careers with STEM: Defence 2023. For more Defence role models, head to our STEM + Defence role model hub!
