An aircraft handler is a member of the Aircraft Handling branch in the Royal Navy of the British Armed Forces. Aircraft Handlers are responsible for the safe movement, launching (taking off) and recovering (landing) of all aircraft on board ships within the Royal Navy and some of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. They are also responsible for aircraft crash rescue and fire fighting duties on board Royal Navy ships and at Royal Naval Air Stations. The Aircraft Handling branch of the Fleet Air Arm in the Royal Navy was formed in 1945. Beforehand the duties of Aircraft Handlers were performed by members of other branches of the Navy, many of whom transferred to the new branch upon its formation.
"Specialist aircraft handling, crash rescue and fire fighting are required at sea on all ships with airc...
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An RAF GR7A Harrier conducted the first successful sortie carrying an Enhanced Paveway 2 laser guided bomb to its target during Exercise Magic Carpet. MOD 45146089.jpg
A Royal Air Force (RAF) Harrier GR7A conducted the first successful sortie carrying an Enhanced Pave...
Badge of the Royal Navy Fire Rescue Service.jpg
Badge of the Royal Navy FRS
Exercise Neptune Warrior MOD 45147435.jpg
A Harrier GR9 aircraft is pictured landing onboard HMS Illustrious at sea.
800 Sqn NSW (Naval Strike...
HMS Illustrious at Speed MOD 45155641.jpg
HMS Illustrious at speed in the English Channel.
HMS Illustrious was undergoing training off the sou...
HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) is pulled out of Rosyth dockyard on 26 June 2017 (45162790).jpg
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) exiting Rosyth dockyard, Scotland (UK), fo...
Nostris in manibus tuti. The badge and motto of Royal Navy Aicraft Handlers.jpg
Badge of the aircraft handlers