Andy Digby's Technical Profile
View Andy's current "Linked-In" Profile
Aug
2019 |
Officially
Retired !! |
But
always open to offers of day rate work on ATC or Communication Systems |
Aug
2017 – Aug 2019 |
Cyrrus
Ltd |
Principal
Consultant, ATC Systems |
Sept
2015 – Oct 2016 |
Jacobs
International |
Commissioning
Manager – AGL upgrade Abu Dhabi International Airport |
Dec
2012 – Sept 2015 |
Hill
International Inc |
Resident
Engineer and Interface Manager, ATC, ATM, Met & Navaids. Omani Airports Development
Construction Project (6 airports) |
Oct
2007-Nov 2012 |
Exelis
Defence Ltd (formerly ITT Defence Ltd), Basingstoke |
Senior
Lead Systems Integration Engineer |
Mar
2007-Aug 2007 |
Selex
S.I., Portsmouth |
Systems
Design Authority for Newquay Airport Upgrade |
2003-2007 |
Rockwell
Collins (UK) Ltd, Reading |
Chartered
HF Communications Engineer, DHFCS Project |
2000-2003 |
WS
Atkins Consultants Ltd, Epsom |
Chartered
Consultant Engineer |
1999-2000 |
Traffic
Control Systems Unit (TCSU), London |
Communications
Projects Engineer |
1996-1999 |
Airport
Systems Engineering Ltd (ASEL) |
Technical
Director |
1991-1996 |
Zuhair
Fayez & Associates, Consulting Engineers and Architects, Jeddah, KSA |
Airport
Systems Consultant Engineer to a major Master Planning, Geographic
Information and Facilities Management Systems Airport Project |
1990-1991 |
QRV
Communications |
Proprietor
- Computers and IT |
1989-1990 |
SABCO
(Bechtel), Dammam, KSA |
Supervising
Construction Engineer, specialising in Airport Systems |
1982-1986 |
Plessey
Installation & Commissioning Group |
Field
Engineer, ATC Systems |
1981-1982 |
Bendix
PCA Programme, Riyadh, KSA |
Field
Engineer, Navaids |
1980-1981 |
Marconi
Instruments, Luton Airport, UK |
Senior
Repair & Calibration Technician |
1969-1980 |
Royal
Air Force |
Air
Traffic Control Systems Technician |
Bachelor of Science Degree with Honours {B.Sc.(Hons)} - The Open University, UK
Higher National Diploma in Engineering (HND) - Southampton Institute of Higher Education, UK
2012 |
PRINCE2
Practitioner - Project Management |
2001-2002 |
Certificate
in Engineering Management - Engineering Management Partnership with Bristol
and Loughborough Universities |
1999-2001 |
Open
University MEng Modules |
1991-1995 |
Bachelor
of Science (Honours) - The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK |
1987-1989 |
Higher
National Diploma in Engineering - Southampton Institute of Higher Education,
UK |
Andy Digby is registered as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with the governing body for Professional Engineers in the UK - The UK Engineering Council - and maintains Corporate Membership of several Professional Institutions subscribing to the precepts of The Engineering Council:
Andy actively encourages young people into the Professional Engineering arena
and is perfectly happy to act as mentor to them or, where appropriate, act as
sponsor to up-coming Engineers who seek entry into the recognised Professional
Bodies.
A Simplified View of The Engineering Council's Registration Structure - with
Grades
Chartered
Engineer |
Full
Professional Registration and Global Recognition |
Incorporated
Engineer |
Intermediate
Professional Registration and Recognition |
Engineering
Technician |
Entry
Level Professional Registration and Recognition |
A Chartered Engineer holding an Honours Degree who has many years of
first-hand experience in running teams, managing projects and sites, designing,
installing, commissioning and maintaining Radio Communication Systems, Radar
Systems, Navigational Aid Systems, Masts, Aerials and all related peripherals
in either a Air, Land or Marine environment, both in the UK and extensively
overseas.
In early August 2019, the contract
at Cyrrus came to a natural conclusion and Andy retired gracefully to enjoy time
with his family and the benefits he had worked so hard for so long on.
By August 2017, Andy was working for
Cyrrus Ltd as their
Principal Consultant (ATC Systems). He has ownership, design accountability
for ATC, Comms & Navaids aspects of new airport construction, Project
managed a new primary radar development for windfarm mitigation programme, Oversees supplier design development,
implementation, control meetings with contractors or clients, manage testing,
commissioning and flight checks to enable integration of the new systems.
Manages a radar data integration programme. Project manages multiple
ATC-related contracts for different Clients. Provides subject matter expertise
on industry standard radar quality assessment & analysis tools, provides
Integration design of an ICAO Level 2 A-SMGCS, to assist ATCOs with airfield
movement control. Mentors other staff.
In early September 2015, Andy moved from Hill International to Jacobs
International as their Commissioning Manager. Jacobs were managing an Airfield Ground
Lighting (AGL) upgrade programme on behalf of Abu Dhabi International
Airport. Ownership and accountability for
contractor's design of replacement AGL system works. Planning of a fully integrated A-SMGCS ICAO
Level 4 system, incorporating control of CAT 3 AGL for airfield movements to
reduce the Air Traffic Controller burden. Overseeing design development and its
implementation, assessing contractor performance, meetings with both
contractors and clients. Testing, commissioning and providing cohesive input to
operations to enable integration of new systems into a fully operational ATC at
a dual runway international airport. This role folded unexpectedly in October
2016 and Andy returned home.
In December 2012, Andy had joined Hill
International as the Air Traffic Control Systems, Air Traffic
Management Systems, Meteorological Systems, and Navigational Aid Systems
Interface Manager within the major Omani International
Airports development & construction project. By March 2013, he was
the Resident Engineer and Interface Manager for these two packages (SNC9 and
SNC 10) within the overall role of "The Engineer" in this
FIDIC-orientated construction project. This is a multi-year project to upgrade
Muscat and Salalah International Airports and four regional airports within
Oman.
In previous professional roles, Andy was employed for five years as a Senior
Lead Systems Integration Engineer with Exelis Defence Ltd., (formerly ITT
Defence Ltd), of Basingstoke England, working as a permanent staff employee.
Originally bought in to provide HF and NVIS (Near Vertical Incidence Skywave)
communications expertise for a specific bid, and to provide platform-wide
Systems Integration of HF, VHF and UHF radio products into one contiguous,
secure, communications network with a Military Architecture.
Projects have included the CE Marking of a range of Exelis products, including
radios and filters, ATEX Certification and National Police Improvement Agency
(NPIA) Certification of First Responder radios. Other recent areas of work have
included making inputs to : The integration of a range of civil radios into the
Exelis portfolio and demonstrating capability of the same to EU and overseas
customers for First Responders e.g. Police, Fire, Ambulance and other Public
Services. Specifying the radio and ancillary equipment, calculating and
mitigating risks attached to the optimal operating configuration per-customer
and ensuring total customer satisfaction. Bids to major UK customers
looking to replace a significant number of Air Traffic Control ground
management communication radios; Leaky Feeder maintenance and / or replacement
programme management; Addressing several Urgent Operational Requirements (UOR)
for key MOD programmes including IED detection with risk mitigation; Co-site
filters; Providing 'Back Office' Secure Radio Communications knowledge and
expertise to assist a North African Diplomatic Protection Group; Providing
Secure Radio Communications knowledge and expertise to a European Ministry of
Interior and Providing Secure Radio Communications knowledge and expertise to a
small team of dedicated personal protection specialists. Other specialised work
has included inputs to the design, commissioning and production operations
attached to producing a completely new radio mount product for a military radio
whilst providing a battery charging capability for users whilst out on mission.
Radio remains a 'grab & go' for rapid dismount capability. Specific
responsibility for bid work on Tactical Air Traffic Control, (HF to UHF
communications, landing lights, power generation & distribution systems),
including initial and detailed design for Forward Operating Air Base (FOAB). I
have also worked on a considerable number of other communications-orientated
projects such as writing internal procedures for operations, had multiple
clients in a variety of roles, had direct responsibility for evaluating new
potential portfolio radio equipment, and ordering parts via the established
Exelis supply chain.
Briefly employed on a permanent basis by Selex S.I. as the Systems Design
Authority for the transformation of a military aerodrome in Cornwall (RAF St.
Mawgan) into Newquay Civil Airport along with all the usual issues and problems
normally associated with such a large-scale alteration and evolution.
Andy has also worked as a permanent staff employee for Rockwell Collins as an
HF Systems Engineer, part of the global DHFCS programme team. That involved
planning at system-level down to component-level, implementation of the planned
operations, installing new large scale HF radio communications, IT and
telecomms equipment into a variety of sites around the globe and ensuring the
integration of the new and existing legacy equipment, carrying out system-level
checks and ensuring the end-users requirements were fully met.
Prior to Rockwell Collins, Andy was employed by WS Atkins (Consultants) Limited
in a multitude of roles, including working as the Radio Systems Design
Authority on several major Road Tunnel Projects about the UK for the HA, and as
the Infrastructure Design Authority to a Garrison Redevelopment Private Finance
Initiative (PFI).
Prior to WS Atkins, Andy was employed as a contractor working at Eurocontrol in
Brussels for a couple of years, and worked as an IT / LAN Administrator /
Technical Hub extensively within the Manpower Planning Section.
Andy also maintains current in-depth knowledge of ATC systems comprising SSB,
AM and FM radio communication systems operating in the HF, VHF or UHF bands;
radio-based navigational aids comprising instrument landing systems (ILS),
microwave landing systems (MLS), distance measuring equipment (DME),
omni-directional radio beacons (VOR & DVOR) and non-directional radio
beacons (NDB), automatic direction finder systems (ADF) and global positioning
satellite systems (GPSS and DGPSS); primary and secondary airfield and air
defence radar systems operating between 1 GHz and 10 GHz, including surface
movement & ground control radar and short range precision approach radars
(PAR); visual landing aids comprising visual approach slope indicators (VASI)
and precision approach path indicators (PAPI); weather and airport information
dissemination information systems, comprising (amongst others) automated
terminal information services (ATIS).
In addition to ATC, Andy holds a Department of Transport (DoT) ENEM Certificate
on Maritime Electronics comprising radio communications, navigational aids and
radar (including ARPA). He is a qualified Maritime Radio Officer and also has a
good working knowledge of marine engines, their control and affiliated or
peripheral systems. He also builds and rebuilds computers for fun.
Andy is also a fully qualified Radio Amateur and regularly operates on the HF
SSB & CW amateur bands worldwide, the VHF and UHF bands within Europe,
callsign GWØJLX. He teaches Amateur Radio (including Morse Code) at all
three UK licence levels to would-be amateurs and is a morse code examiner. He
holds foreign Amateur Radio licences as well. He is an active member of FISTS, the UK-based International Morse
Preservation Society. See his amateur
radio website for further information.
He also enjoys a wide range of other hobbies and interests, such as scuba diving, rugby, cycling,
sailing, athletics and photography.
Click here for details of how to contact Andy Digby
This file was last updated : 26th Aug 2019