Andy Digby's Technical Profile


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Career Summary

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

 

 

Existing Academic Qualification

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

 

Summary of Tertiary Education / Courses Undertaken

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

 

Existing Professional Qualifications and Memberships

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

 

Career Background and a Brief Career History

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