In Service PhD?
Dear All,
Feeling really rather small posting in the company of all here, but here goes....
Currently a final-year RAF sponsored (pilot) aero eng undergrad at a university with a pretty good reputation for the course, and I've somehow managed to get pretty good academic results so far. I'm very keen to become a test pilot at some point in the future, although I obviously appreciate this is some considerable way off in the future.
With the current state of the training system (a recent thread on the Mil Aircrew forum talks about spending a total of 18 months holding so far in three years of training), I was considering attempting a part time PhD while I work my way through the system. Obviously flying would be my absolute priority during flying courses, but I think I would have sufficient time to make reasonable progress during my holds. My personal experience of holding officers suggests that they are definately not the busiest people around! I was thinking of asking for holds at the UAS attached to the university in question.
I'm not thinking of attempting to enhance my career with this; it's something I want to do for myself, and I think (possibly hubristically) I have the necessary academic ability to do it. While my field of interest would not have an immediate direct application to the current RAF, it is still very aeronautical, and (in my view at least) of great relevance to future military aviation. I am completely prepared to fund my study out of my own pocket.
I've applied to a pretty reputable university, and interviews there went really well. I'm now in the process of submitting my official application, and have hit a sticking point. The university I'm applying to have only recently introduced the option of part-time study, and require a letter from your employer giving their consent. I duly contacted the lovely folks at Cranwell, who pretty much just laughed at me, saying that it would be completely without precedent and 'unlikely of success', before passing my letter along to someone else to make the official decision.
I'd really appreciate any words of wisdom, or indeed any thoughts/comments at all, from the posters on this forum. Having already received enough banter from my UAS mates I really don't feel like being shouted down on the Mil Aircrew forum!
Thanks for your time.
FPS