RAF Pilot Training Syllabus

[BillHicksRules]

Dear all,

I would like to ask if anyone can help me with the answers to the following questions.

What length is the basic flight training section of the RAF Pilot training syllabus?

How many weeks and how many flight hours involved?

Same again for the streamed sections.

Any help will be appreciated.

Cheers

BHR

[Wholigan]

http://www.ukmfts.mod.uk/pages/current/raftraining/pilot.shtml

But be aware that the whole EFT system is in the process of probable major change. Details of this change should be available in the near future.

[BillHicksRules]

Wholigan,

That was a great link.

Sorry to be a pain but is there something similar to show the OCU timeframes etc?

I had a look around in the MOD site but could not find it.

The reason I ask is that a colleague from across the pond has stated that a USAF FJ pilot on arrival at his/her squadron has far more training under their belt than the equivalent RAF FJ pilot.

It was my understanding that this was not the case as I believe that the USAF do most of their "learning to fight the aircraft" on squadron whereas the RAF does it at Valley and the OCUs.

Cheers

BHR

[SSSETOWTF]

Bill,

I don't know how the numbers game works out, in terms of weeks of training & flight hours. My experience of working with the USN training pipeline/USMC AV8B RAG products is that the chap who arrives on a sqn is probably about 12-18 months behind a UK OCU grad in terms of tactical training. But they will have landed on a ship a few times and have a lot more instrument flight time.

Make sure you ask your US colleague what the final check ride of their flight school/OCU entails and compare it to SAP10 at Valley (is it still that? - rapid plan and lead a 2v1 at 250', usually in poor weather, hitting a TOT +/-5seconds, with only a map and stopwatch?). Op 5 on 20 Sqn when I went through was a similar sort of thing, with some low level CAS thrown in, out of a deployed location. If memory serves, both courses were about 100 hours of flight time. I don't think the USN/USMC syllabi even come close to pushing a guy that hard.

Single Seat, Single Engine, The Only Way To Fly

[Roguedent]

Bill,

I was creamed! off early to METS and when I went through you did land on the OCU with precious few hours. The old system of every one doing a stint on the Tucano seemed a better idea, but MONEY is always the bottom line. I finished the VC10 OCU (the longest OCU in the world it seemed at 9 months) with under 350hrs total flying. Seeing that I had started it with around 200hrs that wasn't bad (Can't recall the exact hrs, but definately no more than said).
The learning curve once hitting the OCU ramped up, and a couple of hundred or so hours would of helped. That being said 3 yrs from JEFTS to Sqn, and then 6 months after CR upgrade, I still felt I had the required training on board. For us Multi lads, working the ovens is priority! Joking aside, the RAF system seems to deliver a better end produce due to excellent instructors. They are able to impart the knowledge faster, so being able to teach more advanced skills earlier. Well thats my opinion anyway.

SSSETOWTF,

'Single seat, single engine, the only way to fly'
how about 'Single seat, single engine.......failure, the only way down!'

and now' 110 seats, four engines, four ovens, four toilets, the gentleman's way to fly':ok::ugh: :cool:

[6foottanker]

Dude, you've got faaaar too much spare time down in the big brother house! The papers today seem to suggest the argies are getting itchy again, best you standby to standby! Best get back soon, or our Sqn will have gone..... Can't complain about harrier mate put-downs though!!:ok:

[Runaway Gun]

"How many weeks and how many flight hours" ???

More importantly, how many years, and how many study hours per flying hour...

How many holding jobs, relocations, Court Martials due to poor behaivour in the bar etc...

[Roguedent]

Runaway Gun,

All pilots use 'The Force' :cool: anyway.

If you ain't born with it, you ain't got it. If you polish a Turd, its still a Turd!!.:\

Plus depends on the holding job you want, Cyprus was always good, as well as a good FJ sqn. :D As for poor bar behaivour, its was just high jinks m'lud!!:yuk:

[Runaway Gun]

Good points Rogue, and I agree. I was just pointing out that it's more than a quick 'home study' course.

As for the bar antics, I can hardly ever remember what it is that I'm supposed to have done. ;)