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jacketp
23rd Jan 2006, 21:43
Hi,

Can anybody tell me what the break down for training is now at OACTU Basic Initial Officer Trg? There seems to be loads on the old course but not alot on the new revised course?
Another area you guys/gals maybe able to help is how can I remember aircraft types easily???
Thanks in advance
:)

movadinkampa747
23rd Jan 2006, 22:11
Updated IOT course, as of the 25th November 2005.

TERM 1
Week 1-Week 4: Military Skills-Weapon Training, First Aid, Essential Service Knowledge, Physical Education, Drill, Navigation Exercise, Leadership (Fundamentals-PICSIE)

Week 5: Leadership Hangar Exercises

Week 6: Academic Leadership Static (Leadership building)

Week 7: Leadership Dynamic 1 (at RITC Fairbourne, Wales)
Week 8: Leadership Dynamic 2 (at RITC Fairbourne, Wales)

Week 9: Military Skills, 1 week Exercise

Week 10: Leadership Test

Then a review and leave (1 week)

TERM 2
Week 11: Intro to academics

Week 12: Exercise - Military Aid

Week 13 - Week 15: Academics-Operational studies, Oral Communications, Essential Service Knowledge, Staff Studies, Written Communications, Leadership (Transactional)

Week 16: Exercise Planning for Decisive Edge I (formerly force protection), Military Skills (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical)

Week 17-Week 18: Exercise-Decisive Edge I leadership test

Week 19: Academic Exams

Week 20: Graduation Support

Recommend Graduation and leave (1 week)

TERM 3
Week 21: Leadership Academics

Week 22-Week 25: Basic Air Warfare Course (BAWC)/Grantown-on-Spey/Care in Command, Station Visit

Week 26: Exercise Planning for Decisive Edge II (formerly combined operations centre), London Visit?

Week 27- Week 28: Exercise - Decisive Edge II

Week 29: Graduation Preparation

Week 30: Graduation

As for the aircraft, well, helicopters have their wings above the roof and they go around and all the other aircraft have their wings bolted firmly onto the sides Tornado wings even move backwards and forwards. The only way to learn the different types of aircraft is to learn them by looking at the pictures.

Best to buy yourself an aircraft recognition book. If it is just RAF aircraft you are after try looking at the RAF Website.

Safety_Helmut
23rd Jan 2006, 22:19
Another area you guys/gals maybe able to help is how can I remember aircraft types easily???
Give it a few more years and there'll be so few you'll know them all by their tail numbers ?

Safety_Helmut

movadinkampa747
23rd Jan 2006, 22:21
There are already spotters around that could tell you every tail number......:eek:

charliegolf
24th Jan 2006, 18:41
Now that IOT is almost twice as long as in the 80s, are the graduates twice as good?

CG

jacketp
25th Jan 2006, 17:44
Thank you very much for the break down. It was a serious q about aircraft recognition!!! But maybe I am not that bad as I knew the difference between Helicopters and planes!!
Any other tips for the prep for OASC?

All help gratefully received.

Lisa

VigilantPilot
25th Jan 2006, 17:53
Try searching this forum for "OASC" - you should find plenty of info there.

Aircraft recce - you need to be a bit more specific. If this is for OASC prep, then you don't need to know that much. Just read up on the current RAF aircraft and future prospects (UAVs included). Best site for that is the RAF website - more detail than you will need. Also BBC News website is worth a search - you can find information about new UAV developments and current kit.

If you just wanted general advice about air recce, then the best way of learning aircraft is to buy Janes Aircraft Recognition Handbook. Also, you may find that if you regularly read Air Forces Monthly or similar, just by reading about aircraft regularly you will pick a lot up.

Finally, recce is best learnt by looking at both similarities and differences between confusable aircraft.

jacketp
25th Jan 2006, 18:05
Thanks again for your reply. I struggle with simple things like identifying GR4 and F3 (don't laugh - probably simple). Will look at Janes.
Any other tips for OASC prep gratefully received!
Another maybe simple question is why do we not have UAV currently?

VigilantPilot
25th Jan 2006, 20:25
Most recent article on UK UAVs.

I'm not really clued up on specifics, but we do have teams working with the US on UAVs.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4617588.stm

Mead Pusher
25th Jan 2006, 23:13
True story:

At the interview stage of OASC I was asked how to tell the difference between the F2 and the GR1 (at the time). Having been a bit of a swot I went into detail on weapons and fuselage length/shape. The interviewer came back with "But what's the obvious difference?" <slight :hmm: pause> Then I replied "One's grey and one's camouflaged." To which I got a "Thank you" and we moved on! :D

I was a young civilian at the time - are you entering from the ranks or from outside the Service?

BEagle
26th Jan 2006, 06:43
jacketp - if your aircraft recognition is really so weak, how can you possibly have sufficient passion for aviation to becom ea military pilot?

These days the RAF has very few aircraft types indeed. Whereas once there were a couple of dozen or more types, now there are a mere handful or so. And if you can't even tell a Tornado from a Harrier.... What about Nimrod and VC10, TriStar and C-17. What is the main difference between a Herc J and a Herc K?

Perhaps you haven't found the RAF website yet? The one which gives information about each aircraft type currently operated? It's at www.... no, on second thoughts, use your own initiative, it isn't hard.

Gainesy
26th Jan 2006, 10:26
Had a secretary once that filed aircraft pictures under "grey" or "piebald".:hmm: Got her a txfr to "Hice & Hind".

jacketp
26th Jan 2006, 17:58
BEagle,

Thanks for your post, I have found the RAF Website, (must have used my initiative!). The problem is that things are not always kept up to date, hence the q about IOT. I am not that bad as can tell the difference between all the aircraft it is the weapons etc that I have difficulty with, I am not applying for Pilot, used this forum as I found it useful to gain information, especially from those in the know. Plus far more interesting.
Regards
JP

Spotting Bad Guys
26th Jan 2006, 18:23
Watchkeeper is currently in the procurement stages - although given our recent exchange of views ChristopherRobin may be best placed to comment on the IPT/Procurement end of things.
The RAF is involved in the Predator - link to info:http://www.flightinternational.com/Articles/2005/07/12/200203/Rising+to+the+challenge.html

There's also a RUSI presentation available somewhere.

Beags - she didn't say she wanted to be a pilot! And last time I looked, GR4 and F3 were Tornado variants....:=

SBG

BEagle
26th Jan 2006, 19:07
JP - oops! My profound apologies, I didn't RTFQ!

F3s are flown, as are all Air Defence Fighters, by bronzed sky gods of noble birth who zoom and soar where the air is rare.

Who also have big watches.

GR4s and other mud-moving trash are flown by low-life baby-eaters who live solely to 'blow $hit up'... They get hypoxic if they have to set 1013.

And they probably have to steal their watches from others.

Good luck to you at OACTU - in whatever branch you apply for.

ZH875
26th Jan 2006, 19:12
What is the main difference between a Herc J and a Herc K?Here we go again........:rolleyes:

OCCWMF
27th Jan 2006, 13:26
That's not fair Beags....

We take pictures of it first, come back later and blow it up, then take more pictures of it. :}


OCCWMF