Should I sacrifice my braces to attempt to become a pilot in the RAF?

[jackocooper]

It has been my dream to become a pilot in the RAF for a very long time. A few months ago I recieved a text message from RAF Careers saying that my prefered role (pilot) has opened. I leaped at the opportunity and returned all of the application forms within a couple of hours.

I was then invited to a presentation at my local ACFO, which I attended and was then invited to carry out the RAF computer based aptitude tests at RAF Cranwell. After 9 long hours of aptitude testing, I passed!
I was then invited to attend a filter interview at an AFCO, just yesterday. I begin revising straight away and continued to every day up until the interview. I arrived at the AFCO, sat down and the Officer looked at me and say "you've got braces. You can't progress any further in the application process until you have those braces removed." After hours upon hours of revision, I was sent home.

My question is, should I have my braces removed to continue with my application? Or do I wait about 1 year until my dental treatment is completed and then reapply. Bearing in mind that the RAF may not be recruiting pilots when the treatment is complete and that I will possibly have to resit all of the aptitude tests, which I may not pass again.
I really can't decide what to do. If I was guaranteed a place in the RAF as a pilot, I would have the braces removed without hesitation. It is the fact that I may not be successful and then be left with no braces.

Thanks for your help! I don't just want to join the RAF because I don't know what else to do. I like really really want to! (I'm 18 by the way)

[Specaircrew]

Ditch the braces, then visit the dentist when you pass Cranwell :-) (oh look I've made 216 posts on the day that they disband!)

[lj101]

Ditch the braces - no brainer.

[pplal]

Ditch em , once in a life time chance here .

[5 Forward 6 Back]

I think I'd rather wait a year, know my teeth will be ok, and apply at 19 rather than 18. If the alternative is possibly just getting in a year early (why the rush) but having a lifetime of dodgy, crooked teeth....?

[jackocooper]

I would wait until my treatment is completed, however it's the fact I may have to redo my aptitude tests (which I may fail) and they might not want pilots. I've had to wait a couple of years to actually be invited to apply

[Genstabler]

Ditch the braces and go for it. You can always go back to braces later if you want, but the opportunity to become a pilot may not be open later on. Seize the day!
Have you tried a belt?

[Thomas coupling]

OK, I will bite (excuse the pun).
Is this some kind of a wind up?
Braces or flying jets??

Are you mentally unstable or what?
What will you tell your kids in future:

Well kids, daddy is a loss adjuster for Aviva because he chose to wear braces rather than become a Typhoon jock wazzing everywhere, but atleast daddy has a nice smile nowadays doesn't he?

Get a damn life will you!:ugh::}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}::}

[lj101]

Most of our pilots have wonky teeth - part of the British charm. If you were joining the PTI branch however......

[Simplythebeast]

The fact that you have to ask the question on a public forum and give the impression that you could possibly be swayed by the views of people who you dont know, makes me think that perhaps your decision making skills fall slightly short of those I would hope are required of a front line military pilot.

[pr00ne]

Thomas coupling,

Strapping yourself into a fast jet maybe once or twice a week for a few hours in some God forsaken remote part of Perfidious Albion isn't everyone's idea of a "life"......

[pr00ne]

simplythebeast,

???????????????????

Have you met any front line military pilots?

[Genstabler]

Take no notice of those miserable bar stewards on this forum who lose no opportunity to spread their venom. They are absolutely not typical of the people you will meet in the Services, but they serve their purpose by teaching you whom to ignore and to grow a thick skin.
Well done for putting your question to a military aircrew forum. It shows initiative. Don't be put off by the pooh stirrers. Bin the braces and give it a go. The sky is the limit!
Good luck.

[P6 Driver]

Most of our pilots have wonky teeth

Many pilots have wonky faces to disguise their wonky teeth!

Go for the dream and ambition - as stated, good dental treatment is available in the service. You could, however, obtain advice from your current dentist as to whether suitable treatment could be applied in a year or so with the same end result...

[Danny42C]

Be fair, chaps !... Give the lad a break !.....He's only asking a simple question.

My snaggers (when I had any) were all over the place. Never did me any harm. Let's cut to the quick: any sensible girl looks at the whole package, not at just a set of dentures...D.

[ORAC]

Gut feeling, frankly if you even had to ask you won't make it anyway.....

[engineer(retard)]

Take it from an unbiased individual. Most aircrew are so ugly that they have to learn to fly to stand a chance at pulling after happy hour. If it is what you want above all else, you've got to go for it :ok:

[Bastardeux]

The fact that you have to ask the question on a public forum and give the impression that you could possibly be swayed by the views of people who you dont know, makes me think that perhaps your decision making skills fall slightly short

What's wrong with asking people on this forum? I know plenty of pilots that suffer the opposite problem of being too stubborn to question their own opinions!!

Jack, I would ditch the cheese-graters and crack on every single time...unless you have the teeth of Shane MacGowan!

[Tankertrashnav]

Course you could always keep the braces and apply to the US Navy - apparently a gleaming set of gnashers is a prerequisite for their FJ pilots.

I mean, just look at Tom Cruise. Do you think they'd have let him fly that Tomcat with a set like this?

http://parkorthodontics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Tom-Cruise-Before.jpg

No wonder he had his teeth fixed. ;)

http://parkorthodontics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/tom-cruise-teeth-whitening-in-los-angeles.jpg

[Chainkicker]

Should I sacrifice my braces to attempt to become a pilot in the RAF?

Use a belt instead.....:}

Hat/coat etc

[CoffmanStarter]

Go for it :ok:

http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab71/prooner/A694F438-EFF9-4819-BCE1-78A9AC57556F-4025-0000012F49DE39E8.jpg

[Wizzard]

I'd poke my right eye out for a chance to fly fast jets




No wait...

[lj101]

Coffman - I didn't realise you were such a hunk.

[ACW418]

When I joined the RAF in 1962 as a pilot nobody had braces. Didn't do me any harm - some might disagree with this view!!

You have the chance of a lifetime so go for it.

ACW

[Wensleydale]

"It has been my dream to become a pilot in the RAF for a very long time."

You have one question to answer: what is more important - my dream or my vanity?. You make the decision!

[Romeo E.T.]

excuse my ignorance, but how does wearing braces affect the selection process, ?
What effect does braces have on the mental and physical ability, how do wearing braces affect the training process ?

and by the time that the selection process is done and the actual courses start, the time of braces treatment might be over anyway.

educate me, but this sounds a bit draconian

[5 Forward 6 Back]

I'm a bit surprised by some of these responses; I mean, it's not like it's now or never. He might fail some other aspect of selection, and he has a lot of hurdles to get through before he sees any cockpit at all!

A one year delay gives him arguably a better chance of success, AND the pretty teeth. He's going to feel a bit silly if he causes himself all sorts of dental grief, then gets chopped at IOT....

[jackocooper]

Thank you for all the replies!
If I was guaranteed a place, I wouldn't have to think twice about getting rid of these braces. I'd have them straight off. If I get them off, I'm going to have to take a risk as I may not be accepted into the RAF. That risk is what I'm having difficulty deciding on. I am confident I am what they are looking for but I have my doubts. My eye sight is good, but not perfect. I have been told by an optician that I have a "very high standard of vision", although I am in the slightest bit short sighted in one eye.
And as for the team leading and group discussions. Am I going to be able to stand out above everyone else who I am against?
It is a tough decision but I don't want to look back in 1 year as I'm waiting for the recruitment to reopen "I wish I took that chance". But then again I don't want to be thinking "I wish I kept my braces" as I'm returning home knowing I've not been accepted....mind you I may regret if I don't go for it now!

[lj101]

I mean, it's not like it's now or never

The OP seems to believe his chance of success reduces if he waits a year. He can get his teeth fixed post training anyhow.

[jackocooper]

What I have been led to believe is that since I would transfer to the NHS to the RAF's health care, they don't want to take on the responsibility. They don't have orthodontists...:L Why I can't simply tell them I will have them taken off if I am accepted I do not know, however they definitely won't.

[5 Forward 6 Back]

The OP seems to believe his chance of success reduces if he waits a year. He can get his teeth fixed post training anyhow.

Based on what? All the stats imply that slightly older candidates tend to do better at the stuff that matters, i.e. IOT and EFT and beyond. He'll arguably increase his chances by waiting. We've all seen plenty of keen youngsters get chopped, and not having a degree/getting your teeth fixed/etc might be a big regret if he doesn't pass training.

I think a realistic attitude is better than all the "reach for the stars! Follow your dreams! The sky's the limit!" stuff bandied around. If he passed the aptitude tests well, he'll almost certainly pass them next year. With an extra year's maturity and growing up behind him, he might do better at the leadership selection and interview stages. An extra year's prep won't hurt!

They might recruit less next year. On the other hand, they might recruit more, meaning he'll have an even better chance! :ok: If he was bouncing off the age limit and about to turn 26, then yes, take the risk. But at 18?

[NutLoose]

The world is full of " why didn't I do that" people, you know you have the chance now, it may never ever happen again. To look back in the future and think why why why didn't I take the chance on something you had been working towards for most of your life to me seems strange. Heck you can always get a brace done privately if needed later on.

[muppetofthenorth]

And what if you get the braces taken off but they say you're too young/inexperienced and should go to university first? Which is fairly likely.

[Tashengurt]

I don't get this. Why would braces be an issue at such an early stage, or at all?
Even if there was a risk of some adverse effect surely that's a long time down the road?


Posted from Pprune.org App for Android

[BEagle]

Most of our pilots have wonky teeth - part of the British charm.

Whereas I know at least one lady navigator with the most beautifully smiley set of pearly whites....;)

jackocooper mate, suggest you talk to your gnasher-basher before you make any firm decision.

[Bob Viking]

1. Why the hell are the RAF even bothered that he has a brace? I am an RAF pilot and I can't think for the life of me why it would make the blindest bit of difference.
2. If we're recruiting pilots right now it is probably not a short term thing. I would imagine the gates are open again and will remain that way for the foreseeable future, so why rush?
3. If you have passed the aptitude tests there is no reason to think you won't again. If it was touch and go first time round and you did fail them on a re-test then you may not have had the required skills to pass flying training anyway.

Bottom line in BVs eyes. Make whatever decision you are happy with. There will always be those that will try to knock you back (this website is full of them) but you'll never know unless you try. An extra year won't make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things and could just give you valuable time to mature (and live a little before the hard work starts) and learn what you need to in order to pass with flying colours.
If you are not good looking they will probably send you to multi engines which is not a terribly bad career. Only the most dashingly handsome of individuals get to fly the fast pointy machinery.
Best of luck and I hope it works out for you.
BV;)

[sled dog]

Why not just wear a belt............:O sorry

[P6 Driver]

Having sung the praises of the RAF Dentist, my most memorable visit was when I travelled over to an appointment with a Wg Cdr at the Swinderby surgery. I had a large molar filling to be done and he just wouldn't have it from me that he had injected anaesthetic into the wrong side of my mouth.

The filling was duly done with me leaping around like a tasered burglar and receiving a lecture about the damage that could be done with a drill bit going at 4000rpm. I'm sure they're better when dealing with braces...

[Bob Viking]

I was holding at RMB Chivenor after IOT before JEFTS and had reason to visit the RN dentist for a filling. He proceeded with the drilling stuff with no aneasthetic at all. I sat there, mouth agape, feeling sure he knew what he was doing and would get a needle out eventually, but no. The whole bloody thing with no drugs. Since it was a Marine base I figured this was SOP (Marines don't need drugs I'm sure!) and grimmaced as he got on with it. Looking back I wish I'd chinned the bugger!
BV:eek::mad:

[Surplus]

And what if you get the braces taken off but they say you're too young/inexperienced and should go to university first? Which is fairly likely.

You get them put back on again?

[ShyTorque]

Join the Navy instead. The most commonly heard expression is "Brace yourself...."

[NRU74]

.....should this thread be a floss ?

[NutLoose]

I was holding at RMB Chivenor after IOT before JEFTS and had reason to visit the RN dentist for a filling. He proceeded with the drilling stuff with no aneasthetic at all. I sat there, mouth agape, feeling sure he knew what he was doing and would get a needle out eventually, but no. The whole bloody thing with no drugs. Since it was a Marine base I figured this was SOP (Marines don't need drugs I'm sure!) and grimmaced as he got on with it. Looking back I wish I'd chinned the bugger!


I oddly used to enjoy going to my local Dentist, she was a young attractive buxom wench and used to rest her boobs on my forehead while she went about her business..... Whether she doped me up beforehand I couldn't tell you..

[jackocooper]

If I had the braces out, I would have to pay thousands of pounds to have them put back in, since I am now over 18 and the NHS doesn't cover it.
My options are: 1)braces taken out, attempt to join, don't get braces back on
2) keep braces in, attempt to join in a year (whilst I'm at uni)
but risk there not be vacancies and having to redo the
aptitude.


Going to dentist tomorrow to see what he thinks!


Just out of curiosity, what is the ratio of people that pass OASC? :L

[RS15]

having been an RAF A2 QHI and a dentist... don't upset the recruiter, but maybe politely ask why? most ortho should be all wrapped up by the time you are anywhere near something fast and pointy. good looking teeth means you could go rotary as well

[racedo]

Lets see keep the braces and you will have straight teeth and probably pick up girls.........
ditch them become a Hot Shot pilot and do you really care about Girls as you swoop around the sky or at 500 feet just under Mach 1.

Always get new teeth implanted but in 15 years time would you want to be thinking I should have ditched the braces.

[Tankertrashnav]

Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth,
And spotted the dangers beneath
All the toffees I chewed,
And the sweet sticky food.
Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth.

I wish I’d been that much more willin’
When I had more tooth there than fillin’
To give up gobstoppers,
From respect to me choppers,
And to buy something else with me shillin’.

When I think of the lollies I licked
And the liquorice allsorts I picked,
Sherbet dabs, big and little,
All that hard peanut brittle,
My conscience gets horribly pricked.

My mother, she told me no end,
‘If you got a tooth, you got a friend.’
I was young then, and careless,
My toothbrush was hairless,
I never had much time to spend.

Oh I showed them the toothpaste all right,
I flashed it about late at night,
But up-and-down brushin’
And pokin’ and fussin’
Didn’t seem worth the time – I could bite!

If I’d known I was paving the way
To cavities, caps and decay,
The murder of fillin’s,
Injections and drillin’s,
I’d have thrown all me sherbet away.

So I lie in the old dentist’s chair,
And I gaze up his nose in despair,
And his drill it do whine
In these molars of mine.
‘Two amalgam,’ he’ll say, ‘for in there.’

How I laughed at my mother’s false teeth,
As they foamed in the waters beneath.
But now comes the reckonin’
It’s methey are beckonin’
Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth.

Pam Ayres -

I remember her when she was a young WAAF at Seletar in '67. She had nice teeth too!

[NutLoose]

I still remember the sign on the ceiling in the dental section at Odiham, it was above the chair where they gassed you to knock you out.... It read "W*nking makes you blind"....

I wonder when the fun police caught up with that one and it dissapeared.

[lj101]

It seems the rules ref braces are not unique to joining the RAF

Jacko - check this American advice out and see if you could apply the same caveat for yourself when joining. Get your answers lined up from your dentist with time lines etc.

source Answering Medical History Questions | Military.com (http://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/military-recruiting-medical-questions.html)

Braces (If you wear or are planning on obtaining braces for your teeth, have the orthodontist submit a letter stating that braces will be removed before active duty date; release form and sample format can be found in the Recruiter's Medical Guide.)

[P6 Driver]

racedo wrote;

Lets see keep the braces and you will have straight teeth and probably pick
up girls.........


You may be misunderstanding this thread - the OP wants to become a pilot.
:ok:

[muppetofthenorth]

Jacko, recruitment ought to be a regular (ie open at least once a year) thing now that the system has caught up with itself. Waiting until you're at university will make you a better candidate and make it more likely to get through. Since the RAF is recruiting fewer Pilots than it has done previously, why give it anything less than your best shot? When I went through IOT just 3 years ago Pilots were already ~75% graduate entry, and that other ~25% was made up of re-entrants and direct entrants. By not going in with a degree you're giving yourself; nothing to fall back on should you for whatever reason fail training, worse pay and promotion prospects once in, a shot at a far smaller proportion of entrants.

Why make it harder for yourself? Go to university, join the UAS, get the experience, use the UAS to get a bursary, learn how to fly with them, get a degree and then join up. And oh, btw, your teeth will be fixed by then too.

[Easy Street]

Keep the braces and come back next year. They are highly unlikely to close the door after only one year - they would rather have a steady stream of recruits rather than one big pulse. Of course this goes wrong on a periodic cycle and results in a crunch, but we have only just had one of those. Even our manpower planners won't let things slip in only 2 years.... and there is no such thing as a hold pool or order of application; you won't be penalised for failing to apply at your earliest opportunity. Getting health issues (even minor ones) sorted is a very good reason to defer application.

Edited to add - nothing more than idle speculation here, but it seems reasonable to assume that there are 3 years' worth of pilot candidates out there waiting to apply for this first recruitment window in a while. Instinctively, that suggests that the acceptance standard will be particularly high this year (for the fixed number of places). That's not to say you wouldn't make the grade - but it might well be easier in a year or two once the bow-wave of "top-drawer" candidates have all found their way into the system, and you could then compete in a more "normal" field of applicants. That might have benefits a couple of years further on at role disposal, as well...

The key thing is you have age on your side and can afford to play these factors off against each other, a luxury not available to those exiting university. I would agree entirely with BV's points below, and note also that the sponsorship on offer is piffling and that the UAS flying training does not count towards EFT. Much as it pains me to say it as a graduate, but these days the 100% committed career pilot is best off joining with 3 good A-levels and getting the hell on with it, extenuating circumstances such as orthodontal work notwithstanding.

[Bob Viking]

Muppet.
Please allow me to address a small snippet of misinformation in your post. You suggest that 18 year old DEs have poorer promotion prospects. This is not quite true. You will of course soak up 6 years of initially poor wages (a good thing in the eyes of the bean counters) but your overall promotion chances are potentially better, not worse. Once you get to the stage that Sqn Ldr is a possibility you will be comparably younger than the graduates and therefore a brighter prospect for high command later on. This does obviously depend on your own maturity etc but the RAF gets slightly more than a pound of flesh with regards to RoS from younger guys and that is good in their eyes. Just in case you think I'm bigging myself up it is quite the opposite. I was a graduate DE after a four year degree. I was CR on the Jaguar at 28.5 years old. By the time I was considered to be in the promotion bracket I was 34 (it's lucky that promotion was never my bag). Our young friend Jacko and his ilk would be around 30 and therefore a brighter long term prospect than the likes of me. If you don't believe me I can cite many examples.
BV

[Roadster280]

Go for it. I think you should make a point on your first day in uniform of asking the staff and fellow recruits not to call you "Goofy" though :ok:

[ImageGear]

It is my understanding (please correct me if I am wrong) that a significant number of pilots are unsuccessful in their first attempt at the aircrew selection assessment. Often, second or even third attempts may be required, each a year apart. This, when combined with a decision to delay for a year before starting the process , and the relatively narrow age acceptance window the OP might want to consider whether the risk is worth the delay.

(When questioned regarding other alternatives to being an RAF pilot when he was beginning to approach the upper height limits, a close acquaintance fervently stated that he would cut his feet off first.:eek:)

"You have to want to fly so bad that you dream about it, talk about it, work very, very hard to get it, give up other things that are not directly relevant to it, take every opportunity to experience it. Anything less will be quickly identified as an indication of lack of commitment".

Good luck :ok:

Imagegear

[4mastacker]

Don't knock the lad. At least he has a clear view of what he wants to achieve. Over on Arrse, a Sandhurst-bound cadet is worrying about what sort of underwear he will be wearing.

[Gemini Twin]

This is a very odd thread! I have known people who in order to get a chance to become a military pilot have sacrificed much more than a set of straight teeth! The decisions ahead my young friend will be far more important than this and you will not be able to rely on help from a forum. The answer to your question lies within YOU. If you have doubts on this you have not thought out the big picture.

[Flugplatz]

If you ever have an aircraft emergency, you can always bite your way out of the canopy (follow the zig-zaggy lines on the plexiglass).

Beware of lightning strikes on your face. St Elmos fire is harmless and will help an aircraft formate on your wing even in thick cloud.

Next time you are at AOC, impress the DS with your ability to eat an apple through a tennis-racket. Now that the new Cold War has started you will be a national asset.

No one can accuse you of being a 'blunty' with those gnashers'. I assume you look not unlike a young Hannibal Lector only with the ability to name all the stations equipped with Bloodhound?

Flug

[Just This Once...]

You suggest that 18 year old DEs have poorer promotion prospects. This is not quite true. You will of course soak up 6 years of initially poor wages (a good thing in the eyes of the bean counters) but your overall promotion chances are potentially better, not worse.

BV, I share your view but your post suggests graduates and non-graduates get paid different rates for doing the same job; this is no longer the case and it does not take particularly long for aircrew to hit flt lt pay - just 2.5 years from IOT. Once your 18 year old joiner finishes his OCU at age 21 he will be a flt lt earning £43k.

Quite a change from my day!

[racedo]

You may be misunderstanding this thread - the OP wants to become a pilot.
:ok:

You bad...........

[racedo]

"You have to want to fly so bad that you dream about it, talk about it, work very, very hard to get it, give up other things that are not directly relevant to it, take every opportunity to experience it. Anything less will be quickly identified as an indication of lack of commitment".


About 5-6 years ago I met a guy who trained with Manchester United from 11-16, its a schools thing they do up there when ask all local schools to send couple of their best year group. No guranatee of anything and they just train 1 evening a week with club.
Guy spent 5 years doing it and some growing issues prevented them signing him, in a different year they would have waited BUT his cohort included their Youth dream team, yup Beckham, Scholes, Nevilles etc.
He stated that what was different between them and him was he started getting interested at 16 in girls and stuff where as they were driven by a passion to succeed in football and even then he knew guys who had that passion but an injury at wrong time left them way behind.

Image gear has it nailed on the head that anything other than 110% commitment and doing everything to get in there means you just not ready.

Your teeth can come later.

[langleybaston]

Hang on to the braces.

Nobody wants a pilot with his trousers round his ankles.

Come to think of it .......................

[Fortissimo]

Jacko,

I am finding it hard to understand why you have been told that you would be unacceptable with orthodontic braces. It is worth writing to the Inspectorate of Recruiting and Selection and asking what the policy is before you accept any of the well-meant advice here and start on a course of action that either you will regret or that will cost you money needlessly.

The judgement on your medical/dental fitness for military service will be made by the medical board at OASC using the standards laid down by the Surgeon General's Committee on Aircrew Medical Standards. There may be implications for the officer training side of things, but there will be a policy laid down for this too.

You are right to want to avoid re-taking the aptitude tests as there is a factor applied to reflect the learning element from earlier tests.

I suggest a polite letter (avoid any emotion...) pointing out you have passed the test in advance and have been asked to apply but that you have been told at the AFCO they are unable to accept you for a filter interview until you have had your braces removed. As your orthodontic treatment is incomplete, this would mean considerable personal expense to replace them should you be unsuccessful at the filter interview or a later stage in the process You would be grateful to know what the recruiting and selection policy is for people with ongoing orthodontic treatment. Don't mention the AFCO or the officer, let them work that out.

If the reply says 'no braces', then the choice is entirely yours. If you really want to fly in the RAF it is a no-brainer.

Good luck.

[212man]

Seems to be a recurring issue:

Dental Braces.... [Archive] - E-Goat :: The Totally Unofficial Royal Air Force Rumour Network forums (http://www.e-goat.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-46214.html)

[Brian 48nav]

For what it is worth here is my 'fivepenn'th'.


Follow your dream! Go back to the orthodontist and ask to have the permanent braces removed and replaced by a brace that can be worn at night while asleep and taken off during the day.


My son, who had the same dream as you, had to wear the sort of brace I have described during his mid-teen years.


He said he wanted to be a Jaguar pilot when he was 8 years old, applied to the RAF when he was 16 and was awarded a Sixth form scholarship. Joined at 18, and started on the Jag' OCU when he was 21.


My advice is to forget university if you have a genuine chance of being offered RAF pilot training. You will have lots of hurdles to jump and if 2 or 3 years down the line you haven't succeeded, university will still be there - my feeling is doing it the other way round may not bring the desired result.


Incidentally, even if you end up with better teeth after your treatment is over, you could still lose them playing sports such as rugby or cricket :bored:.


Good luck - I hope you fulfil your dream!

[Bob Viking]

Interestingly I held pre-OCU on FJTS and worked with your son briefly. I flew with him once on my first ever Jag trip in a T2(38000' overhead Boscombe Down on NVGs watching traffic in and out of Paris and Manchester simultaneously, followed by an engine surge when we exceeded about 20 degrees AOB).
His is always the case that I quote when discussing the University versus DE dilemma. By the age I had finished the Jag OCU, your son was on his third front line tour. So despite the fact that he will never have experienced the life affirming delights of watching Countdown whilst existing in abject poverty that I did during my four years of Uni' he seems to have done alright for himself!
Food for thought perhaps.
BV:ok:

[saudipc-9]

As a RCAF pilot I cannot think of a single reason why the OP shouldn't have braces? Doesn't stop at least two QFIs that I know from flying!:confused:

[Adam Nams]

You could always become a helicopter crewman...

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608014661640519989&w=177&h=151&c=7&rs=1&pe=1&mo=10_30&pid=1.7

[Brian 48nav]

Are ( or were ) you the cyclist?

[Bob Viking]

Affirm. Still am, but no longer shaving my legs!
BV:eek:

[thing]

Affirm. Still am, but no longer shaving my legs!

Sorry, I need to know more.

[Bob Viking]

I'm afraid I couldn't possibly tell you where else I shave.
I'm sorry, did things just get a little weird?
BV
I'm not helping with the Jag banter am I?!

[Union Jack]

Affirm. Still am, but no longer shaving my legs!

Anything to make a Jaguar go faster .....:}

Jack

PS I always knew that that smiley would be wholly appropriate one day!

[Genstabler]

Up to 74 posts on a teeth or wings thread! You lot must be BORED! :rolleyes:

[Bob Viking]

We apologise wholeheartedly Genstabler. Please feel free to dazzle us with your sparkling wit and repartee.
Bob

[lj101]

I'm finding the helicopter crewman strangely attractive. That's weird.

[Genstabler]

Don't apologise Bob. As you flew Jags I am prepared to forgive you anything! That is NOT sarcasm by the way.

[jackocooper]

Well I got them off last Friday! Definitely the best decision. I should have another interview within a few weeks.
Thank you so much for all your replies! Really helped me make the right decision. I was surprised how many I got! CHEERS!!!!! :ok::ok::ok::ok::ok:

[Genstabler]

Well done and good luck! Let us know how you get on. :ok:

[Wander00]

Good luck. Fifty five years ago had a problem with a latent squint. Long argument with parents over having an operation for it, but fortunately got it fixed with exercises, and has never been a problem since. Hope you get selected and make it into a flying career.

[lj101]

Well I got them off last Friday! Definitely the best decision. I should have another interview within a few weeks.
Thank you so much for all your replies! Really helped me make the right decision. I was surprised how many I got! CHEERS!!!!!

Good lad. Do let us know how you get on.

[jackocooper]

I most definitely will!