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fleet Air Arm help

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fleet Air Arm help

Old 16th Dec 2004, 12:51
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fleet Air Arm help

Hi, ever since i was four all i have wanted to do is to emulate my grandfather and great uncules, in becoming a fixed wing pilot in the Fleet Air Arm. Just before i completed my degree in June of this year, i applied to the Royal navy. I had my first interview with my ACLO, and was invited back for my second one. this was canceled and it was rescheduled for the beging of Feburary. i am very apprehensive as to what i should be expecting in this interview. i have a good knowledge of Naval history, aircraft and weapons systems, and current affairsl,.....

1) i was wondering if anyone could tell me if am i on the right tracks with this kind of preparation?

2) i am also wondering about the FAT's, in terms of how long do they take, and what subjects they cover,..i.e reaction time. ive heard that you cannot really revise for them as they are mainly innate,...is this correct?

3) and finally, does anyone know when operational conversion from the SHAR to the F-35 jsf will commence, i.e for pilots whom begin trainingin the next couple of years, will they train for the ShAR then convert, or will they train for the F-35?

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

may i aslo offer my deepest sympathies to the families of the four aircrew how sadly passed away. may they RIP.

Nick
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Old 16th Dec 2004, 13:03
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Nick,

You won't get to fly the SHAR. If you get selected fixed wing within the FAA you'll fly the Harrier GR7/7a/9/9a from RAF Cottesmore. As for JSF, who knows!
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Old 16th Dec 2004, 17:14
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The old interview advice still stands. Be yourself. Simple as that. Look into what you're signing up for as well, interviewing officer needs to know that you understand the committment required etc.

Aptitudes.... little you can do, however do not drink alcohol in previous 4-5 days, make sure you are well slept etc. It's probably the hardest you'll ever focus on something for 4 hours.

Good luck with it, the FAA are desperate for fast jet pilots(but overwhelmed with heli pilots).
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Old 16th Dec 2004, 17:30
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Look here then go to Personnel then DG Human Resources (Navy) then Officer CM (standing for Career Management) then look at the 2 Stage Career. Some interesting stuff for a potential Officer.

Try and brush up on your spelling and grammar, this is not a dig (as you may have typed your post quickly and in yoof speak) but if you go to the AIB [if they havent changed it since I went through when Cunningham was but a Lt Cdr] you will have to write an essay and the Board members are looking at spelling, grammar and content.

As previously posted, SHAR is on its way, by the time you would have got in, passed BRNC and elementary flying training the RN's FJ will be an RAF Harrier administered by Joint Force Harrier, an RAF command. I believe 2 of the RAF Harrier squadrons are eventually going to be rebadged 800 and 801 although my knowledge on this a bit sketchy.

Good Luck, see you in the Fleet !

Oggin
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Old 16th Dec 2004, 18:11
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Nick,

Having left Uni last June and now delayed til Feb 05 you may need to put a bit of pressure on your ACLO to get things moving.
I'm assuming you're at least 22 going on 23 if you haven't taken a gap yr or the like.
Following yr 2nd int will be FATS and the AIB. As well as being up to speed with the RN and the latest politics you will need to be fit - as of Jan 05 we will require you to pass the RN fitness test at AIB before you can be passed!! Your ACLO can give you the age related times for the 1.5 mile run.

I currently work quite close to the recruiting and training pipeline so please feel free to PVT Me.

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Old 16th Dec 2004, 18:39
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As someone who has always wanted to join the RAF as an FJ pilot, the idea of the FAA is appealing more and more with the RAF in decline!

As an 18 year old who knows alot about the RAF and nothing about the FAA, would it be advisable to look into a swap?
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Old 16th Dec 2004, 20:02
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All the advise above is good. Keep up with the current affairs and Naval knowledge. Also keep yourself fit.

As far as aptitude test go you can't really practice for them with the exception of mental arithmetic, especially speed, distance, time calculations.

Now is as good a time as any to join the RN as we are going to increase the numbers of pilots and observers we are recruiting. A stark contrast to the RAF!

Your ACLO has probably told you to come back later because he thinks you need some more time to learn your stuff. Use the time wisely.

800 NAS and 801 NAS will reform as GR7a/9a squadrons. The last SHAR course is coming to an end at the moment as 899 NAS will disband in March 05.

Don't hold your breath about being a fixed wing pilot in the Navy on your first go. Usually only one or two people in every two or three courses gets streamed FW at Barkston. A lot of those get chopped at Linton or Valley. However it is possible to be re-streamed fast jet at Shawbury at the end of 705. A guy from there started at Linton a few weeks ago (although it is not very common). There is also the AIR 309 course which is the fixed wing crossover. This is where most RN fast jet pilots come from.
Basically it is unlikely that you would be streamed FW after EFT but there are more opportunities later, that way you can have the benefit of having flown RW and FW.

Joe2812 if I were you I would apply to both. Especially if you are really serious about becoming a military pilot. If you are worried that in joing the FAA you might spend long periods at sea, you would probably be doing the same in the RAF anyway with Harriers or Chinooks! Why don't you ring your local RN careers office for information and see for yourself?

If you have anymore questions feel free to PM me.

Best of luck!

Jucky.
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Old 16th Dec 2004, 23:17
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Thank you for everyone's help, it is much appreciated. I just hope I can deliver when it really matters!! I'll keep you guys posted as to how the application goes.

Many thanks

nick
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Old 18th Dec 2004, 19:00
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Although i realise that the three services have significantly differing characters i would advise any person seriously considering a career in military aviation to apply to all three. With the slots getting more scarce i think you need to load the bases in your favour.
It won't blot your copy book if you tell one service that you've applied for another, actually it will probably be taken as a sign that you're committed. (Obviously tell them that they're the favourite and the others are just an insurance policy.) If you're a university leaver time is not on your side and concurrent applications will save the time you don't have. Three consecutive applications could take years!
At the end of the day whichever machine you end up driving around in, and whichever unifrom you end up wearing, you'll have a great time.
One word of warning though. The chap on the other side of the desk may well have some quotas to fill. If you want to be a driver then stick to your guns. Never accept any other role, no matter how appealing they make it sound, until all three services have said no to you having a stick!
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Old 19th Dec 2004, 23:56
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Nick & Joe,

Firstly, I wish you the very best of luck with your applications. I too believe the Fleet Air Arm is the way to go.

I've (very) recently been through this process with the FAA myself, and managed to get selected as a pilot in spite of my age (now 25), and also in spite of a low AIB score. Selection is alledgedly on a 'competitive basis', with the highest score in the pool of eligible people (i.e. those who have passed FATs and AIB) being selected first, so I can only conclude that the competition must be very strongly biased towards aptitude scores. This just goes to show how important it is to do as well as you can on the day. (No pressure or anything!)

It is true that some of the tests are impossible to prepare for, but not in all cases. I prepared very thoroughly and it paid dividends. I would suggest:

* Practice quickfire mental arithmetic (e.g. +,-,x,/) with 1 and 2 digit numbers - no pen and paper allowed.

* Practice speed-distance-time problems, e.g. "aircraft A sets off at 1100hrs from base A towards base B 200 miles away at 360 kts. 10 minutes later aircraft B sets off from base B towards base A at 300 kts. At what time, and how far away from base A do they meet? - this type will be multi-choice and pen and paper are allowed. (not all as complicated as that though). If you don't know it, just move on. Incidentally, any common errors that you might make, e.g. forgetting to add the 10 minutes, will more than likely yield an answer matching one of the other incorrect choices.

* Practice remembering long numbers. I leave it up to you how you do that. The numbers will get longer and you will get marked on how many individual digits you remember, not whether you get the whole thing right, so when you get to your limit (e.g. 9 didits??), don't risk remembering any more - just cash in what you can remember.

* Be familiar with basic aircraft flight instruments, especially artificial horizon and compass. You will have to match instrument readings with pictures of an aircraft in a particular attitude, and also later on match a larger set of instruments with a verbal description, which will include speed, heading, attitude, climbing or descending, etc.

There's a lot more to it than that, but I don't think you can really prepare for any of the other tests, except by getting a good night's sleep the night before. I don't think a pint or two in the bar will do you any harm the night before; it will probably relax you a bit - just don't get too relaxed, because the beer comes at real mess prices. (Cheap!!!).

Once again, good luck

Pie
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Old 28th Dec 2004, 21:39
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Just thought i might post this thread again to see if anyone else has any added input....

Once again thanks in advance for your help.

Many thanks.

Nick
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Old 29th Dec 2004, 10:34
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"aircraft A sets off at 1100hrs from base A towards base B 200 miles away at 360 kts. 10 minutes later aircraft B sets off from base B towards base A at 300 kts. At what time, and how far away from base A do they meet?"

Ask your Observer!
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Old 29th Dec 2004, 18:01
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Has anyone told them what WAFU stands for?
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Old 29th Dec 2004, 23:27
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Women Always Fancy Us!
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Old 2nd Jan 2005, 08:28
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Wonderful And Fairly Unique
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Old 4th Jan 2005, 14:40
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Wet and F*****g useless in my day!
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Old 11th Jan 2005, 23:17
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Whatever it stands for, I expect it's quite rude, and not particularly flattering either!

Going back to an earlier point though, one thing that never seems to get mentioned, which I'd quite like to know, is what happens to RN fixed wing pilots who do fairly well by all accounts, get through Valley, but just don't quite come up to the standard required for SHAR (or GR9 - or whatever)?

I presume it's one of the following:

a) The door's that way - Thanks for coming. [Terrible waste!]

or;

b) Shawbury's the other way - Thanks for coming. [See above]

or;

c) New uniform (not as nice) and, being as you're sooo $#!t, you can only drive Tornados now. (Or Typhoons... ).


And who gets to choose?
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Old 12th Jan 2005, 11:27
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WAFU actually stands for Weapons and Fuel Users.

People who get chopped at Valley or Harrier OCU normally go to Shawbury, unless they decide to resign as some do.

Unlikley to get a transfer these days, as the Crabs don't have enough fast jet slots for their own people. Hence lots of Crabs with wings pitching up at Shawbury these days.

Regards,

Jucky
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Old 12th Jan 2005, 13:25
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WAFU - I think the original reference was to the type jacket/Jerkin that the flight deck crews wore on Carriers pre 1939- (Wet And Foul Utility?) Jacket

Though sometimes spelt WAFOO - We Always Fly Off -Offshore
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Old 28th Jan 2005, 22:18
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In anticipation of my FAT's, i have heard on the grapevine that it is worth while buying a copy of Flight Simulater 2004, and a good joystick, in order to hone in my inate ability with regards to hand eye co-ordination (if i have any!), and also to familiarise myself with the a/c intrumentation. Would anyone be able to confirm/dismiss this??!!!



Many Thanks,
Nick
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