WHOSURDADDY

My son at 17 yrs applied to the for a RN special flying award. He had already attended Cramwell a few months earlier for as part of the air league scholarship application which he was successful at.
His debrief at Cramwell was that he had done well on his pilot testing but was below the required mark on the other parts.
Before going to Cramwell he was told that as this was a flying award test it would not count towards any future application to fly in any of the 3 services.
He has since been told that this was his one and only bite at a career as a pilot in the forces.
Is this right? or is he being mislead?

airborne_artist

The fact that he's been given conflicting information is concerning. His application for an RN SFA was not an application for Services aircrew, so I think you can safely challenge the second informant and chase it up their reporting line until you get to someone who can put in writing that he has not used up any of his "lives" at OASC.

Who else should he write to, Ppruners? I guess OASC has a boss man/lady who should be cc'd, or perhaps should be the poster's immediate port of call?

Anyway, it's clearly bolleaux. The RN SFA must be seen as an aircrew recruiting tool, so why give them an SFA, and then tell the awardees they've used their one chance of applying as aircrew?

Someone needs to get a grip!

Stringy

From my understanding you get two shots at the aptitude tests, so it sounds like miscommunication or you're being mislead.

Aeronut

Its CraNwell by the way.

http://www.cranwell.raf.mod.uk/

brakedwell

It used to be Sleaford Tech!

Aeronut

in slang only

anotherchopride?!

I believe that the information given by the second 'informant' is incorrect.

Unless policy has changed in the last few months, both the RAF and the RN allow most applicants 2 bites at the FAT cherry so long as the applicant is under 21 when they first take the FATs. I am not sure, as A_A agrees, if the attempt that your lad has already made should be classed as a 'first' attempt, IMHO it shouldn't be. However it may well be counted. Regardless, policy has generally been that if you take the FATs at a pre-university age and don't do so well it should not preclude you from taking them again at a later date. This system is obviously BASED on pre/post university 'brain development', however if your lad does not go to university that should not preclude him from attempting the FATs again after his first attempt.

As a slight aside/ extra info, I understand the RN is now recruiting "Aircrew" not pilots and observers so although in the past any wannabe pilot had to pass the FATs on both pilot and observer skills, now you need a GOOD pass at both on the basis that you could be streamed into either job once you have done grading for both once you are at BRNC Dartmouth....

Oh, and slang or not, it is def Sleaford Tech. Still, its got the best cinema around. Oh sorry, I mean Flicks