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RAAF Flight Screening Programme

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RAAF Flight Screening Programme

Old 3rd Mar 2006, 10:52
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How many hours have you got already?
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Old 3rd Mar 2006, 11:01
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"Somewhat discrimination"

DTN08,

You would appear to have discriminated against yourself, by not applying up to 15 years ago. Perhaps there were good reasons for that but you will have to give a convincing explanation at any interview. Having said that, ask any RAAF QFI what is the most important quality he looks for in a student and you will get the answer "Motivation!" If you can show you possess that, you will have a fighting chance.

Good luck,

Neppie
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Old 4th Mar 2006, 00:49
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Thanks for your responses guys..Yep will keep aiming for the top!!

Chronic.....Have about 70 hours single engine under belt. Last year I did about 6 rides in a CT4E and that rocked!!

Neptunus...Yeah I actually applied twice straight out of school, then twice whilst undertaking science degree but scores no good.

Then pursued a career in Police Service.

Thought I try again at 29 years but at that stage age restrictions applied and application rejected.

Tried again last year, and got recommended for flight screening but didnt get the call up.

Had to resit tests again and here I am today......
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Old 4th Mar 2006, 03:25
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DTN,

From experience, some of the decisions/ recommendations coming out of the new-look rercruiting system, ie mostly civilian are laughable, particularly with regard to what they recommend people go and do. I would push ahead with the RAAF option if that's what you want- Does it say in black and white that 33 is to old???? if not, they're doing what recruiters do best, ie trying to fill slots in other areas.
There's always the navy.......

Good luck, pm me if you need any help

Oldpinger
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Old 15th Mar 2006, 22:47
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I know a guy who just got called up at 30 years of age.

Starting on next IOT course.

I think you need to get a waiver if you are aged over 27?
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Old 23rd Mar 2006, 23:23
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Question RAAF Pilot Questions

Hello
I am applying to be a pilot in the ADF with a preference for the RAAF. At the moment I have completed the inital testing and interviews and my file is being sent to the pilot selection agency, I am hopeful I will gain a spot at Flight screening this year.

I was informed that my test scores are competitive and was wondering if there are any ADF pilots here that could answer a few question in regards to the final stages of the application and life as a RAAF officer and Pilot.

Specifically, I have done 8 hrs in a C152 and would like to know the areas I should concentrate on before flight screening in order to give myself the best chance. Would it be beneficial to get some time in a tail dragger or do some Aerobatic's to get a feel for being inverted?

Also, apart from flying what are the other duties of an officer in the RAAF?

Many thanks
Andrew
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Old 24th Mar 2006, 01:39
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Hi mate,
There are plenty of posts here on Pprune about this exact sort of thing. I recommend you try to find them using the Search feature.

If you have no luck, or it doesn't answer your questions, feel free to repost and we will do our best to answer your questions ourselves.

Cheers
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Old 24th Mar 2006, 02:21
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Thanks, but I tried a search before I posted under RAAF and ADF and found nothing of use.

Cheers
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Old 24th Mar 2006, 03:21
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IIRC there was a thread all about this, that was started in 2002 and always seemed to be re-surfacing every so often. The thread was started by Hornetboy. Ive tried searching for said thread to post here but i cant find it, perhaps some of the older threads got ditched when the forums were re-vamped.

If u ask nicely, one of the mods may be able to check the archives, if such things exist here, for the thread. I think it might have had a title like "RAAF aptitude testing" Fairly sure it was started by Hornetboy and full of great feedback from guys who had BTDTBTT.
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Old 24th Mar 2006, 09:48
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J89
I didn't do flight screening when I went through the selection process, so I can't comment specifically on what they are looking for. If I had the cash, I'd probably go for an aerobatics flight - just for fun, even if it doesn't prove to be of any use. Don't spend all of your hard earned cash on civilian hours though - they are of very limited benefit. I've got good friends who had thousands of GA hours before joining the RAAF, and have gone onto fly hornets, and also guys with next to no airborne experience who also now fly fighters. In general, GA hours may help with the initial training at BFTS, but as you move through the more advanced training on the PC9, it will be of no benefit. I've never heard anyone say a bad thing about glider time though - you can't help but 'attitude fly' in a glider.
What are the other duties of a junior pilot in the RAAF - well, if the bograts in my flight are any example, you spend your time playing uckers, talking about the attrocities committed on the weekend, and generally being a universal sh*tfight. Ahhhh those were the days!!!!!
There are many jobs which you will be involved in as a junior dude in a flying squadron. Social Club Officer, Navigation Officer (ensures we have up to date maps, navigation loads for the mission planning system, charts, etc), Times Officer (collates all flying hours and cross checks with the aircraft maintenance releases etc)...........the list goes on.
All in all, it is definitely the best job in the world. No matter how much Microsoft Outlook attempts to wreck your day, you can still strap a jet on and forget about everything apart from flying. It's always sunny above the clouds, and you will work with some of the finest human beings God has ever produced.
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Old 25th Mar 2006, 20:40
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[quote=luvmuhud]...It's always sunny above the clouds, and you will work with some of the finest human beings God has ever produced.[/quote]

Put a smile on my face you did hudlover

G’day Andrew,

I’m sure there are plenty of great tips for Flight Screening but I subscribe to the KISS school of thought. Sure do a few aeros trips just to get used to the sensations, which leads to my first tip, relax and listen. Concentrate on what you’re being told, ask questions, understand what’s expected of you. Communication is King and don’t be afraid to ask a dumb question (You’ll get away with one every now and then). The other one is Honesty. If you cock up, fess up. If you didn’t like the way something played out, recognise it (as best you can), understand where improvements can be made and verbalise all these thoughts. What the company wants to see is someone who is self-critiquing and in a way independent on the path to self-improvement.

As far as the Secondary Duties side of the house goes, Look-At-My-Gorgeous-Hud covered a bunch of good ones. In my experience there are lots of opportunity to contribute to the rewriting of dated or incorrect procedures, tactics, instructions etc. The adults at the SQN are usually flat-out sorting out stuff that you don’t want to know about. So they really appreciate guys doing the leg work, taking the initiative and making things better for everyone. Apart from helping everybody else out, doing the right thing usually gets you reported well annual appraisals, which in turn help with postings, win win.

As far as this goes:

Originally Posted by luvmuhud
…., and you will work with some of the finest human beings God has ever produced.


I really do genuinely agree, but you do on rare occasion get the opposite. It is a very real possibility as a Captain or Junior Officer for that matter that you will get involved in disciplinary matters. I won’t expand on the indiscretions I’ve come across in an open forum, as I don’t want it to be misconstrued as rife, it’s not. But you will be expected by the Execs to recognise and appropriately respond to departures from the rules, norms etc. Don’t ever walk away from a problem or it’ll become someone else’s and may come back to bight you too. I’ve had to tidy up someone else’s mess and it’s given me grey hairs.

I expect at your stage you’re rightly focussed on a fast jet career, but if you have any multi crew subsonic questions feel free to PM me. Otherwise LOVE-MY-GOTTA-GET-MY-HANDS-ON-MY-HUD is your man.

It’s an awesome time to be joining the RAAF, lots going on now with deployments etc and the future is very bright.

Enjoy!

Speech of the day

'AUSTRALIANS AT WAR' Address, Australia House, London by the PM.

http://www.pm.gov.au/news/speeches/speech565.html

Given prior to opening the Australian War Memorial London.

http://www.awmlondon.gov.au/flash.html
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Old 26th Mar 2006, 21:51
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Hey Joker,

I was in TW for a couple of years and spent time assessing the Flight Screening candidates.
The basic purpose of the Flight Screening process is assess your potential ability to fly (IAW military protocol and processes) and to assess your potential as an officer. The flying on the CT4 and CAP10 is looking to see that you can follow instruction, learn from mistakes and develop capability over a number of sorties. The hot tip here is to listen to the QFI and accurately apply what you are asked to do, study hard at night to ensure you know all relevant attitudes, powers, techniques and generally show confidence yet humility.
The board interview will assess your leadership potential and motivation. Know the RAAF leaders, the SQNs, a/c types etc. What a/c do you want to fly and why. Read the paper and know current affairs relating to the RAAF (C17, Iraq deployment, etc). Have a think about why you want to join, how will you feel if sent on operations, time away from home on often tough conditions, your apporoach to command etc. The board assessment again is looking for guys/girls that have potential, intelligence, a motivated attitude, an understanding of your chosen career and generally will fit in. The common yardstick asked by the board is " Can I sit next to this person for 10 hours, and trust his/her abilities in war".
To answer your specific questions, I would suggest that an aerobatic flight may be of some slight advantage, at least to give you a feel for the environment. However, if money is tight, dont worry about it. The cousre is aimed at people with minimal to no experience.
As for secondary duties, there are numerous as mentioned. To add to the list, also include Crew Resource Management facilitator, Aviation Risk Management facilitator (the RAAF had recently become very AVRM aware), Information Systems co-ordinator (you look after the sqns database etc), publications officer, programmer (programs the sim and flying), Public relations contact etc. The list goes on forever. Be aware that flying is only a part of your role. You play a part in running the squadron.

Bottom line - show humility, motivation, a willingness to learn from staff and from mistakes, a hard working attitude, be prepared. Most importantly, be yourself. We look very closely for honesty and integrity.

Hope this helps and good luck.
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Old 27th Mar 2006, 21:28
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Thanks

Thanks luvmuhud, PLE and Hugh. You have been very helpful.

I think I will approach Flight screening and OSB the same as the other areas of the process, give it my best shot, make sure I put everything into it and trust if I am good enough I will get through but if not at least I gave it all I had.

As I understand the chances of making it to Fast Jets are about 10% for Pilots graduating from 2FTS I have set my sights on Multi fixed wing aircraft such as P3's or perhaps some of the new aircraft like the Wedgetail AEWAC's or C-17's. However if I am lucky enough to be offered FJ's then I would jump at the chance. I love flying and would be happy to be flying anything for the RAAF.

One more thing. As I am 26 if it doesn't happen for me this year will my chances be very slim once I am 27. I have heard of the Army and Navy accepting people over 30 but I don't know about the RAAF?

Cheers
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Old 27th Mar 2006, 22:14
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Joker I know a guy who is starting OTS in 2 weeks time aged 30 so it is possible.
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Old 27th Mar 2006, 23:31
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Also, if you don't get your first choice (RAAF), the training you get in the other services is nothing to be scoffed at either - different emphasis for the roles, of course, but back in the days when helicopters were run by the RAAF they were a well sought-after posting out of 2FTS, so don't discount those options.
A decent number of individuals (you know who you are!!) have done the two or even three service shuffle for one reason or another - can keep life interesting to do so, as well.
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Old 28th Mar 2006, 07:23
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Joker89,
I'd like to reinforce the 'humble confidence' that Hugh Gorgen mentioned. I know as an instructor, I go the extra mile every time for students who have this incredibly valuable combination of personality traits.
Also, if you have any desire to fly fast jets (JSF, Hornet, F-111), don't think about anything else for the next 5 years. Live eat and breathe it, and picture yourself in the seat. If you aren't focusing on/aiming for fast jets, it's very unlikely that you'll get the opportunity to go there. Every flying job in the military is fantastic, and you will experience things you would never have dreamed of before, but don't kid yourself that you will get a shot at fast jets without aiming for it. Remember, it's either you or the next guy - so it may as well be you!!!
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Old 28th Mar 2006, 08:17
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Originally Posted by reacher
IIRC there was a thread all about this, that was started in 2002 and always seemed to be re-surfacing every so often. The thread was started by Hornetboy. Ive tried searching for said thread to post here but i cant find it, perhaps some of the older threads got ditched when the forums were re-vamped.
If u ask nicely, one of the mods may be able to check the archives, if such things exist here, for the thread. I think it might have had a title like "RAAF aptitude testing" Fairly sure it was started by Hornetboy and full of great feedback from guys who had BTDTBTT.
Joker

Here's the thread started by Hornetboy back in January 2002 called "RAAF Aptitude Test Results".
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=39266
Lots of great advice for anyone aspiring to join the OZ military as a pilot, not just the RAAF.

Bzulu
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Old 28th Mar 2006, 09:19
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Joker,

If you have any questions please feel free to PM me. More than happy to help.

The Army have employed pilots up to the age of 40. The RAAF and RAN also will employ candiates beyond 27 although they will look at what you have done during your years since High School. (dont mention your time selling hemp products in Byron Bay).
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Old 13th Apr 2006, 01:41
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INVITATION FOR FLIGHT SCREENING

Hey guys,

Just wanted to share my excitement. Just got the call from PSA Tamworth inviting me to attend flight screening in May 2006.

Wow, there is hope for the older (wiser) generation!!!
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Old 13th Apr 2006, 01:53
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Congratulations, mate, and good luck.
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