RAF ground crew to aircrew
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As others have said, if you want to be aircrew why not apply for it?
One fairly obscure but proven route you could take if you weren't successful would be to join as an airman on the shortest engagement (I've no idea what that would be these days, it was three years when I were a lad) learn to fly at low cost at one of the many RAF flying clubs dotted around and go civvy. I've known one or two over the years that have done this, most recently an SAC gunner who went from first flight for his PPL to RH seat for a LoCo in around two years.
One fairly obscure but proven route you could take if you weren't successful would be to join as an airman on the shortest engagement (I've no idea what that would be these days, it was three years when I were a lad) learn to fly at low cost at one of the many RAF flying clubs dotted around and go civvy. I've known one or two over the years that have done this, most recently an SAC gunner who went from first flight for his PPL to RH seat for a LoCo in around two years.
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RG56
After I passed out from the Aircraft Apprentices I spent about 18 months getting the GCEs I needed to apply for aircrew. Finally passed through the Aircrew Selection Center at Hornchurch in 1959.
It can be done. But that was then, and I don't know what it is like now. I retired in 1983
Bob C
After I passed out from the Aircraft Apprentices I spent about 18 months getting the GCEs I needed to apply for aircrew. Finally passed through the Aircrew Selection Center at Hornchurch in 1959.
It can be done. But that was then, and I don't know what it is like now. I retired in 1983
Bob C
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RG56:
I would suggest go for it then; after all someone has to do the pointy end bit, why not you? But as Slow Biker says, you may really enjoy being a techy. I applied for pilot straight from school at 17; didn't get it, joined up as a techy in the meantime with the intention of applying again but found my forte as it were which I thoroughly enjoyed for 20 odd years. Learned to fly anyway and got my flying kicks that way. As an aside, the top aerobatic competition pilot in the RAF is an Avionics Chief Tech. You don't have to be a 'pro' to enjoy your flying, although getting paid for it helps...
I would suggest go for it then; after all someone has to do the pointy end bit, why not you? But as Slow Biker says, you may really enjoy being a techy. I applied for pilot straight from school at 17; didn't get it, joined up as a techy in the meantime with the intention of applying again but found my forte as it were which I thoroughly enjoyed for 20 odd years. Learned to fly anyway and got my flying kicks that way. As an aside, the top aerobatic competition pilot in the RAF is an Avionics Chief Tech. You don't have to be a 'pro' to enjoy your flying, although getting paid for it helps...
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I just want to chip in as someone who is currently going from ranks to wsop. It is possible but I'm currently in a bun fight with my trade desk as they won't release me due to trade manning issues. If you can join up first time in the role you want to do I would say go that route. The other route is possible but there may be variables that come into play which come with being in service already
I would like to apply for aircrew but I don't have the right qualifications to do so that's why I'm trying to find other routes
If that fails, be an erk!
The RAF is shrinking. I predict it will get harder to trade hop- especially when you are actually very well qualified in a trade.
CG
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Ashley Stevenson was a Techie - he did ok I suppose.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Stevenson
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Stevenson
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I had a mate, cpl techie, who applied for pilot and was accepted. He was commissioned as a pilot officer but got the chop on his flying course. As I remember it he had to leave the Service because he was not offered an alternative as an officer and he couldn't revert back to the ranks. He was rather peeved because he was now out of a job.
In todays RAF if someone takes the airman to officer aircrew route and fails the flying course, will he have lost the chance of a career in the RAF as a Techie?
In todays RAF if someone takes the airman to officer aircrew route and fails the flying course, will he have lost the chance of a career in the RAF as a Techie?
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I believe a former Red and Station Commander RAF Valley in the early 00s was also commissioned from the ranks? A Harrier mate too.
If you have the opportunity, the motivation and the aptitude I say go for it.
If you have the opportunity, the motivation and the aptitude I say go for it.
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Goudie, am pretty sure that is still the case.
Utter stupidity if you ask me, once you have become commissioned there is no way back if it all goes belly up in training or like your pal the job is taken away, just throwing away perfectly good people, good people who were brave enough to show ambition. Madness
What, once you've been through the Cranwell sausage factory you will never be the same? lol well apart from the labotomy and spine removal
Know of a few guys who came from GC to Airman aircrew training, failed and went straight back to rank and trade, why not for O's??
Utter stupidity if you ask me, once you have become commissioned there is no way back if it all goes belly up in training or like your pal the job is taken away, just throwing away perfectly good people, good people who were brave enough to show ambition. Madness
What, once you've been through the Cranwell sausage factory you will never be the same? lol well apart from the labotomy and spine removal
Know of a few guys who came from GC to Airman aircrew training, failed and went straight back to rank and trade, why not for O's??
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I remember some crew room gossip a good few years ago when there were no commissioning opportunities for AEOps due to a glut of AEOs with the end of V Force. Some AEOps said that they were considering applying for Pilot or Nav then failing the course after commissioning to return to their former employ as an AEO. I know of one AEOp who went through Nav school after this loophole had been closed knowing that he would be out of a job (or admin) if he failed his Nav course. No pressure then!
One wonders at the number of engineering officer posts available these days - especially with the proliferation of commercial contractors. Perhaps the same restrictions apply for engineers who fail aircrew training at the moment?
One wonders at the number of engineering officer posts available these days - especially with the proliferation of commercial contractors. Perhaps the same restrictions apply for engineers who fail aircrew training at the moment?
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Indeed, unless they've got pi$$ poor management skills (though some would say that's a pre-requisite!) If they've already shown they are a good techie then why not side shift to the commissioned ranks in that trade if they are binned during flying training.
In the days gone by that's what used to happen was it not? You worked up (on time promotion for some trades) to FS or Wobbly, then took a branch commission if you so wished, until pension time.
In the days gone by that's what used to happen was it not? You worked up (on time promotion for some trades) to FS or Wobbly, then took a branch commission if you so wished, until pension time.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Fluffy, true but in this type of case, gnd crew to failed aircrew, the person is too young to have built up a wealth of trade experience to automatically switch to Eng O. They would need at OASC to have the quals for aircrew or eng.
One of my nav studes was a chopped pilot, chopped NAv, but with his BEng was accepted as an Eng O, last I heard he was a sqn ldr.
One of my nav studes was a chopped pilot, chopped NAv, but with his BEng was accepted as an Eng O, last I heard he was a sqn ldr.