Originally Posted by
test1234
I totally disagree with Mr Vice and his recommendation to stick with a 7 year training system.
Firstly, there is no breadth to the flying. The modern FJ choices are Typhoon or F-35. I’ll take F-35 first; expect very little live flying, bouncing of currencies to remain competent and the prospect of 6 months on a boat.
Typhoon prospects are only a little better; the probability is that you’ll be based in Elgin, 70% of live flying will be compressed into a 3 month window whilst flying out of Cyprus, time away from home will be circa 5-6months per year.
This is all after waiting 7 years to get there! You’ll be starting an OCU approaching age 30, without flying pay (RR(P)), living in ramshackle accomodation, having held in pointless jobs for the majority of your ‘career’. Ok, you may have got to go to Ski Champs once or twice in that time, but is it worth it?
There is a reason why both F-35 and Typhoon have major manning issues! It would have been unheard of 20yrs ago for a 1st tourist to volunteer to go to Valley to get away from the Front Line! Most leavers are mid-thirties and opt for alternative careers after minimal time on the Front Line. That said, there is a small number who would still recommend it.
Agreed, it is not what is used to be.
I would not recommend a military aviation career to any kids I might have in the future.
There are far too many cuts to resources, hours, allowances, pensions and pay.
There is an overwhelming cadre of poor leaders consisting of 'yes men' who are trying to get promoted, irrespective of what is the right thing to do; not many Captain Crozier's in today's RAF.
The plague of non-stop tick-chasing pointless things like DLE (corruption, display screen equipment and unconscious bias?! To name a few...) it is depressing.
All platforms have a lack of hours, quality training and breadth of training. There are just not enough hours available and basic skills are just about practiced enough to remain competent
The woeful lack of experience means the dilution rates of almost all fleets are WAY worse than 10 years ago. There are instructors being recommended who are not above-average, 500 hours on type and minimal operational experience.
The stat chasing and ton of ridiculous hoops to jump through for no benefit other than stats is the climate the modern RAF. It is feeding a machine but rarely transfers to real tangible front-line benefits.
Contractorisation is making day-to-day functions painful. This manifests itself in many ways such as C4I can't fix a printer and having to go through the SPOC to get a repair in 3 weeks. MODNet crashing continually, duty flights costs being twice what I can pay myself via the airlines website, MT unable to collect personnel, lack of flying clothing due to back-orders not being able to keep up with demand, poor equipment quality, Carillion sending joiners out for plumbing jobs etc
Housing and military buildings being in absolute disrepair and abysmally short of available maintenance slots or budget. JRs having no hot water for 2 months at a time, heating not functioning for a week during the winter, an overwhelming stench of sewerage in the mess for a week until a contractor can get around to repairing it.
Food within the mess being nothing but roadkill disguised as food. It is poor quality, unhealthy, over-priced and tiny portions that are in no way fit for a fighting force to consume.
Standards of entry are being lowered to levels that are unimaginable just a decade ago. Recruits are graduating despite failing fitness tests or meeting standards for numerous things.
And the list goes on and on and on....
I am generally a positive person, but I struggle to remain positive on the future of the RAF, it is basically in managed decline now with no way of rectifying it without HGUE changes.