RMC Duntroon and Army Aviation
Anyone know what the atmosphere is like at RMC Duntroon?
Son had his OSB yesterday - video conference.
They've already offered him a guaranteed slot at ADFA as Army helicopter pilot next year.
He missed out on RAAF purely due to numbers and timing - which he had his heart set on - they already had enough pilots this year - really tough, but that's the military.
We hear rumours RAAF pilot intake may be postponed for up to two years because of the ASP backlog due to coronavirus.
He doesn't know what to do and is struggling with the decision at the moment.
I've talked to the boy a lot about how well he's done to get this far, the tremendous potential, exciting flying, having no university debt and a job in the time of COVID.
And also told him sometimes the curve ball you think life has thrown you can open up all sorts of opportunities you never envisaged.
Lad - you could end up at Mother Rucker learning to fly the Chinook. Or as a Defence Attache in a decade or so. Or testing the V-280 for the Aussie Army...
The dilemma is this - we're an air force family (relatives and ancestors fly and flew) and know very little about army culture, but as a civvy who's never served - I do know the services have very different cultures.
My impressions are the Australian Army is very autocratic, macho etc - bastardisation - and Duntroon can be very hard - I'm sure that's a cliche.
It's not that he wouldn't be able to handle officer training - he's just wondering about a service values mismatch, wearing green while longing for blue.
I guess it's like trying to suddenly get your head around Sandhurst when you thought you'd be going to Cranditz.
But hell, he'll still be flying; a Blackhawk, a Chinook, MRH-90, or possibly a Tiger (if it's working!)
Air-Force versus Army?
Any constructive thoughts, observations or tales of first hand experience welcome...