Pielander
I once wanted to become a naval aviator, didn't quite get the impression that they were that short of pilots tho!
I went solo aged 17, gained RAF sponsorship and flew for years with a my UAS, flying the Bulldog and Grob tutor. I also flew a number of sorties in Hawks which was the highlight of my training.
My dream was to be a Harrier pilot which luckly for me(Or I thought) was backed up by my average sortie grade of 5/6 in EFT, therefore fast jet streaming. Then came the selection at Cranwell (Which I had passed before for pilot) in 2002. All seemed to go well however, there was a backlog for entry into IOT of upto 1.5 years which would have put me over the max age for pilot. As a result my debrief was clear - 'Your good enough, but with the limited number of places for pilots in this selection and the current backlog, would you consider officer engineer'!!!
Obviously not an option, so I went along to my RN office and promptly applied for Pilot. My careers officer a LT Commander seemed confident that I would be sucessfull. Until the day came that I received a letter from the interview board saying that I hadn't even gained a place on the Dartmouth selection.
This was due to my navigator score at the Cranwell selection a few months earlier!
Gutted.
Still bitter, as I am confident I'm capable of flying Harriers for Queen and country and they didn't give me a chance, not even to be a bagman!
Anyway good luck, hope you get fixed wing!
Mr Pink