Originally Posted by
moggiee
You can join the Army Air CORPS (not division) from other units of the Army but it's not easy to get in. You can also join direct if "lucky".
As for joining the RAF from the AAC - well, you can theoretically transfer service to service but in over a decade in the RAF I never met one person who came to us from the Army, although we had a few ex-sailor boys. The RAF likes its personnel to be able to read and write which excludes most soldiers!
I currently know 12 serving RAF officers who were ex Army Air Corps pilots. Serving on Merlin, Royal Duty, fast jets and C130.
The drawbacks:-
They did have to get over the initial shock of moving to a service with habits rather than traditions as the RAF isn't old enough to have traditions!
They also had to swap their mess kit for waiters uniforms.
But luckily they didn't have to cope with the reading and writing issues seeing as Sandhurst has a 95% graduate intake and the RAFC Cranwell has less than 80% but hey.
Interestingly most of those who transfered over were senior NCOs who had reached their 22 year point and would of had to leave the army anyway. They of course have to be officers to be pilots in the RAF nowadays and were thus comissioned but that's the value of the air force commission for you.
Banter aside just join direct it is realistically the only option that wont take 5 or 6 extra years. The Army Air Corps is far harder to get into at the moment due to difference in size mostly you often need to apply 6-7 years ahead for the AAC if you are not to find your date of birth full.
VT