I'm amazed that anyone seriously intending to join the RAF as a FJ pilot would ever bother to join a UAS as a pilot nowadays. Because the flying is now assessed, it 'matters'. So there are a couple of options open for those who want to get decent degrees at the same time:
1. Join a UAS as a Ground Branch officer cadet in your second (particularly if you're reading engineering as the RAF is gagging for engineers right now!). Do the 'air experience' syllabus. Then say (after finals) that you've been soooo impressed by the flying you've done that you'd really, really like to join the RAF as a pilot - or industry as an engineer as you'll probably have been able to get a decent degree. If accepted, you'd then do IOT before getting 60 hours in 4-6 months - and the added continuity, lack of academic pressures hanging over you and the maturity gained from having passed IOT will make it far more likely that you'd pass selection for fast jets.
2. Join the OTC and get TA pay when you're attending at the unit. Have a great time with some good mates. After finals, go and knock on the RAF recruiter's door. Say that the only reason you didn't want to join a UAS was that your studies had to come first and you that you didn't think that you would have been able to give sufficient time to flying to progress satisfactorily. Then proceed as above through IOT and EFTS.
3. Join a UAS as a pilot. Go flying when you can manage it. Scrape through your degree, scrape through the UAS syllabus. Wait for IOT. Wait even longer to be told that, surprise, surprise you haven't been streamed FJ. Wipe away the crocodile tears, do MELIN, then ME training. Go to a ME OCU, then do a tour as a co-pilot, another 2 as a captain. Qualify for your ATPL, PVR and go to an airline.........
It's your choice - brought about by the appalling mutilation of RAF Flying Training by the bean counters... It used to be:
Get selected as a University Cadet. Get paid as an APO at University, get automatic UAS membership and have a great time with some great mates. Concentrate on your academic studies. Do some flying - enough to get a few hours knocked off the BFTS syllabus. Go to Cranwell, do IOT and then a full BFTS-to-Wings course at the Royal Air Force College. Then get streamed to AFTS on either FJ, ME or RW. An excellent system which was tried and tested. But the little men of no spine have allowed it to be whittled away to the current nonsense........
[ 20 October 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]