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Old 18th Apr 2009, 04:29
  #506 (permalink)  
Mark_1990
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: gold coast
Age: 33
Posts: 11
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FSP

Mate,

I understand where you are coming from, I was in that situation as well at one stage. I recently attended FSP for RAAF pilot selection, found it wasn't for me but his a general idea of what you could expect.

Day 1/2 - Arrive at FSP in Tamworth, walk or catch a taxi to the residential house to get a brief from the owners and they will give to you
your allocated room key and advice you of all rules and regs in regard to your stay. At night or the following day first thing in the morning you will be given an introduction brief (4 hours roughly) up in the FSP buildings and be handed your pretty orange jumpsuit, study notes, headsets, kneeboard and parachute sheep skin. The rest of the day you do what you will or start studying your notes if your that eager. Generally the Sunday though is a day off.

Monday - Friday - you will generally be flying and throughout the week you'll probably get a day or two with two flights on that day, otherwise it's only one flight/day. Breakfast does vary, and I believe during the winter months its a bit later, maybe 6:00 onwards, and regardless if your flight is at 1:00pm that day, you need to be in the common room at 8:00am along with your fellow flight screeners. There you will generally study, browse the web, or be a social butterfly with everyone else (communication is essential, don't want to be your own team). During the flying, a few people do get airsick, and a good proportion of my course did get either airsick or ground sick haha. Even a guy with 150 hours had a bit of a chunder. Instructors are looking for you to overcome it though, even though you might feel like you want to die.

So your in the common room, and your flights coming up in 45 minutes. You'd by this stage be suited up (jumpsuit, sunnies, hat etc) and be making your way into the instructors rooms where you will do a 10 minute or so pre-flight brief. You'll then make your way into the parachute room to get your parachute and armrest if necessary and then make your way into the operations room to get your cushions (if necessary) and wait for your aircraft if it's still out flying. You'd hop in the aircraft and on your first flight the instructor will give you all the nuts and bolts on adjusting seats, seatbelt harnesses and rudder peds. Then you fly for maybe generaly 1 - 1.5 hours (more in the CAP10 Mudry in aerobatics). Come back from your flight, get rid of your equipment, and meet in the instructors room for a de-brief (and if you flown quite **** ..... expect a battering depending on instructor). Then back into the common room where you will wait until all your mates finish flying (unless your told otherwise).

Come home, shower, go to dinner, then the rest of the night is open to whatever you want to do (play football, tennis, swimming etc), but probably the best idea would be to allocate that time to study. Personally i found the experience to be uncomfortable because there was a lot on the line and you just want to be the best you possibly can. That won't happen without a lot of study. On the monday of the first week you do get given a model aircraft to which you need to build with the rest of your group. Throughout this week you'd also have 3 briefs and a brief from a navy/army dude trying to talk you into joining them.

Second week, more CT4 flight, a few CAP ten flights (5 if your in the advanced, 3 if basic) and then 2 simulator rides. Then obviously OSB on thursday/friday. Home on the saturday

Cheers,
Mark
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