Joel, the stuff about how to prepare for the OSB and the teamwork/leadership/friendship side of things is spot on I reckon
. They are all bloody important things to demonstrate to the OSB (and on a personal level).
"Really prepare for it. Have topics to talk about that show insight and that are well thought out." Anything that demonstrates motivation and preparation will impress the OSB no end.
I would however warn those who are yet to do FSP to be wary of the comment "Don't worry about the flying - worry about your leadership, teamwork and OSB." In my experience, the board is interested in all aspects of your performance, the overall picture. However the flying in my opinion is the clincher...the go/no go. When I did flight screening I was way more worried about the flying side of things and whilst I did a fair bit of preparation (reading books, internet searches, visiting RAAF bases etc) for the OSB before I arrived at Tamworth, when I was there I was 100% focused on the the first hurdle...the flying side of things. When board day came around, then that became the priority. You cannot hide in the OSB, if you are pretending to be someone you're not then you will most likely be found out. Be yourself, tell it like it is, impress them with your knowledge and preparation and it will go well. You may be the world's best presented, confident, well spoken, intelligent, friendly person but if you score poorly in the flying then you won't get a look in. They will be more likely to recommend someone that scored well in the flying and not so well in the other activities than the other way around.
Showing motivation is very important throughout the FSP process. Pilot's course is a tough road and you need to demonstrate that you are 100%, dead set, fair dinkum, hold my breath until you let me in committed to getting your wings and convince the OSB of that fact. Not knowing what aircraft type you want to eventually fly, lack of basic service specific knowledge or simply not having a beleivable and honest answer to the big (and inevitable) question "Why do you want to be a RAAF/NAVY/ARMY pilot" will put significant doubt into the OSB's collective minds. If you are borderline on flying scores, your demonstrated motivation throughout the 2 weeks may well be the deciding factor in whether you get recommended or not.
In summary, preparation for the board is important. Flying performance is also important (in my opinion more so). True motivation is the key. The OSB will normally see through thinly veiled attempts to convinve them that you want to be there, when in fact you are putting on an act. If you genuinely want it that badly, then it will be obvious to everyone, including the OSB.
My 2c.
LG...RO