Jonesyboy
I am sorry to have to disagree with you but I am afraid that it is not your desire to serve as a Pilot in the RAF that is pre-eminent in this debate - rather it is the requirement for the RAF to recruit only those of the highest calibre in respect of both physical and educational attributes to fulfil the roles of the RAF of today.
When I joined the RAF in 1965 it was an Air Force which had over 300 Jet Provost Basic Trainers equipping No's 1,2,3,6 & 7 Flying Training Schools as well as Central Flying School , the College of Air Warfare and RAF College Cranwell.
Those days are gone and the RAF is a much leaner Force than at any time since the 1920's. Many hundreds of applicants wish to apply for Pilot training in the RAF each year and are disappointed because there are only a limited number of posts available.
Inevitably the decisions as to which applicants should be accepted are based on the requirements of the RAF and not the aspirations of the applicants. In the current Financial climate only those applicants who have no hint whatsoever of any potential Medical or other problems will be accepted for initial training and they will be closely monitored (and if necessary rejected) should they fail to measure up to the required standard.
It is inevitable that these standards will become even more stringent over the next few years as we now have a generation of Politicians who have no experience of warfare and will allocate the bare minimum of funding to HM's Armed Forces until such time as panic measures are required to fend off disaster.
Despite the above assessment, keep trying - and I wish you the best of luck.
Last edited by cazatou; 4th Nov 2010 at 15:03.