Pilot Free IOT??

[Minstral]

I'm a pilot bursar who has finished EFT. I graduate from uni this summer and I have just been told that due to the chaos, which is the RAF flying system at the moment, the next 2 IOTs (Oct and end of Nov) will be pilot free IOTs.

I am actually labelled "unplaced" so there is obviously a chance that pilots may not even get on Feb IOT. This really sucks! Has anyone else had the same news as me?

Just what I wanted to hear with 2 weeks till finals! sob sob...:{

[Talk Split]

If you beleive everything you read in this forum, and in The Telegraph at the moment, we will have a pilot-free RAF by August.

[Sashathehungry]

Minstral,

I am in the same position as you are.

Who told you? It strikes me as rather silly (so not totally outside of the RAF's logic :} ) to ask those who were going on course 211 to apply to October, November and February IOTs if they weren't going to accept any pilots for them.

I think all we can do is sit tight whilst someone goes through the selection for who goes on which IOT - probably about as logical as who wins the Eurovision song fixi....erm..contest :=

Always hungry

[Minstral]

I found out from my UAS Adj because he has a list of all the bursars IOT dates for Oct and Nov. I applied for Oct in the first place.

Not sure whether studes who have done EFT are being penalised more than those who would have to go back and finish it after IOT.

Guess RAF logic would be that those who have finished go straight into holding and why pay us when they can make us wait in civvie world. Whereas those who haven't finished can spend at least 6 months after IOT doing something constructive.

[Sashathehungry]

Minstral

Perhaps you are "unplaced" since they will only decide the October IOT in June. I assume we are all classified thus until then, or when the board convenes to select for the next IOT.

Since you applied to October originally, it may be that you are being bumped back to Nov/Feb to accommodate the August lot. Still don't see why your adj told you no pilots on the next two...:confused:

Let's hope for the best. Who would want to be on an all-blunty IOT anyway? :p

Always hungry

[InTgreen]

You know, it wasn't that long ago that you had to be at least in you first week of training to be this cynical!!!!:\

[Large Dave]

InTGreen,

The thing is, we're effectively in our third year of training...

Minstral + Sasha

Check out http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=127314 for the recent discussion on this. To summise, the situation AFAIK is this:

- 211 got cancelled because of RAF general downsizing

- There is also a surplus of pilots in the training system

- There is no pay above the 35 day cap available for those who planned to enter in August but now have been delayed to potentially February

- Strictly, your UAS membership will expire by September

- New Gen: Even EFT-trained bursars are not chop-proof, and your place at IOT is not guaranteed. From what I gather, there has been some investigation into potential candidates for an invitation to ground branch or Civ Street. It's clear that only a real waste-of-space that slipped through the OASC net would be worth binning after the investment of EFT etc, but that it is being considered is fairly worrying.

Make sure you do well in your finals- you might need to fall back on your degree and no-one's impressed with a Desmond.
Please keep us informed with latest gen at your end on this.


"Dave"

[Revved Up]

As a pilot bursar who is about to graduate with no better than a 2:2 (partly due to spending so much time at the airfield!!), I find this all extremely worrying!! :ugh:

[Minstral]

Revved Up,

I know exactly how you feel, we devote all our spare time to doing UAS stuff because we are told it makes us look more favourable to the RAF and now we are on a possible binned list! Scary, scary stuff. Best get back to my revision:zzz:

Minstral

[Large Dave]

Joke is if we hadn't worked our asses off to get EFT done, we probably could have finished it this summer with no pay cap as has happened in the past. Instead we've got a summer and autumn of gash minimum wage burger-flipping to crack on with.
That'll learn me for being keen.

At least we'll honour the privelige of polishing HM's fire extinguishers all the more when we finally get there, and, if we're being honest, we have got the best job in the world to look forward to.

[Sashathehungry]

...and I remember the halcyon days when all we had to worry about was the streaming board :rolleyes:

Shows how things will change over such a short space of time. As long as there's a job where I'm flying ahead of me I don't think I give a hoot about how long I have to wait. :ok: Couldn't agree with you more Dave

Hungry

[Grand Fromage]

Have "seen" the assignment list - there are Pilot Bursars assigned to 212 - raise your hands please boys and girls?

GF

Edited to reduce "gospel" factor!! Got a glance, didn't study it! Hence hands up any lucky people?

[PPRuNeUser0172]

Correct me if i am wrong but if there are no pilots on the course then who is gonna win the sword, surely they couldn't give it to a blunty or even worse a WSO.

This is very worrying indeed.........

Plus all the incredibly sharp Flt Cdrs at DIOT (who incidentally aren't there on a punishment tour.......... honest) would have no one to direct their incredibly witty, "so you think you are going to be a pilot" banter at.

All DW mistakes are alcohol induced.

[Minstral]

Grand Fromage

If you have seen the list, and there are pilots on it, do you have any idea if they are pilots that have completed EFT or not?

Minstral

[Grand Fromage]

Minstral,

No mate, unfortunately not, i just tallied the "GD(P)" bit next to some names with 212 in the other column.

I wouldn't worry about those having not cracked EFT getting it rosy.

Yes, in previous years the pay cap has been lifted for late learners but they weren't trying to get rid of people in previous years.

We're all being looked at again by EFTS anyway so the slackers might be the first out?

It takes the p1ss guys but at least the queue for Linton might be a bit smaller when and if we finally get out of Cranwell :}

Sit back and enjoy the ride! There's f:mad: all we can do about it!

GF

[Mr C Hinecap]

A 'potential pilot' - free IOT? Sounds like heaven on earth! It might make the whole experience even less life-like for those on it. A bar without those who only talk with their hands? Hee hee. :E

[Grand Fromage]

Ah, Mr. C.

I see your game! Light the fuse and retire to watch the little playground scramble....

Surely the pilots don't big themselves up at IOT though? I heard they get "bigged down"

'....there i was, in a 180 HP Grob Tutor, and then... I did a loop at 4000'!....'

Big boy bar talk!

;) GF

[Mr C Hinecap]

Ahhhhh - I guess it is a little different these days. When I went through, the bar was alive with the 'charming' chaps and chapesses (largely from LUAS) entertaining us blunties with tales of dering-do and thundering through the skys in Bulldogs. Suppose 'Tutor' doesn't have the same fearless warrior ring to it. :p

[CURLS]

Yes the rumours are true, the two IOT courses mentioned are going to be pilot free, but there will definately be WSO's on the courses. Speaking from the inside I can tell you this is true, at the moment there is a lot of uncertaintiy in Linton and even Pilot Puke's who have complted BFJT are not safe, 15 of the 40 streamed last were chopped with a possibilty of a re branch, not re-stream.

Just for the record, if you pilots were that good Dirty sanches, you wouldnt need WSO's to tell you where to fly, how fast, what height, what avoids to fly around and what freq's to dial up to get a service. So get over yourself!!:ok:

[Sashathehungry]

Ah yes, the nav's fantastic directions:

Nav: "Turn 420!"

Pilot: "No nav, try again... :rolleyes: "

GF - the "lucky" will find out in June. I received a letter recently telling me I was assigned to the August boot camp, but that any further decisions had yet to be made. I guess that what you saw may have been the initial allocation pending approval?

Any more new gen?

Hungry

[SpotterFC]

CURLS,

and if the WSOs were that good they wouldn't need the FCs and Air Tragicers to tell them to avoid the Newcastle zone 3 times before directing their nose gunner to fly straight through it regardless!!

[Minstral]

I can now confirm this rumour is a load of rubbish as I have now found out I am going on Oct IOT - wahoo!

Good luck to the rest of you guys who are still waiting to hear.

Minstral

[the_cyclone]

Who needs a Nav when you have a GPS?!

Good luck to all going through the streaming nightmare. :cool:

[Grand Fromage]

Minstral,

You lucky B***ARD!!!

Good Luck mate, all being well and I'll see you there


:ok:
GF

[Minstral]

Grand Fromage

Iy! Definatley lucky! :D

Official release of dates is meant to be mid June so hopefully you will hear then! Good luck mate - if you get Oct let me know. :ok:

Which UAS are you on?

Minstral

[JessTheDog]

There will have been a pilot-free IOT at some point - the cyclical nature of undermanning/overmanning is not new, and the cuts we have endured recently and are about to endure again will make this even more likely. Also, there are fewer holding jobs out there and even if there were, there are fewer bedspaces at most units.

[you want what??]

I posted this joke earlier!

"how can you tell if there is an RAF Pilot in the bar?"

"Dont worry, he'll come over and tell you!"

well my humble opinion is that you straight to IOT types should be MADE to do a bit of Burger flipping and learn the true value of the pound, and what its like to no to be a silver spoon chosen one! and dont give me any of your crap about "knowing that already" i'll believe it when i see it! hands up the wannabe Fighter Jockeys? be good to the Techies on the line! most are treated with contempt, but your lives are in their hands! the multi engine crews tend to be a lot nicer to the ground crew, not so up themselves. but generally all need a good reality check.

going straight from education to the RAF, officers and aimen alike, seems to give some people a false view of the world, i am constantly frustrated with officers and senior NCO's attitudes. When the cosy life in the RAF comes to an end, which it will eventually, most of them will come to earth with a real bump, or have heart attacks prematurely at the stress of not being in charge any more, and that people below you in age, or experience, can really know more that you and be right too! i concept that is vehemently diregarded in the Millitary, usually to their own detriment!

sorry if it sounds like a rant, but im trying to catch you young guys BEFORE the brainwashing accurs, so you might be wise to it, and become one of those extreamly rare gems that is a genuinly nice guy pilot/officer!

[Minstral]

Well I've done my fair share of time sitting on a checkout in Sainsbury's and doing waitressing in nightmare venues being abused by Joe Public. So yes, fair enough, I am going in straight from education but it doesn't mean I don't know the value of treating people with respect.

You bracket all people going in from education unfairly. I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way. Not everyone is a snob who takes delight in looking down on people. Having said that I know a fair few people who do!

[tradewind]

you want what??

I don't know much about burger flipping, but there appears to be a bunch of french fries on your shoulder!

[brakedwell]

Minstral
If you do have to wait for a course, why not use the time studying for a CPL/ATPL? You may need one sooner than you think.

[Biggus]

If you read 'you want what's' contributions to the 'Aircrew clean own aircraft' thread it would appear that he has chips on both shoulders!

[sex it up]

That's OK hanging around for weeks at a time 'unplaced' will get you used to the holds that you will be doing on your way through.

By the time you actually see another aircraft it will be thought controlled which means it won't be connected to aircrew. You will be kept for PR purposes only to lure people into service. You will be kept in a sealed compound where only other aircrew may go, with only the comfort of a snug fling suit to keep your ego from bursting.

[Wappy Tupper]

As long as the 'fling' suit keeps my aircrew wallet from bursting. It's a bit full with all those allowances and extra pay we get !! :p

[sex it up]

Don't you just hate it when you try to be big and clever and make a typo that reduces it to comedy.

The reduction is across the board I'm afraid but more obvious in the aircrew world. If the rumours of reductions are to be accepted, if you are not on a flying Stn you will be in an HQ flying a desk or wearing a grey civil servant issue suit.

Eng, Admin and Logs are being reduced to single figure numbers of courses per year from around 25. Getting a job with RAF Plc will be increasingly difficult.

I wonder if promotion will slow down like it did for the ground trades in the 90's.

Oh how I long for the good old days of the Women's Auxilliary Balloon Corps when the training machine was bursting with bodies and you could get holding officers to do menial tasks about the Sqn.