Accepted for Army flight training

[wishtobflying]

After many years of thinking "if only ...", and watching helicopters overhead with a deep sense of envy, and flying with my dad (who I can unashamedly say is my hero), and working in crappy non-aviation jobs, and more recently getting involved in flight simulators, and contributing the occasional useful (hopefully) bit of discussion here on PPRuNe, I have the following to share with you ...

I have been accepted into the Australian Army to train as a pilot, starting this April.

It means a major life change, major challenge for my family, but an exciting one. I look forward to being able to speak and comment about things rotary with a little more credibility in a few years time. :O

Cheers.

[imabell]

i'll bet dave is happy too, congratulations.:ok: :ok:

[CRAN]

Great news, many congratulations!

CRAN

[SASless]

Congratulations....enjoy your new found opportunity and I wish you all the best. Please keep us posted on how you are getting along.

A suggestion...start a journal and record your experience. Take as many photos as you can and add them to your logbook or journal to help document your experiences. That record will be a keepsake you will treasure in the future when you look back over your flying career.

I can look at mine and read a very cryptic entry and the day comes back clear as can be....sometimes good memories...sometimes not so good memories but each special in and of itself.

Good on Ya! Fly Safe!

(Don't be flashing any signs out the back door suggesting the Sheila's should remove any clothing!)

[SHortshaft]

Congratulations!! I wish you all possible success.

I concur with SASless’s view regarding using your logbook as a scrap book. Unfortunately I fell for the official argument (policy) - “Lad it is a Log book and not a Scrapbook!!” And now many years later I deeply regret it.

I guess the only saving grace is that as my memory is going I can no longer recall with any clarity what I am missing.

Again congratulations…let the hard work begin!

[Blackhawk9]

Good one Mate ! despite all the B.....t , my 12 years in the mob was the best 12 years of my life. especialy the S70's

[Thomas coupling]

Afghanistan here you come....................

[2Sticks]

Congratulations!! You might have to think about changing your name as you will be 'Actuallyflying' by then! It reminds me of two chaps called Dave I once knew. One Dave had a moustache and the newer Dave to the group was christened DaveNM by the rest ('Dave No Moustach') to make it easy to know who they were referring to. When he grew a moustach like the other Dave it caused a problem until someone decided he should be DaveNMNM ('Dave No Moustach No More')! :) :)

[Heliport]

Congratulations WTB. :ok:


Keep us posted about how your training is going once you start.


Heliport

[cyclicmicky]

Well done WTB I only got my licence last year, and can still savour the feeling...nothing like it!! Good Luck:ok:

[papa68]

Congratulations WTBF,

You'll find the experience both the most challenging and potentially the most rewarding of your life. Not only will the ADF provide you with excellent training and a great job with interesting and diverse career prospects, but if you choose to take advantage of opportunites on civvy street afterwards, your military credentials should make you very employable elsewhere.

As an ex-Army chap myself, I look back on my time in the ADF with great satisfaction and I have made some of the best friends I am ever likely to have. Looking back now I realise the thing that made the whole adventure so special was that it was so hard. Adapting to Army life and muddling my way through pilots course was a challenge I am not likely to repeat (and I'm not sure I want to). But shared experiences with others in trying circumstances binds people together like nothing else!

I'm sure you've had (and will continue to recieve) much advice. For what it's worth, work like you've never worked before, take advantage of all the opportunities offered to you and then if you decide to leave, do it before you become jaded by the whole experience - it'll ensure your memories are predominately good ones!

Again, congratulations and good luck with your course. Feel free to PM me if you wish to discuss anything about the course, aircraft types etc.

P68:D

[wishtobflying]

Thanks for the replies and advice ... on the "work like you've never worked before" aspect, I just read this little piece, attributed to former Pentagon official Ernie Fitzgerald:

"Military officers for the most part are forced to retire when their family expenses are at a peak -- they've got a couple of kids in college and they're still paying a mortgage. They won't starve on their retired pay. But at the same time, they can't keep up their lifestyle. What happens in our system is that the services see one of their management duties as placing their retired officers, just like a good university will place its graduates. And the place the services have the most influence at is with contractors.

If you're a good clean-living officer and you don't get drunk at lunch or get caught messing around with the opposite sex in the office, and you don't raise too much of a fuss about horror stories you come across--when you retire, a nice man will come calling. Typically he'll be another retired officer. And he'll be driving a fancy car, a Mercedes or equivalent, and wearing a $2000 suit and Gucci shoes and Rolex watch. He will offer to make a comfortable life for you by getting you a comfortable job at one of the contractors. Now, if you go around kicking people in the shins, raising hell about the outrages committed by the big contractors, no nice man comes calling. It's that simple."

I know that's not quite what happens in Australia at the end of a military aviation career, but the sentiment of the work ethic is the important point.

So I'll be doing my best to keep my mouth shut, my eyes and ears open, and get the job done. :)

[Arm out the window]

That bastard! He never came to my house when I left. I'd imagine old Ernie was using a bit of poetic licence too... perhaps this would be the Aussie equivalent:

"...when you retire, a nice man will come calling. Typically he'll be another retired officer. And he'll be driving a multicoloured HQ Holden, a Falcon ute or equivalent, and wearing a $20 pair of stubbies and Pulsar watch. He will offer to make a comfortable life for you by getting you a comfortable job at one of the contractors, offering to sell his mower and whipper snipper to you if you take on his James' Gardening Service run. Now, if you go around kicking people in the shins, raising hell about the outrages committed by the big contractors, no nice man comes calling. It's that simple."

So don't get too het up about the old boys club bizzo.
Work hard, enjoy your flying, do your military duties well but don't forget we're all people, no matter what's on our shoulders or sleeves.
I can say from experience that an appreciation of the skills and qualities of the people who get your shiny (or maybe a bit knocked around, depending on what you get to operate) machine ready to go goes a very long way.

[last third]

Roll Power Prop Trim for you. Assuming that goes well see you later in your TRG.


:hmm:

[trapezoid]

Last Third,

I thought, from another thread, that you had totally had enough !!!:confused:

[last third]

Trappy.

You are indeed correct, however you don't throw away a bucket of dirty water until you have a bucket of clean.

:ok:

[Sewing Machine Man]

Eeeeeee if I were 30 years yonger.. by heck.... sigh :uhoh:

[LLSRC]

Congrats on selection. Work hard at Tamworth and you may even be able to jump ship to the NAVY. Oh my mistake you joined to fly didn't you! Disregard the NAVY option then.

[996]

Congratulations - I sincerely wish you good fortune. This may be the one chance you get. When I was faced with just the one shot - I told the wife that if there was a choice between flying and her then it would be flying. In my mind I could get another wife but not another shot at the career I wanted. To my surprise [after the fallout] and after much success, I realised that had it not been for the missus, I'd never have gotten through at all. Just a comment and not a suggestion but you might like to give some thought to the positive help and role your family will need to play. After all it's their future as well. Best of luck.

[petitfromage]

Work hard, play hard...will save your PM and hold you to that beer! Congrats.

[vpaw pilot]

Keep sight of the aim...don't let the day to day trials of flying course get you down. You will be rewarded with the best, and sometimes the worst of times...generally the best though...

Vigilance!

[nutcracker43]

Wish to be flying.

All has been said before...congratulations and all good wishes for the future!

NC43

[Helipolarbear]

MAZELTOV.....keep the head down, be a team player and do the sponge-knowledge thing!!! Oh....and keep those boots shiny and your hair and moustache trim!!! Good Luck and learn safely.:)