The Truth about RAF Flying

[Gareth123]

EDIT:

Anyone here currently a pilot or an ex pilot?

What qualifications are really needed to compete for a place as a pilot. And whats the truth behind how hard it is to get into the RAF as a pilot. And most of all do you enjoy it ?

[mcgoo]

why don't you ask in the military forum, theres hardly going to be any ex pilots in the wannabes section.

[captwannabe]

You're forgetting about a certain moderator ;)

[scroggs]

Oh, this should be fun....

[Safety_Helmut]

Anyway here a pilot/ex pilot?

If you are even if you arnt and know some info, whats the truth about getting in?
What qualifications did you get in with? And Age and anything else they liked?


This is a spoof, right ?:\

S_H

[microlight AV8R]

I do hope so, If not I wont sleep secure in my old age if that is the future of our defences :eek:

[indie cent]

Please, ask us more questions, Gareth... :} What is it you really want to know:ok: Tell us more...

[A2QFI]

Go and ask your local recruiting office and/or consult the RAF MOD website. If the latter doesn't give you the information you require it should assist you with locating the nearest recruiting office.

[Fg Off Max Stout]

Literacy helps, innit.:ok:

[wg13_dummy]

Anyway here a pilot/ex pilot?

If you are even if you arnt and know some info, whats the truth about getting in?
What qualifications did you get in with? And Age and anything else they liked?

Does the job really live up to what they make it out to be?

It will be a pleasure to hear if you get accepted into the RAF.

I'm sure your white socks and hoody will fit in just perfectly in the Officers Mess. :)


Please, please keep us informed!

[vecvechookattack]

Hey Gareth...Join the RAF mate....they'll have you. I understand they are short of Pilots at the moment. Go for it...


PS. The RN and the AAC dont have pilots....so dont bother with them...but the RAF, yeah...they'll have you...Join up now...please

[Chesty Morgan]

Hey Gareth, ignore this lot. You are far more literate than most of the air force pilots I know:E

[FFP]

What's the truth in getting in ?

Tell us the lies you've been told first . . .. .

[Gareth123]

Thanks for such helpful replies :hmm:

ok you all have a point, reading over what i wrote, im not sure how i managed to write such bad grammer but i do infact get A*'s in English language and litrature and thats not a lie, so shh ! ;)

What i really ment was what qualifications do you really need, because they say minimum 5 c's GCSE and like 2 A Levels. But with such competition that can't seriously be the grades that get you in with. And i ment the truth as in some people say its not very hard to be an officer in the RAF, some say its near impossible. Which ones right?!

and also vecvechookattack, are you joking? since when is the raf short of pilots if anything there is too many people wanting to be a pilot.
And wg13_dummy, i dont wear white socks and a hoody being a cadet myself im quite aware of the importance of uniform !:=

'please keep the joyful insults coming'....:D

[Flatus Veteranus]

Anyway here a pilot/ex pilot?

If you are even if you arnt and know some info, whats the truth about getting in?
What qualifications did you get in with? And Age and anything else they liked?

Does the job really live up to what they make it out to be?

And "stuff"?

[wg13_dummy]

Yes i should of read over it before i posted i do infact get A*'s in English language and litrature and thats not a lie, so shh !

If you are from Cambodia, I could believe you.

[vecvechookattack]

If the RAF are not short of aircrew then why recruit..? If the RAF are not short of aircrew then why is this forum full of them bleating that they are overworked.

The Raf is short of (Officer)Aircrew and to be one you need 5 GCSE's and a brace of A levels. Thats the truth. They dont advertise lies.

However, (Like the RN and AAC) They will pick the best. Second best is no good in this job.


Notwithstanding that....even if you had a dozen GCSE's and a pocket full of A levels and a degree in home economics...it wouldn't get you a place.

[Chesty Morgan]

If you are from Cambodia, I could believe you.


Hey, I learn good English from GI, I love you long time baby!

[Gareth123]

Well theres not much i can do if you're not going to believe me. And im not going to gain anything if you do so thats that.

Notwithstanding that....even if you had a dozen GCSE's and a pocket full of A levels and a degree in home economics...it wouldn't get you a place.

Thanks for that, so its more down to the testing they do, Apititude,interviews and fitness tests.

[planeenglish]

Thanks for such helpful replies :hmm:
ok you all have a point, reading over what i wrote, im not sure how i managed to write such bad grammer but i do infact get A*'s in English language and litrature and thats not a lie, so shh ! ;)
What i really ment was what qualifications do you really need, because they say minimum 5 c's GCSE and like 2 A Levels. But with such competition that can't seriously be the grades that get you in with. And i ment the truth as in some people say its not very hard to be an officer in the RAF, some say its near impossible. Which ones right?!
and also vecvechookattack, are you joking? since when is the raf short of pilots if anything there is too many people wanting to be a pilot.
And wg13_dummy, i dont wear white socks and a hoody being a cadet myself im quite aware of the importance of uniform !:=
'please keep the joyful insults coming'....:D
Says a lot about your English language teacher! He/she must be so proud of you.:ok: Sorry Chesty, I couldn't pass this one up.:}

[Chesty Morgan]

Sort him out PE:ok:

[wg13_dummy]

Well theres not much i can do if you're not going to believe me. And im not going to gain anything if you do so thats that.

Well, lofty, your posts hurt my eyes for a start. The reason we are having trouble taking you seriously is because you write like a 7 year old.

A* grades or not, a basic grasp of communicating WTF you are on about is key to any job in the Armed Forces.

PS I'm not being a grammar Nazi here it's just that you are talking gobbledegook mate.

PPS These are not 'joyful insults', they are helpful bits of advice to at least get you through the front door of the careers office.

[Chesty Morgan]

Just goes to show the state of Mr Bliar's "Education, Education, Education" programme!:ugh:

[planeenglish]

A* grades or not, a basic grasp of communicating WTF you are on about is key to any job in the Armed Forces.
PS I'm not being a grammar Nazi here it's just that you are talking gobbledegook mate.
Then why won't some of you answer this for me? Thanks,
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=235300
PE
Well, Mr. Chesty, I believe Mr. Bush (Papa Bush) started the "ejukashun thing a few y(b)eers bak". :D

[Gareth123]

ok then, i understand what your saying. To be honest i didnt understand how i managed to write such rubbish. But i can't do much about that now.

These are not 'joyful insults', they are helpful bits of advice to at least get you through the front door of the careers office. Helpful or not, everyone has just commented on how i wrote a bit of bad grammer...ok alot. But the point is i didnt come on this forum for this !! Think what you must, but im not a stupid guy and to be honest, doesnt matter to me what you think cause obviously im not getting anything helpful from here just wasting my time!! (Apart from one or two people.)

[Pontius Navigator]

Gareth123,

Start over.

One way is to get a new nickname.

What they were saying, in a not too gentle way, is type properly, spell properly, punctuate properly, capitalise properly and make sense. No text-speak.

We can talk jargon and text with the best of them, except we can also write proper too like what I can.

If you can find other threads and pleas simlar to yours you will find lots of helpful advice offered to people who ask the questions properly. You will also find plenty of flaming when we get sloppy typing too. One problem with Pprune is the lack of a spell checker etc. Try composing your questions off-line with a proper word processor.

The nub of your question is what are your chances. The answer slim to invisible. At a wild guess, of 12000 wanabees some 7000 get through the first sift and 3000 make it to interview. Lots of them wash out for medical reasons. In the end some 1200 make it to interview for some 120 pilot slots.

[wg13_dummy]

Then why won't some of you answer this for me? Thanks,
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=235300
PE
Well, Mr. Chesty, I believe Mr. Bush (Papa Bush) started the "ejukashun thing a few y(b)eers bak". :D
I dont think I'm suitably qualified to give you advice on your thread, PE. You have an excuse, you're Johnny Foreigner. Although your grasp of your second language, is better than Gareths grasp of his first language (unless Gareth is a porridge wog....it then becomes clear).

[cazatou]

Now when I went to OASC at Biggin Hill the requirements for Aircrew were 5"O-Levels", which had to include English Language, Maths and a Science subject.
Given that the current generation are flying more or less the same aircraft that my generation were flying - VC10, Hercules, Nimrod, Harrier, Jaguar etc; is it that the requirements have been changed OR that the pass mark has been changed

[Mr-AEO]

Nice to see the Crabs are putting their anal education course (sorry Staff Course) to good use.:D

Join the RN Gareth m8. You'll find that we pose slightly less than the crabfats and we can handle our beer:ok:

[microlight AV8R]

Now when I went to OASC at Biggin Hill the requirements for Aircrew were 5"O-Levels", which had to include English Language, Maths and a Science subject.
Given that the current generation are flying more or less the same aircraft that my generation were flying - VC10, Hercules, Nimrod, Harrier, Jaguar etc; is it that the requirements have been changed OR that the pass mark has been changed

Or perhaps your 5 O-levels are worth the present 5 GCSE's and 2 A-levels due to modern edukayshun stannards :cool:

[roush]

Nice to see the Crabs are putting their anal education course (sorry Staff Course) to good use.:D

Join the RN Gareth m8. You'll find that we pose slightly less than the crabfats and we can handle our beer:ok:

I agee, cum joyn us in the wundaful RN, yool fit rite in.

[planeenglish]

I dont think I'm suitably qualified to give you advice on your thread, PE. You have an excuse, you're Johnny Foreigner. Although your grasp of your second language, is better than Gareths grasp of his first language (unless Gareth is a porridge wog....it then becomes clear).
Thanks for the response though. It is much appreciated.

PE

[Gareth123]

I agee, cum joyn us in the wundaful RN, yool fit rite in.

funny......real funny....

[A2QFI]

Gareth 123. You are getting the harsh end of the Pprune banter here! The fact is that it doesn't really matter what PAPER qualifications you have got. If you can't compose a grammatical sentence, with correct punctuation and spelling, you aren't even going to be able to fill in the application forms for joining the RAF!

[cazatou]

Microlight AV8R,

SPELLING

dON@T yOU MEAN EDUFICATion like wot i ad?

[roush]

funny......real funny....

Sorry mate. One of the many traits of military personnel is the ‘need’ to jump on everyone’s mistakes and milk them for all they are worth. It’s called banter, and if you are successful in perusing a military career at your current literacy level you can expect loads of it.;)

That said, people on this board are trying to give you advice, if in a slightly patronising way (another military trait). Many people in the armed forces struggle with the written word and compose emails and letters in MS Word type programs before they post them.

Part of the selection process includes a written English element and telling them that you have an ‘A’ in English while they struggle to make sense of what you have placed in front of them won’t help you.

Try doing what Pontius has recommended. It makes you come across as far more mature and intelligent which in turn encourages people to treat you as such, believe me.

Without coming across as too pompous (I’m not one of the two wing master race so don’t suffer from the same elitism issues :zzz: ) most of the people on these boards (myself excluded of course) are a few rungs above Joe Average. They have successfully managed to secure a career in their chosen fields, and have worked hard to be successful. Part of the esteem that the UK Armed Forces enjoys stems from the ability to learn and grow from past experiences of others. People become extremely proud and protective of their trades and spend a great deal of time training others to be likewise. So when someone starts asking questions about the job these people instantly start thinking “would I like to work with this person”? Ask yourself, would you like to fly with the person who wrote your initial post?

Go change your screen name and come back (or be a man and start again with your current name). You have made it to the correct place to get all the right info, you just didn’t introduce yourself very well.:ok:

[Always a Sapper]

Good one roush... :ok:

[Gareth123]

Thanks roush. I agree with you, basically first impressions are important and I managed to make a bad one. I wish I had just proof read what I wrote before I posted it ! Because have my other posts been grammatically bad? Hopefully not.

most of the people on these boards (myself excluded of course) are a few rungs above Joe Average. They have successfully managed to secure a career in their chosen fields, and have worked hard to be successful. I realize that and that’s why I am here! I have a great amount of respect anyone who has got which I am striving to get in the future. I only came here for advice. But (even if you wanted me too) I’m not going to take it personally cause if you knew me you'd know I'm not a stupid guy, even if I did manage to come across as one.

[microlight AV8R]

Microlight AV8R,

SPELLING

dON@T yOU MEAN EDUFICATion like wot i ad?

Yup, gess ya rite , cleva bugga :cool:

[wg13_dummy]

Thanks roush. I agree with you, basically first impressions are important and I managed to make a bad one. I wish I had just proof read what I wrote before I posted it ! Because have my other posts been grammatically bad? Hopefully not.
I realize that and that’s why I am here! I have a great amount of respect anyone who has got which I am striving to get in the future. I only came here for advice. But (even if you wanted me too) I’m not going to take it personally cause if you knew me you'd know I'm not a stupid guy, even if I did manage to come across as one.
The only way you can be judged on an internet forum is how and what you write. In one way, it takes away all the other distractions one would get if meeting in person. On the other hand, it might mean you have to project a little bit harder (read; spell and punctuate correctly). First impressions and all that.

[mcidiot]

The minimum grade requirements are
5 GCSEs- i.e. Cs and above
and

2 A-levels- i.e. grade E and above


Mind you, could've been worse

could've written in "text language":ugh:

[indie cent]

Gareth,

From your recent posts, it appears that you are making a real effort. Believe me, this will help you greatly in any walk of life. However, please tell me that the following:i do infact get A*'s in English language and litrature and thats not a lie

...is not so. Please.:confused:

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Gareth, the blokes here have, in their own way, offered you priceless advice. They have also given you an insight to the benign humour of Service life. Read, absorb and prosper.

Something very important you need to ask yourself: how much do you want to fly? how much do you want to be part of a close knit team made up of hard hitting jokers like these? how much do you want responsibility for life or death decisions for you and people who depend on you, how much do you want hard work and how much do you want to be buggered about for seemingly no good reasons and contrary to what you personally want to do. This list is not exhaustive.

If you still feel totally committed after that self test, go to the recruiting office and fill the forms in. The school qualifications are the easy bit. The first hard bit is OASC. They will asses your potential to complete Officer and flying training. They will tell you the truth about what you are probably capable and incapable of.

So that’s it? No, it’s the beginning. Re-read para 2. For what it’s worth, good luck

[Pontius Navigator]

Thanks roush. I agree with you, basically first impressions are important and I managed to make a bad one. I wish I had just proof read what I wrote before I posted it ! Because have my other posts been grammatically bad? Hopefully not.

I realize that and that’s why I am here! I have a great amount of respect anyone who has got which I am striving to get in the future. I only came here for advice. But (even if you wanted me too) I’m not going to take it personally cause if you knew me you'd know I'm not a stupid guy, even if I did manage to come across as one.

Thanks Roush, I agree with you that first impression as are important, and I managed to make a bad impression.

[Note the comma before the conjuctive 'and'. Also the repetition of 'impression'. This reinforces the fact that you have learnt the lesson]

I wish I had proofread what I wrote before I posted in.

[just is superfluous].

Because have my other posts been grammatically bad?

[Oh dear!. 'have my other posts been grammatically bad?' Yup. 'Hopefully not' Misplaced optimisim I am afraid.]

'I have a great amount of respect anyone who has got which I am striving to get in the future. '

for anyone who has got to where I am striving to get.]

'But (even if you wanted me too) I’m not going to take it personally cause if you knew me you'd know I'm not a stupid guy, even if I did manage to come across as one.'

[But (even if you wanted me too) I’m not going to take it personally because if you knew me you'd know I'm not a stupid guy, even if I did manage to come across as one.]

You could have said - 'cause - to show the shortening.

These are just very simple rules that should, for an A-level English scholar be second nature. For a bit of light reading get hold of a copy of Eats, Shoots and Leaves.

You will eventually learn the tenets of Defence Writing - ABC - (if it is still taught) Accuracy, Brevity, Clarity. If you practise now it will become second nature and, I promise, help in your A-levels too.

PS, I am an undergraduate.

[movadinkampa747]

Gareth, you need to contact Douglas Watts in the thread about becoming an Astronaut. I am sure you would make the grade......:E If not then the Regiment or supply Branch will have you I am sure.

[brickhistory]

Well, Mr. Chesty, I believe Mr. Bush (Papa Bush) started the "ejukashun thing a few y(b)eers bak". :D

Damn, that Bush family is responsible for EVERYTHING wrong in the world! Even the UK's education system!

[Aynayda Pizaqvick]

Nice to see the Crabs are putting their anal education course (sorry Staff Course) to good use.:D
Join the RN Gareth m8. You'll find that we pose slightly less than the crabfats and we can handle our beer:ok:
Agreed Gareth, you have made the first step... all you need to do now is get turned down by the RAF and you will have met ALL the RN's selection criteria. And even if that fails, there is always the AAC!:E

[16 blades]

i do infact get A*'s in English language and litrature and thats not a lie, so shh !
Sadly, that means nothing nowadays, since the worthless bunch of social engineers who currently run the country have demeaned education to the point where it is now worthless. The fact that you can write the way you do and still obtain an A* grade just confirms what I have feared for many years.

As an aside, I hear there are plans afoot to introduce an "A**" grade - how trite!

Here's a suggestion for a new grading system:

A** = A
A* = B
A = C
B = FAIL!!

In other words, just the way it used to be when I was educated, when employers could actually rely on exam grades to determine an applicants probable potential.

Alternatively, we could just give everybody an "A", with the number of stars determining exactly how "A" you were! Although I suspect some pinko would take issue with even this ridiculous proposal, since it is 'elitist'. God help the future, is all I can say...

16B

[Gareth123]

These are just very simple rules that should, for an A-level English scholar

Sorry if you mis-understood, I begin my A-levels next year. When I spoke of A*'s I am talking about my GCSE's.
Im not claiming to be some mastermind of the english language. But i know im perfectly capable of writing something formally and taking the time to make sure I havnt made any mistakes.

And yes they are very good rules but things like : 'cause and cause. Do they really matter on an internet forum ?

[Pontius Navigator]

Sorry if you mis-understood, I begin my A-levels next year. When I spoke of A*'s I am talking about my GCSE's.
Im not claiming to be some mastermind of the english language. But i know im perfectly capable of writing something formally and taking the time to make sure havnt made any mistakes.

Gareth, I certainly did not misunderstand, hence my advice.

If you know you are capable, at this time you should take every opportunity to practise. At your age I never had a chance, like you have, to practise and get free advice.

'Im not claiming to be some mastermind of the english language. But i know im perfectly capable of writing something formally and taking the time to make sure havnt made any mistakes'

This is a perfect example of sloppy work and colours our prceptions, as you have found out.

Care to resubmit that sentence with it properly drafted?

[Gareth123]

This is a perfect example of sloppy work and colours our prceptions

Spelt 'perceptions' ;)

Its sloppy work? But this isn't work, I'm not trying to sabotage the English language but I also won't pay much attention to such little things when I’m posting on an informal chat room or forum.

[indie cent]

This is a perfect example of sloppy work and colours our prceptions, as you have found out.

Good work Gareth, continuing your lesson... this is what we call irony!

:} :} ;) ;)

[tezzer]

Gareth, I certainly did not misunderstand, hence my advice.

If you know you are capable, at this time you should take every opportunity to practise. At your age I never had a chance, like you have, to practise and get free advice.

'Im not claiming to be some mastermind of the english language. But i know im perfectly capable of writing something formally and taking the time to make sure havnt made any mistakes'

This is a perfect example of sloppy work and colours our prceptions, as you have found out.

Care to resubmit that sentence with it properly drafted?



Bwahahaha !

[Fg Off Max Stout]

ok you all have a point, reading over what i wrote, im not sure how i managed to write such bad grammer but i do infact get A*'s in English language and litrature and thats not a lie, so shh !

Right Gareth, you are taking quite a harsh ride so I'll try to answer your question gently. You asked about qualification and other requirements for joining the RAF as an officer. There are numerous requirements in widespread areas. You must exceed the RAF selection minimum standard in all of these areas if you hope to get through. Selection odds are fierce. These areas include, literacy, numeracy, medical, aptitude, personality and many more. The reason everyone is drawing attention to your literacy is that, at the moment, it is poor enough, I suspect, to cause you to fail selection regardless of your skills in other areas. Believe it or not, English is an assessed part of RAF Officer training.

But i know im perfectly capable of writing something formally and taking the time to make sure havnt made any mistakes.

As a case in point, I counted 7 mistakes in that sentence alone. The fact that the text suggests that you have checked that sentence's grammar and spelling and consider it to be free from errors, shows that your grasp of English is far below that which is required, regardless of what grades you may have previously attained. Quite frankly I would be stunned if writing skills such as yours would merit an A* at GCSE.

The military fraternity runs on fairly harsh banter to put a message across. The message here, from people who know, is that you need to put a bit more study time into your English if you hope to achieve your dream. Your 'A' grade alone clearly does not make you a master of the English language.

I'm not trying to sabotage the English language but I also won't pay much attention to such little things when I’m posting on an informal chat room or forum.

Not a good enough excuse, mate. Yes, stylistically email and web writing may acceptably be less formal but routinely incorrect spelling and punctuation is always sloppy. Bare in mind that you'd get torn apart at interview for using the 'I can't be bothered to make the effort unless I'm being assessed' excuse in any facet of selection. Don't be put off. Just remember that you asked the question and we gave you an answer. If you take it on board, you will improve your chances of doing in a few years what we do now.

[Pontius Navigator]

prceptions - fair cop guv.

I see in today's Torygraph that a large number of students at Harrow, with A* English, failed an internal English exam.

Gareth, give up lad, right proper like what we does.

[tezzer]

Bare in mind...



Bear I think you will find, dear chap.


Edited to save on heartbeats and eyesight usage. There really is no need to quote an entire post to make a point about a single phrase - however good the point is!

Scroggs

[teeteringhead]

Gareth

there is indeed a lot of good advice here; advice that you should heed. (Bl:mad: dy hellfire - a semicolon on the web :ok: )

You seem to be focussing a lot on the academic requirements, which are not critical for the RAF (or RN or AAC). The academic bar may be set apparently low, but that is because there are other bars set much higher.

As Pontius Nav pointed out in a earlier post, the percentage who makes it from application to the front line is vanishingly small. One can get most jobs from a half-an-hour interview, senior management posts may have a whole day of tests and assessments. The RAF (and the others!) have 3-4 days of assessments, medicals, fitness tests and so on.

More questions will be asked of you about what you have done (community work, Air Cadets, team sports) than what bits of paper you hold or confidently expect to obtain. A maths pass is less important than knowing instantly how long 47 miles will take at 180 knots (and that's an easy one - most aircrew on this forum will have worked it out quicker than I wrote it - and I'm not that slow a typist).

Many of us here have done it successfully - and we aren't demi-gods (apart from the Harrier pilots - and that's more banter ;) )

What about your fitness, (do you know what a "bleep test" is?), what about your health (specs, colour vision, asthma?). More people fall by the wayside for those than for insufficient exams!

But go for it! If successful it's the best job in the world (whatever the capbadge). And if you don't go for it, you may just spend the rest of your life wondering "what if".

And by the way - the answer is 15 minutes and 40 seconds. 180 knots is 3 miles a minute or a mile in 20 seconds. So 48 miles would be 16 minutes, and 47 miles will be 20 seconds less. That's the kind of maths we're interested in, rather than A* at GCSE!

[Fg Off Max Stout]

Nice one Tezzer, you got me, but as a matter of courtesy I will spare you my thoughts on quoting an entire post in order to refer to a single word....dear chap. I made a point of not saying that you have to be a black belt of academic English. We happily turn a blind eye to the occassional typo and I am sure none of us would claim to never make a mistake.

My point stands however. I, and most of the contributors to this thread, have been through RAF selection, OASC's English assessments, IOT at Cranwell, Defence Writing / Written Comms, ISS, and so on. We all know that if you routinely turn out sentences with as many errors as words, you will join the 99.9% of applicants who don't make it through selection. The banter may be harsh but the motivation is to help our man Gareth.

[teeteringhead]

to never make a mistake. ... or split an infinitive? ;) ;)

[Fg Off Max Stout]

Oh, FFS. The type of English up with which we shall not put.

your in yor one garetyj innit:ok:

[teeteringhead]

Max

Blackadder: Don't you know what irony is Baldrick?

Baldrick: Of course Sir ... it's like goldy or bronzy but made of iron ....

....the ;) ;) might have been a clue.......

[Gareth123]

Gareth

there is indeed a lot of good advice here; advice that you should heed. (Bl:mad: dy hellfire - a semicolon on the web :ok: )

You seem to be focussing a lot on the academic requirements, which are not critical for the RAF (or RN or AAC). The academic bar may be set apparently low, but that is because there are other bars set much higher.

As Pontius Nav pointed out in a earlier post, the percentage who makes it from application to the front line is vanishingly small. One can get most jobs from a half-an-hour interview, senior management posts may have a whole day of tests and assessments. The RAF (and the others!) have 3-4 days of assessments, medicals, fitness tests and so on.

More questions will be asked of you about what you have done (community work, Air Cadets, team sports) than what bits of paper you hold or confidently expect to obtain. A maths pass is less important than knowing instantly how long 47 miles will take at 180 knots (and that's an easy one - most aircrew on this forum will have worked it out quicker than I wrote it - and I'm not that slow a typist).

Many of us here have done it successfully - and we aren't demi-gods (apart from the Harrier pilots - and that's more banter ;) )

What about your fitness, (do you know what a "bleep test" is?), what about your health (specs, colour vision, asthma?). More people fall by the wayside for those than for insufficient exams!

But go for it! If successful it's the best job in the world (whatever the capbadge). And if you don't go for it, you may just spend the rest of your life wondering "what if".

And by the way - the answer is 15 minutes and 40 seconds. 180 knots is 3 miles a minute or a mile in 20 seconds. So 48 miles would be 16 minutes, and 47 miles will be 20 seconds less. That's the kind of maths we're interested in, rather than A* at GCSE!

Ok I'll try and remember all that. I'm aware of what a bleep test is and the last time I took it I achieved 12.9 which isn't too bad but also not exceptional. Thanks for all the advice there, I still have a long road ahead of me, but I love aviation and always will whether or not I ever manage to make a career of it.
Not really necessary for any more replies I’ve got what I came here for.
:)

[South Bound]

lol - if you can do 12.9 you will be fine - maintain that and work on other areas where you may not be as strong. While it is dangerous to speculate about the average, I guess it is not that high...

[jonny5]

Thank god for that! and to the crabs, please please take our dear Gareth and keep him away from RN/AAC flying machines:ok: !

[JAG3]

All these grades are starting to make me quite dizzy. I'm 17 and just finished my AS levels and still can perfectly spell. I got 7B's,1A and 1C and was pleased with that and therefore applying for aircrew.:ok:

[wg13_dummy]

I'm 17 and just finished my AS levels and still can perfectly spell.

Thats nice.

Work on your grammar now. ;)

Unless now the RAF are Yodi apprentices taking?

[bar fly]

Thats nice.


That's a good idea. Dummy.

[Kengineer-130]

Amazing.... 4 pages of this thread, and most of it has been an utter waste of webspace :ugh:. It has to be said, the spelling nazi's are out in force, havn't any of you got anything constructive to say rarther than just flaming the poor lad? He admitted he made a mistake, now stop being pedantic old gimmers :ugh: . As I have often been told, unless you have somthing nice to say don't say anything.

Not checked for spelling or grammer, as I really don't give a flying F*** :D :}

No wonder the forces are struggling to recruit with attitudes like this.......

[ImageGear]

If you really, really, really* want to fly in the RAF so bad that it hurts, you can taste it, smell it, you dream about it and you are ready to give up women for it, the realisation will come that you "must put aside the childish things and become a man".

Character adjustments, personality modification, psychometrics, discipline, education, mathematics, physics, even grammar and spelling are just hills to climb over on the way to reaching your dream but they have to be done.

Get past them quickly and move on to the real reason for living like doing 450 kts in your personal pocket rocket through the valleys at low-level on a gin clear day. :ok:

(*Yes I know but I'm trying to get a point across)

Imagegear

[cazatou]

Gareth 123

Ignore 95% of what has been posted on this thread since your initial post. IF you REALLY, REALLY, want it then you will go for it. Bear in mind that, even if you fail at the first hurdle; then, as far as the RAF is concerned, you are still one of the top 10% of young men in the UK at this time: if you were not you would not be interviewed.

This has been posted by someone who was born in Commercial Road, Limehouse, (just down from Wapping Steps), and went on to fly Royalty.

Course, I could be telling Porkies!!!

Go for it, you may fail - but you will never forgive yourself in later life if you did not try

[BEagle]

"Get past them quickly and move on to the real reason for living like doing 450 kts in your personal pocket rocket through the valleys at low-level on a gin clear day."

Sums it up nicely.

Beats the crap out of ferrying corgi owners about....:p

[Monty77]

Hilarious! Gareth is a retired ISS tutor letting rip after years of "grammatical correctness". Kengineer-130 is his OCC (or whatever it's called these days)alter-ego specializing in not bothering to check anything. Why? Because he can't be ar*sed. Not a great trait in an engineer, I would propose.

[The Monkey]

There was dude on my IOT course who failed the defence writing exam three times. He was given all the help he needed but he just could not write proper. He went back to being a RAF chef I think...

Oh yeah, all exams I have taken in the RAF, have had a pass mark ranging from 70%-100%.:eek:

Be prepared to work hard, believe in yourself and don't take it too seriously. Never give up; never surrender!

I've got wings dude and no matter what the cynics on this site say about the state of the RAF, I f:mad: g love it!

Look, I know its a weak comma, but I couldn't figure out how to write the sentence.:{

[A2QFI]

A 'dude' with wings who advises not taking things too seriously! There's a man to keep off your squadron!

[jonesthepilot]

'Dad, when I grow up i'm going to be a pilot in the RAF'
Dad replies - 'sorry son, you can't do both!':ok:

[EESDL]

you must be able to take 'banter' - whether it is as a means of a debriefing or because you happen to have 'goofy' teeth or puke after only your 12th pint of finest.

You must be able to shag for Queen and Country - in any country which you happen to be deployed too - without 'force' protection.

In summary - you need to be a do'er (?) rather than a procrastinator and someone who can get along with the best and worst that society can throw at you - you could be bombing tail-ends of civilian convoys or helping to load mutilated babies onto Hercs (they'll be around for a while longer).........

Take the banter in your stride and dish it out (dishing-out Banter only works if it comes from a credible source -ie YOU CAN ACTUALLY SPELL.

Good luck in your quest to join the finest fighting force in the World - RAF, RN or AAC - but do not expect to get paid on performance, overtime, weekends or other such bollox that eats into the MOD way of life.

[The Monkey]

A2QFI - the people that wear their hearts on their sleeves tend to be the s:mad: t magnets. Not my bag really but that doesn't mean I don't know the difference between relaxed and reckless - Flight Safety is (grammar?) not a pair of dirty words (huh?)! Perchance you have some cheeky pearls of wisdom for the guys that want the career you enjoyed and I am just starting on.

Oh no; could somebody extract this hook from my cheek please? It really hurts...

[McT06]

To the guys who are still in, shame on you - I trust you don't remember how worried you were when you applied. (All who protest are probably the worst affected)

To the guys who have left, find something better to do with your time - we know you miss it, grass is greener etc, but picking on people who want to join just shows how bitter you can appear.

To the guys who have never been in - keep trying. Its not the RAF it was, but then in 10 years it probably won't be what it is now.

To those who can't get in, don't be bitter.

Gareth. Work hard at it. Don't rise to the banter. Its not what it was, but its still a bl:) :) dy good time and if you strike the right balance of confidence, interest and teamwork at OASC (not forgetting the Sunday times for 8-12 weeks before) you'll be laughing. Buy a MENSA book - cover to cover will help.

Come on guys - we've no idea what this bloke's like in person, lets give him the right encouragement and let OASC make the decision.

[EESDL]

Poleeeese don't tell us that OASC will get it right........
they let me in didn't they?

[Andy Nicholls]

Just remember, when one takes ones RT Exam, ask for the 'Ali G' edition', aye.

Crikey, and they say exam standards arent slipping, my arse. :uhoh:

[bpster]

Gareth, dont worry mate, lots of people talking b*****ks on here, there is some valuble advice here thouth, just got to be carefull. I was in your situation only 4 years ago, i remember only too well what it was like.
Dont get too bothered about the grades mate, its all about you.
i got the minimim at GCSE then i only got a D and an E at A-Level.
Im not proud of that but they look at you as a person, they want to see that you are a well rounded and genuine individual. They turn down a lot of loosers with 6 As at A-Level. I count my-self as one of the lucky ones to get in with the grades i had but that was in 2002. I dont know if the situation at OASC is that different now but just go for it anyway and put your all into it. When i went to OASC in sep 2002 as a school leaver, i never thought i would be at Valley with wings on my chest, flying the hawk. Its all there mate!

P.S Monkey mate! I think thats you, 216 BFJT? Its Slug!!! Hope your well!