RAAF Flight Screening Programme

[Zacertsy2005]

Can confirm that I was told the same thing last year re ADFA 2023 intake. They only did Assessment Days (in my capital city) for ADFA in the year preceding the ADFA intake. YOU Session and Additional Testing can occur at any time though (provided they remain valid).

Yeah I’ve done my you session and additional testing already so I’ll just be waiting on assessment day. I’ll give them a visit around November or have a talk with the head recruiter of Newcastle when I go down on a tour next school holidays.

[finestkind]

Sounds like a load of twaddle to me. Look at it this way. You have passed everything, testing, OSB and been given a Letter Of Offer but the enlistment date will be outside the 12 months of the assessment day (which for DEO's is a strong possibility). So does it make sense that you have to go back and do the assessment day again? Either someone has done a typical administrative stuff up or the RC's have instituted this for their own benefit.

[Zacertsy2005]

Sounds like a load of twaddle to me. Look at it this way. You have passed everything, testing, OSB and been given a Letter Of Offer but the enlistment date will be outside the 12 months of the assessment day (which for DEO's is a strong possibility). So does it make sense that you have to go back and do the assessment day again? Either someone has done a typical administrative stuff up or the RC's have instituted this for their own benefit.

I have since spoke with a mate who’s currently at Pearce, assessment days being a year before is purely rc side and you don’t need to retake your assignment day he was well outside that 12 month window after he had to sort out some medical stuff so I’m assuming something must supersedes it at some point

[Zacertsy2005]

Awesome news guys I have just booked in my assessment day for the 11 of October, so keen and I hope it goes well. Been studying hard so fingers crossed it should go well. Any advice?

[Nickyy_AK]

Hey Everyone,

I've got my ASP coming up and have been practicing frequently using the CBAT app and just brushing up on my mental math. I was wondering if there are any other apps/website out there that you guys found useful for your ASP prep? cheers!

[raiden747]

Hey everyone,

After skimming this thread, I thought I'd reach out for some advice regarding my intention towards a RAAF OA role (fast-jet specifically). Thank you to previous contributors, I've learnt a lot already!

I'm currently 30, and I work as a physio. I am hoping someone could give me some insight as to whether my age, social history, or any medical factors would be a firm barrier against my chances.

My social background is that I do not have a mother (her loss put a strain on the family) and have very much had to be the leader of my family over the last decade, which is what led me towards being a physio, as I could be close and support everyone whilst chasing an ambitious career. My intention is to be honest with this during OSB/ psych examination (if I get there), I have absolutely no idea if my situation would be flagged as a concern, or a case of emphasising my ability to navigate hardship/ challenges as I pretty much led my family into now having a very healthy dynamic.

I do believe these social factors have accelerated me towards being ticking the boxes for having the personality traits that ADF seem to express as their selection criteria. Definitely function well under pressure, am adaptable, and have a reflective approach to learning/ work ethic.

Medically, self-assessed with a Snelling chart, I apparently have 20/20 vision, never had issues. Went to an optometrist and they advised I was just below 20/20, which is correctable to 20/20. Also have noticed an asymptomatic potentially varicose vein as well. Are they a hard no on any vision below 20/20?
I should also note, I have never been diagnosed with any mental health issues from the above circumstances, so a clean record in that regard.

At the moment I'm applying the knowledge I have with my profession to get my body as fit as possible, have been training 8-10 times a week with a battery of exercises whilst committing 2 hours of study daily on top of work, to prepare for an application.

Just wanting to set my expectations, any feedback or advice would be appreciated :) I will apply regardless as I believe working towards this goal will make me a better person anyway.

[VHOEG]

Hey Everyone,

I've got my ASP coming up and have been practicing frequently using the CBAT app and just brushing up on my mental math. I was wondering if there are any other apps/website out there that you guys found useful for your ASP prep? cheers!


Hey Mate,

If you can make some space in your message box, I'll send you some advice directly. Let me know if you're interested. Emphasis on this Nickyy_AK as I cannot respond to your message.

[raiden747]

Hey Mate,

If you can make some space in your message box, I'll send you some advice directly. Let me know if you're interested.
Thanks VHOEG, I would appreciate the message.

[ZSZSOP]

Hey Mate,

If you can make some space in your message box, I'll send you some advice directly. Let me know if you're interested. Emphasis on this Nickyy_AK as I cannot respond to your message.
likewise please mate

[virtuallaik]

I am also interested VHOEG, if you have any advice for the general aptitude testing as well? I have been out of school 11 years and when I first sat the YOU session aptitude test, I didn't pass the initial screening for pilot (11 years ago). I spent 6 years in the green and have been on civvy street for 5. I miss the uniform and have always been interested in aviation. I am currently working on mental math and putting some time in on the ADF aptitude training app, anything else I should be looking at?

[Dashy13]

This may be very off topic, but I have a few questions if anyone can answer them.

I am currently 18 and would like to join the RAAF in mid 2024 to pursue my goal of becoming a fighter pilot. I have put between 15 and 20 hours towards my RPL just over a year ago but stopped due to my final year of school.

I have recently finished school, and am thinking towards the future. I have other goals I would like to pursue other than flying, and would want to start achieving those sooner rather than later, as they will take time.

My main question is regarding the fast jet role, and the minimum service time for such.
As far as I can find on the ADF website, it states that there is a 11.5 year commitment for Direct Entry Officers or a 1-6 year commitment through general entry. What would be my best option to become a fast jet pilot, but also serve for the least amount of time so I can pursue my other goals?

Cheers

[VHOEG]

Hey Dashy,

I'll try and clear up the commitments for you. I'm just a bloke online so none of this is guaranteed to be correct.
As all Officer Aviation (OA) (i.e. Pilot) roles are officer roles, general entry isn't an option.
OA candidates can enter the ADF via either:

Direct Entry Officer (DEO) or
The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA).


Regardless of your entry method, if you successfully pass pilot training for the RAAF, you will incur a 9 year Return Of Service Obligation (ROSO). This kicks in the day you graduate from your operational conversion (OPCON) (i.e. the day which you become fully qualified to fly a front-line plane like the Hornet or Hercules). It's backdated to the day you started your OPCON though.To clarify, let's say you begin your Hornet OPCON in January of 2027, and you graduate (complete) it in July of 2027. When eligible to graduate, your ROSO kicks in, but it's treated like it started in January of 2027 instead. This means you have to commit for a 'slightly shorter' period of time to the RAAF.

Keep in mind that your ROSO only begins well-into your training, so you will have likely spent several years at different flying training courses and Officer training as well before this even kicks in. So in reality, your time served may substantially longer than your 'commitment'.

Currently, the above system for ROSO means that if you have no other commitments and are unsuccessful in the pilot training pipeline before being eligible to graduate from your OPCON, you could theoretically leave the RAAF with no further commitments. I have been told that this doesn't happen however, as people choose to stay and pursue other roles instead due to the great deal of satisfaction within the RAAF.
If you go to ADFA, you will also incur an Initial Minimum Period of Service (IMPS). OA candidates can only do three-year degrees at ADFA. The IMPS begins immediately upon joining the RAAF and immediately begins counting down. Currently, this is seven years long (calculated as the length of your degree plus another year. I.e. a three year degree means you return three years plus one (i.e. four years) of service). Currently, there is a two-year grace-period for RAAF Officer Cadets, meaning you can leave RAAF up until the second year of ADFA and have your IMPS and any other commitments waived if you find it's not for you.To clarify, let's say you join the RAAF via ADFA in January 2025. When you sign the paper, your 7-year IMPS begins counting down. You finish your degree in December 2027 and begin flying training (in a perfect world) in January 2028.
At that point, you'd have four years of your IMPS left, and zero ROSO because you haven't completed an OPCON yet.
If you have an IMPS and a ROSO simultaneously, they will both count down at the same time, independently of each other.


Hope this clears it up.

Keep an open mind about ADFA as well. Younger applicants tend to be pointed towards ADFA to help them mature personally and as leaders given the different environment at OTS compared to ADFA. You also get a degree of your choosing fully funded and earn a salary while studying. It's an extra commitment but long term, it may be good to have that degree and extra experience.

Also, as someone who's been through the process, the recruiters don't want to see someone who's itching to leave as soon as possible and solely focused on fast jets. Fast jets are extremely hard to be selected for, and you cannot choose to go to them, it's based on your performance throughout flying training and a range of other factors. Keep up the research and keep all of this in mind and consider whether RAAF is the right pathway for you given your interests.

All the best.

[Dashy13]

Cheers legend, will do.

[virtuallaik]

Anyone else here a lateral transfer? Trying to get some information on the psych assessment, does it include the aptitude testing? Mine are all out of date and I haven't done one thus far in the process.

[Watson7]

Hey iv got my asp in the next few weeks. Iv been smashing CBAT and a few brain games on lumosity as well as maths and bearings. Is there any other recommendations on what I should look at or go over to help.

cheers

[Foz97]

Hi Team,

I've just passed my Assessment Day and have been told I'll be on my way to ASP soon for OA - Pilot. I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on study tools/additional information.

So far my study consists of:
- CBAT App
- Mental Math, Luminosity & Elevate App workouts
- Math exercises on DST, Angles, Bearings etc. through Maths Books

Any further recommendations are greatly appreciated! (within fairness to other candidates)

Cheers,
Foz

[finestkind]

Anyone else here a lateral transfer? Trying to get some information on the psych assessment, does it include the aptitude testing? Mine are all out of date and I haven't done one thus far in the process.


Unable to PM. Inbox full?

[virtuallaik]

Yeah Sorry,

It seems I have a 1 item limit on mail. So if I forget to delete the email I send in reply I can't receive any. I have cleaned out my sent emails. Should be able to rx now.

[Zacertsy2005]

Hi Guys,

I'm panelled for my ASP testing which is occurring on the 11 and 12 of April, feel free to reach out if anyone else is also heading down at the same time.

[alexei1]

Hey Zacertsty,

I shot a message over to you. Check your inbox (:

[Zacertsy2005]

Hey Zacertsty,

I shot a message over to you. Check your inbox (:

I think your inbox is full when I tried to reply, if you want to have a chat about the asp or something send me a message on my Instagram zacertsy.

[alexei1]

I think your inbox is full when I tried to reply, if you want to have a chat about the asp or something send me a message on my Instagram zacertsy.

Hey mate, tried finding your instagram but couldn’t. Feel free to add me on instagram. 06.alexei

[crash868]

Hey there I am currently trying to lateral transfer to OA-Pilot and was wondering if anyone has any info on the Psych test which I'm booked in next week but I keep getting mixed responses about what is involved especially on whether there is aptitude testing within the psych. Also if anyone has advice on studying tips for ASP I have been going through the MACTS preparation guide as well as using the CBAT app but any further advice would be greatly appreciated

[virtuallaik]

Probably a bit late Crash, I'm going through the same process as yourself. I've just completed the psych eval, mostly just a background check. A few questions on leadership, dealing stress, motivations, family life etc. A look at your education and a general evaluation of your suitability. Send me a DM if you wanna discuss study for ASP, we might even be on the same one!

[Mothy.]

Gday Everyone,

Anyone thats attended ASP recently able to spill to gouge regarding large number multiplication and division, questions like 16x17= & 272/16= etc.. or is it mostly 12times and under?

Cheers and good luck to everyone in the pipeline :ok:

[dmitree00]

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I’ve been invited to ASP early in May.

I’ve been practicing with the CBAT app, Lumosity to work on other cognitive things and refining my speed, distance, time and fuel calculations. I’ve also been practicing MACTS questions.

Is there anything else I can add on top of these to prep better for the ASP?

[SebTurner05]

In the same boat as dmitree00,

have been using CBAT but need other resources. Also want to ask about the SDT fuel/parcel calculations where I’m left dividing 360 by 450 for example any tips?

[SebTurner05]

Hi Guys,

I'm panelled for my ASP testing which is occurring on the 11 and 12 of April, feel free to reach out if anyone else is also heading down at the same time.



yeah that’s me. What are you doing for prep?

[dmitree00]

In the same boat as dmitree00,

have been using CBAT but need other resources. Also want to ask about the SDT fuel/parcel calculations where I’m left dividing 360 by 450 for example any tips?

divide both numbers by 10 and go back to your times tables

36 = 9 x 4
45 = 9 x 5

discount the 9 and you get

4/5 which is equal to 0.8

[SebTurner05]

yeah that’s me. What are you doing for prep?

thanks mate, found that converting km/h to km/minute works too.

[Zacertsy2005]

thanks mate, found that converting km/h to km/minute works too.

hey mate if you want an invite to our group chat add my Snapchat zacersty

[SebTurner05]

hey mate if you want an invite to our group chat add my Snapchat zacersty

thanks mate I’ve just added you

[enii0002]

Hi Guys,

I'm panelled for my ASP testing which is occurring on the 11 and 12 of April, feel free to reach out if anyone else is also heading down at the same time.
Hey, I'm not sure if ours overlap, but mine's happening over a span of four days starting on the 11th, with the testing happening on the 12th and 13th of this month

[enii0002]

Just reaching out to see if anyone has their ASP during the same session as me.
Probs a little too late, but better then nothing...

FB: Eryue Ni
(profile picture is a black cat)

[Watson7]

Hey guys,

Iv got my OSB coming up in a few weeks. Just wondering if there’s any specifics I should particularly work on or if anyone has any advice they think would be helpful that would be great.

cheers

[The Wawa Zone]

It's truly amazing that this thread has been running for 22 years, and some of the original posters would have long since left military service, be approaching middle age, and may well have kids who want to follow a similar career path and are looking for advice here a generation later. :8

[Yuri.7n1]

Hi All.

I have my ASP date pinned in for the 25th-28th of April, and have been practicing for the tests with the CBAT app. Is there any other apps/programs that could help with the testing?
I had a look on the RAF CBAT website and they had some good run downs on the types of questions. In particular my quick division and multiplication skills for the SDT and CLAN tests could use some work...

All replies appreciated :)

[dmitree00]

Hi All.

I have my ASP date pinned in for the 25th-28th of April, and have been practicing for the tests with the CBAT app. Is there any other apps/programs that could help with the testing?
I had a look on the RAF CBAT website and they had some good run downs on the types of questions. In particular my quick division and multiplication skills for the SDT and CLAN tests could use some work...

All replies appreciated :)

Damn, that’s very soon. Good luck!

get used to working with fractions like 1/10, 1/60, 1/12, 1/15 and 1/3 for calculating SDT.

Doing this has helped me calculate a lot faster, while practicing at least.

I’m going down 2nd week of May too.
Let us know how you go! 😎

[odumking]

Hey guys, how did you go?

[Jett_going4_pilot]

Hey odumking, I've seen you on the leader board for some CBAT sections, to be honest I just downloaded it am confused how people can get such high scores in sections like the SDT fuel/weight, any tips? How far along is your application, nice to see some Victoria representation

for reference
I'm yr 12 and I have completed my assessment day and all outstanding medical (eyes, blood, teeth) and are currently awaiting dates for my ASP
ps-never interacted with forums and I hope I haven't done anything wrong here :)

[virtuallaik]

I also wonder these things, I recently got a pretty decent score on the arithmetic challenge (Top 9%), but I think I just lucked out with easy questions. I'd assume it's the same on some of the big scores. Most of my other scores are top 15-30 percent and I'm nowhere near the top scores of all time.

Did you end up getting your ASP date?

[odumking]

Hey odumking, I've seen you on the leader board for some CBAT sections, to be honest I just downloaded it am confused how people can get such high scores in sections like the SDT fuel/weight, any tips? How far along is your application, nice to see some Victoria representation

for reference
I'm yr 12 and I have completed my assessment day and all outstanding medical (eyes, blood, teeth) and are currently awaiting dates for my ASP
ps-never interacted with forums and I hope I haven't done anything wrong here :)

Hey mate, just keep practising. Having a good grasp of division and multiplication is key.

My ASP Is coming soon. Have you been panelled?

[odumking]

Jett_going4_pilot (javascript:void(0)) Use your fingers to remember some things if you must.

[virtuallaik]

Anyone have any tips or tricks for these questions? My brain seems to just fizzle when these questions come up.

[Eranga82]

Hi aviation legends,

This could be a bit long shot, but I am 41 now and qualified as mechanical engineer works in mining. I am thinking of joining RAAF on pilot roles. My question is how likely it would be successful in selecting to a pilot role (fixed wing or jet pilot) due to my age? Is there any age restriction for fast jet pilot? Has anyone joined RAAF as pilot in this age and what would be the maximum age to serve as a jet pilot?

TIA.
Eranga

[finestkind]

Hi aviation legends,

This could be a bit long shot, but I am 41 now and qualified as mechanical engineer works in mining. I am thinking of joining RAAF on pilot roles. My question is how likely it would be successful in selecting to a pilot role (fixed wing or jet pilot) due to my age? Is there any age restriction for fast jet pilot? Has anyone joined RAAF as pilot in this age and what would be the maximum age to serve as a jet pilot?

TIA.
Eranga

Age restriction is dependent on your ability to carry out your IMPS before your CRA.

[bjay]

Hi all - this thread is amazing and has helped me progress through all stages of application. I have hit a small snag with my final medical and need to get a report from a senior aviation cardiologist or CASA registered examiner. Has anyone got any suggestions? I am in Melbourne, Victoria - TIA

[LHR27L]

Hi all - I managed to get high recommendations at OSB for both the RAAF and NAVY pilot. However, they've just rejected my medical appeal claiming that my jaw wouldn't fit in the oxygen mask of the F35, F18 and the PC21 (I've never physically tried it on and have a minor overbite so it seems like a crazy reason to throw away 8 years of hard work, but I guess that's life). Has anyone else had this issue in the past? Also if you have any questions about the process I'd be happy to answer.

[Zacertsy2005]

Hi all - I managed to get high recommendations at OSB for both the RAAF and NAVY pilot. However, they've just rejected my medical appeal claiming that my jaw wouldn't fit in the oxygen mask of the F35, F18 and the PC21 (I've never physically tried it on and have a minor overbite so it seems like a crazy reason to throw away 8 years of hard work, but I guess that's life). Has anyone else had this issue in the past? Also if you have any questions about the process I'd be happy to answer.

Hey mate,

I have had a similar issue as you except I have a retrognathic maxilla (smaller upper jaw resulting in a minor underbite) for which they class 4d me after getting my letter of offer for adfa 24 army pilot. What info did you gather before you submitted your appeal if you don’t mind me asking as I’m going to push this appeal as far as possible. I’ve already submitted my appeal last Friday but I wouldn’t mind knowing what else I could possibly submit that I may have missed. Lastly, don’t give up hope on making it just on the rejected appeal. there’s different paths we all take to reach our goals so keep trying and getting extra info. It’s a struggle as it’s a very subjective issue whether it would fit without the measurements and limits of mask fitment so I would still try and push to maybe get a mask fitted some how. If you want to reach out to me my email is [email protected].

Best of Luck

[Gemzyy23]

Hey everybody I am a current officer in the RAAF who recently completed OTS and am awaiting posting to 1FTS. Throughout my recruitment/training process, there were a lot of things that I wish I had known beforehand so I could have been better prepared unfortunately there is not a lot of information that is readily available to help with this. So I have decided I will share my experience going through OTS to help prospects going into OA or in any other Officer capacity in the RAAF. Additionally, there are a lot of uncertainties revolving around training due to the recent changes to OTS going from 17 weeks down to 12 weeks. I will also include some personal tips that you can consider for your benefit.

*DISCLAIMER* I am not authorised by either the RAAF or the ADF to share this information so I will not be revealing any detail that will hinder the training process of the Officer's Training school. These are just my accounts of my training and some things that I genuinely believe would have helped me had I known before enlisting to be better prepared for training. I understand if others might disagree or have different opinions compared to mine. I intend to just try and better inform new officer trainees so they would not have to walk into training completely unaware of the requirements. While some of the information provided might be specific to officer aviation/pilot candidates. I still believe most of the information is relevant to all specs.



This post might be fairly long so I will divide them up into the following sections if people wish to only read particular sections.

1. ASP ( Aviation Screening Program)

2. OTS Phases (New Structure)

3. Field Phase

4. PFT (Physical fitness test)

5. Swim Test (Aircrew)

____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________

1) ASP (Aviation Screening Program)

If you have made it to this stage of your recruitment well done! you have already displayed good aptitude and possess the skills required to be OA. Now notice I say OA this will be a trend across this post. Remember until you are completely qualified and actively working in a role you are not guaranteed anything. This is something you will notice you are constantly reminded of once you are in Defence reason is that the training for all roles especially aviation-related roles is arduous and if you are not aware pass rates are really low. There are two reasons why I have said this :

1. So you can keep your options open as you will find out after your ASP you will gain a greater appreciation for all the roles available (who knows you might end up picking a role that you had never even thought of before)

2. This happens a lot with pilot candidates including myself until I was educated by a senior NCO you do not want to come off arrogant no role in the ADF is beneath another. All roles play a crucial task in the wider defence and just because you got offered a position as a pilot does not guarantee you will graduate your pilot training. So be humble and try not to brag about being a pilot while you are still a trainee.

Now that we got that out of the way onto the main ASP testing. I did my ASP in 2021 and while most of this information will be relevant it might not be the same for your testing.

You will be flown to East Sale for 4 days and the ASP testing component is run over 2 days. Testing is broken up into 2 x 4-hour blocks. Leaving the other 2 days for travelling to and from East Sale.

Day 1 of testing would include being shown around the facility as well as a static display of a PC21. My group was lucky enough to have some time in the PC21 Sims however I have heard that recently they have stopped doing that. After some briefings about different roles and what to expect in aviation in all the services by a rep from each service, you will do the first half of your testing. You will not receive a score or any indication of your performance after the first test.

Day 2 of testing you go straight into testing after breakfast. After your testing, you get taken around to the school of air traffic control as well as the air mission training school if you did not do that on day 1. Once you have completed you get called in individually to debrief with one of the advocates and they usually run you through how you performed in each section of the testing what your overall result is and if you are being offered the role you wanted.

Things to consider

While 90% of candidates coming to ASP want to be pilots not everyone will be offered a spot. This does not mean you are done for life sometimes it might just mean you will have to try the ASP one more time if you want the pilot spot. Otherwise, there are plenty of other roles in all 3 services that you might be eligible for and might be interested in post-ASP experience. ASP is designed in a way so you get exposure to all aviation roles available and more than often people who did not get pilot opt to choose something else that they have a newfound appreciation for due to the exposure they received while at ASP. Once again keep your options open.

If you do not get the role that you want there are most likely due to 3 reasons. You either did not obtain the minimum score required for your role, or you obtained the minimum score but the score was not competitive enough for you to receive an offer, or you do not meet the academic standards for the role. I will use examples from my ASP to better explain this one of the guys who was in my group met the minimum requirements for a pilot however was not offered a spot because they compared his scores to everyone who had passed an ASP for pilot that year to see where he ranked among them and they had deemed that he is not competitive enough to receive an offer letter hence he was not progressed as a pilot. Another was the officer who was in his interim posting escorting us he was not offered a spot initially even though he had a competitive ASP score due to not having a good Academic grade in year 12. He had to then go finish uni and get a competitive GPA before he was offered the spot.

Remember ASP scores are valid for 2 years and you get to attempt it twice in your lifetime.



Helpful tips

Get the CBAT app it is available on Android and IOS it costs about 5 bucks but it is worth it. This app will give you a basic idea of what to expect in ASP in addition to other things that you can find on Google.

While there is no specific requirement for you to be dressed a certain way as most of the time you are at ASP you will be in a flight suit. Just remember this is still a military base and you will be eating in the officer's mess please dress appropriately. You are not expected to be in a 3-piece suit with a tie however if you are a guy wear a shirt with a collar, pants and enclosed footwear. Business casual is considered appropriate.

Be respectful of everyone especially those in uniform, officers and enlisted alike you will never know who you are going to encounter in your career or recruitment later on. Address people by Sir and Ma'am they are not your mates remember that. It is not just due to the fear of repercussion it is just a good habit for your training later on.



____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________

2) OTS Phases (New Structure)

Now if you have made it to OTS congratulations! This is already a great accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself. However, this is just the start and you have your work cut out for you. The new OTS is 12 weeks and is broken up into 3 phases. I will break down each phase and give a little bit of insight as to what can be expected and what you can do to better prepare yourself for this. Unfortunately, while the duration of OTS has reduced significantly the content you have to go through has not changed from the 17-week course bar some activities which we no longer do. This means you have less time to learn a lot.

Phase 1 Military Training (weeks 1- 4): This is the phase where you learn all your basic military skills like ironing, living in the barracks, bedmaking, drill etc. If you have no experience with cadets like me you will be in for a rude shock. While a lot of the people I spoke to before OTS were convinced Air Force training is a lot easier than other services rest assured it is by no means EASY. It is still the military and you will be treated like military personnel from day 1.

Things to consider

You will be in phase 1 restrictions for this period. This includes but is not limited to:

-Not being able to leave the base

-Only being allowed to use your mobile phones from 7 pm to 9 pm every day including weekends (the rest of the time everyone's phone will be locked away in a box).

-Not being able to wear civilian attire outside the barracks.

So I would make arrangements as necessary beforehand with loved ones to make sure they are available at the time you can contact them.

Additionally, pack light you will rarely wear civilian clothing throughout OTS there is a very limited opportunity to wear it. So aside from your nightwear, I would not recommend more than 2 formal wear and 2 casual wear to make your life easy while moving and packing. However, this is the dealer's choice I wish I had known about this before I started OTS.

There will also be regular inspections and the more stuff you have that is additional things you have to worry about.

Tips to help you during this phase

Be friendly I cannot stress this enough the relationships you make during this phase will make or break your OTS journey. This is the phase where you are all living together in barracks sharing communal showers and toilets. If you are the one to go picking fights with people for trivial matters you will not be very popular.

This phase is almost set in a way to bring people together in the face of adversity you will be given tasks a lot of them and sometimes things will escalate among people but get good at either disengaging or de-escalating situations as infighting during this phase will help no one.

Additionally, you will notice very early on that some people are just naturally good at certain things you will hear a term called SME a lot in defence (subject matter expert). These people are generally really good at certain things so if you can identify someone to be one get their help. For example, if someone is good at bedmaking and you are struggling ask them to show you how to do it or ask them to help you with it and you can do their ironing for them. Learn to be resourceful and make yourself useful.

Also if you are someone who is good at everything and happens to be ahead of task do not be that person and go to sleep as soon as you are done offer to help others who are struggling trust me there might be a time you are struggling and people will remember what you did for them and come to your aid.

Prioritise sleep try and get at least 5 hours of sleep per night. You will be spending a lot of time in classrooms for this phase and you will not be allowed beverages in the classroom during this phase so to help you stay awake get adequate rest at night.

Phase 2 Field/weapons training ( weeks 5 - 9)

This is the phase where you learn how to use and handle the service weapon system. You will be introduced to the ADGs ( Airfield Defence Guards) They take over your training until the end of the battle block. This is where the dynamic will change slightly the ADGs are preparing you for the field so they will be very upfront and straightforward with you especially when you are handling weapons. Ultimately what they are doing is to help you so just do as you are told and this phase will be fun. I will dive a little bit deeper into the field component in particular in a separate section in this post.

Things to consider/tips

This phase is to condition you for field training. The field is not fun it is hard and it is serious while you might still want to have some fun with your mates when you need to be serious buckle down and focus. Otherwise, you will feel the wrath of the ADG and rightfully so as they do not want to be dealing with jokesters or people mucking around when you are handling complex weapon systems and live ammunitions.

It might be worth noting that this phase is where most people in OTS get backcoursed due to a lack of weapon handling proficiency. The intent of my sharing this is to not scare you but to give you a better understanding of what is expected in this phase. If you are unsure about something question them this is not a figure it out as you go stage you need to be 100% competent to progress further. Spend time practicing if you have someone in your group who might have been qualified in the weapon already ask them to help you out. Do what you must to make sure you are comfortable with the weapon system.

While all this is happening the good thing with Phase 2 is that you get your Phase 2 privileges

-which includes you get to keep your mobile phones

-you get to leave base on weekends and during the week for essentials only

-you can bring beverages into classrooms.

-you are also no longer in barracks you will be in LIA (living in accommodation) where you have your own room and a shared ensuite with another person.

Phase 3 military management/grad prep (weeks 10 - 12)

On return from the field phase, you move to phase 3 where you are learning a lot about the admin/management side of things that comes with being an officer as well as prepping for your grad parade. This phase also includes a few assessments however other than that the primary focus is to push towards graduation.

Phase 3 privileges include

being able to go out during the week.

Things to remember/tips

there is not a lot of advice for this phase other than you are almost there so just keep pushing and you will be finally done with your training.



An overall thing to consider as well do not go around flaunting or abusing your privileges just because you have been given them does not mean they cannot take it back. Trust me it will happen if you test it. You will hear from the course directors a lot about this Sale is a very small town almost everyone will instantly recognise you as RAAF so if you go out to town this is not the time or place to get drunk and misbehave because it will get reported and the entire course will have to pay for your actions.

The ADF will instil a one in all in policy into you from the beginning so whenever you choose to do something think twice as it will not just impact you it will also impact everyone around you.



3) Field Phase

The field phase is something you know is coming and you think you are prepared for it but it still hits you like a brick wall. That being said some of my most fond memories about OTS were from field. So in that regard, I suppose field will only be as fun as you make it.

OTS field phase was broken into 2 halves. The length of field will vary based on the size of the course however you can expect the entire field phase to be 2 weeks in length approx.

The first half is the Airfield defence phase where you will be defending your position. I will not give any further detail regarding this however this activity will push you to your physical and psychological limits. The best tip I can give in terms of preparation for this is to trust and commit during your training leading up to the activity. A lot of things that you might do during your PT lessons will seem useless or invalid at the time however trust me it is conditioning you for what's to come. Commit 100% of your effort every time while you are PT and you will be well prepared for field.

Just please do not be the person who slacks off and does not pull their weight. There were plenty of people who were like this in my cohort trust me they were not well-liked at all. You will be forever remembered as a person who let your friends hurt away while you took the easy way out which does not set a good precedent for a leader. The defence community is very close-knit and people will hear about your character and the last thing you want is to set a bad reputation for yourself. Reputation aside these are your mates and colleagues and it is a betrayal to them if you choose to take the easy way through field.

The second half of field is a leadership exercise. This phase will assess your leadership and followership skills. The main thing to remember throughout OTS is as much as emphasis is laid on leadership followership is a key component. When you are in a team and the leader tells you something your job is to follow you can offer suggestions but do not railroad their task because you could end up costing their assessment as they might be found not satisfactory in their task because you stepped out of line. Additionally, you will also be found not satisfactory in followership. So keep that in mind when undertaking assessments.



4) PFT (Physical fitness test)

You will have 3 PT sessions a week for your entire time at OTS that will be aimed at preparing you for your Physical fitness test so if you do not think you will be able to pass the PFT right now do not worry you will be able to do it very easily by the end of OTS. Just remember to commit to your training and push yourself every session it is the only way to improve.

However, there is a considerable gap between the entry PFA that you have to do for your recruitment and the fitness required before OTS which is not addressed very well during recruitment.

the PFA (physical fitness assessment done via DFR) requirements for the RAAF are as follows for a male non-specialist i.e. not PTI.

25 situps

6.1 in the beep test

as you can probably tell this is not a huge ask for even a relatively unfit person.

The PFT for RAAF has different requirements based on age groups and sex. I will use male under 25 as an example the requirements are as follows:

30 sec flex hang or 25 pushups to cadence.

30 sit ups feet unheld to cadence or 65 situps feet held to cadence.

2.4km run in under 12 minutes.

While you are not required to complete the PFT on day 1 of OTS as you can see there is a significant difference in fitness levels. So I would highly recommend practising with the PFT as your reference and target goals.

Tips to help you

Aside from fitness nutrition is a big thing that will affect you during OTS. While you are fed well most times there is a significant lack of protein. So I would advise bringing protein supplements or snacks to help you maintain muscle mass. Pre-workouts while not necessary always help as well. Additionally, you will be given an option at the start to get double rations if you think you are only getting just the right amount of food sign up for double rations because as the training continues you will need a lot more food. Unfortunately for some reason, if you miss the original deadline for double rations you do not get another opportunity to sign up for it later on in the course.



5) Swim Test (Aircrew)

Now this was a bit of a curveball for me. You could also call me naive for not knowing this but if you are Aircrew i.e. Pilot/mission. This is not advertised very well on the roles on the careers website after searching for a bit there is a very tiny note under the navy pilot role however definitely not under the RAAF pilot.

However, rest assured you are required to pass this swim test if you are aircrew. For mission, everyone who is not flying which I believe would be ATC and OPSO does not need to pass this test. However, you will not find that out until you finish Mission Elementary so at this stage everyone in mission and pilots need to pass this swim test.

The swim test consists of the following events:

NOTE: These events are done while in cams (no socks or boots) and are done with no more than 3-minute intervals between each event.

- A Safety jump ( This will be demonstrated)

- A 200 m swim - The first 150 m of the swim are forward-facing strokes either freestyle, breaststroke, sidestroke or a combination of them all. The last 50 m is survival backstroke where your limbs cannot break the surface of the water.

- Feet astride jump into the water (your head needs to remain above water) after which you are to from a treading water position duck dive and swim underwater for 15 m. No part of your body can break the surface of the water during the underwater component.

- swim to a capsised raft (A foam mat is used for this) flip the raft and climb on top of it.

- enter the water with your head remaining above water swim 20 metres to a casualty ( one of your mates) without breaking visual contact and then tow them back 20 metres.

- Enter the water dive down pick up a 5kg weight swim back up to the surface hold up the weight then dive down and put it back.

- Tread water for 10 minutes within a 5m radius.

Tips to help you

Practice! a lot especially if you are not a strong swimmer like me but even if you are still practice. You do not get any training for this while at OTS you are expected to just do the test after one practice session. You will not be allowed to start your flying phase as a pilot if you have not passed this test and the same thing with mission.

While you might have an opportunity to do this test outside of OTS you never know whether you will have time between OTS and your training. Once you are in FTS or AMTS this is not something that you should be focusing on so get it done in OTS if you can.

If you were never in cadets chances of you having cams are unlikely and chances of your local pool letting you wear them are even more unlikely. So the best you can do is practice and try and achieve more than what is required in the test because trust me the cams will weigh you down so much and create a lot of drag.

surprisingly the 15m underwater is what everyone gets caught on. While it does not sound that daunting it is incredibly difficult to do in cams. My recommendation for this is to get good at breaststroke there are plenty of YouTube videos on how to swim better underwater practice a lot.

There is also an app called Freediving Trainer which can help with your lung capacity.

Pace yourself it is not a race you are not timed in the 200m swim you want to keep your energy for the other events.







That sums up my experience/ recommendation so far. I hope this helps future applicants. Feel free to ask any questions or clarification on anything I have said so far. I will try my best to answer :)



Good luck!

[junior.VH-LFA]

Fair warning to all interested parties applying, RAAF is now posting 2FTS graduates directly to 9SQN on Triton UAV’s after course. First tour pilots at the end of their postings are now being tapped on the shoulder to go to 9SQN as well.

[Gemzyy23]

Fair warning to all interested parties applying, RAAF is now posting 2FTS graduates directly to 9SQN on Triton UAV’s after course. First tour pilots at the end of their postings are now being tapped on the shoulder to go to 9SQN as well.

Yep I have heard about this as well not sure why when the RAAF has a massive deficit for pilots at the moment. Also with no signs of future recruitment for pilots specifically for UAV. Ideally you'd want to do something similar to Navy where you hire candidates as RPWOs but idk if that's ok RAAF's radar ATM.

[finestkind]

The writing was on the wall when OA was introduced. You may start as whatever but either be streamed elsewhere or in the case as a UAV pilot. For the RAN and ARMY I believe you join as a helo pilot and if you gain your wings that is what you are.

[josephfeatherweight]

This'll help recruitment! Not!
Who's gonna sign up when they actually want to fly something, but there's a risk they end up being an RC pilot??

[Pietro_G]

Hey Guys,

I hope you're all well.

This is my first time interacting with this forum so please let me know if I do anything wrong.

I have recently completed my assessment day, however my medical assessment was not a part of the day. My medical assessment is scheduled for the 8th of April however, being in year 12, I was wondering whether I could place my ASP close to my medical date as it would be beneficial to complete my assessments before the climax of year 12.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, I am also happy to talk via other means if that suits better.

TIA,

Pietro

[finestkind]

Pietro, If you are applying for ADFA I think you will find there is specific dates, school holidays, so not to interfere with school.. As far as an ASP date that will depend on supply and demand.

[AERNERD]

Thanks for the info - appreciated!

A question for you: I am aware that quite a few people go through 1FS and 2FS for OA - Pilot. For those who do not progress through these for whatever reason, are they forced to do other roles in the ADF?

The reason I ask is that I read recently that only 14 graduates from 2FS achieved their wings of a class of 269 students. Just wondering what happens to those who didn't make it through 2FS.

Thanks in advance!

[junior.VH-LFA]

Thanks for the info - appreciated!

A question for you: I am aware that quite a few people go through 1FS and 2FS for OA - Pilot. For those who do not progress through these for whatever reason, are they forced to do other roles in the ADF?

The reason I ask is that I read recently that only 14 graduates from 2FS achieved their wings of a class of 269 students. Just wondering what happens to those who didn't make it through 2FS.

Thanks in advance!

269 would have been the course number, not the number of students. Courses are usually 15-20 large in size.

[AERNERD]

269 would have been the course number, not the number of students. Courses are usually 15-20 large in size.
Thank you very much for this!

I am currently waiting for my assessment day confirmation - anyone else currently in the pipeline?

[falesagain]

Thank you very much for this!

I am currently waiting for my assessment day confirmation - anyone else currently in the pipeline?
Yes, I'm also currently waiting for scheduling my assessment day. Have you received any info from your coordinator yet?

[AERNERD]

Hi Mate!

I completed my additional testing on 16-Feb and got an email from the assessment day co-ordinator on Mon this week advising they will come back to me with a confirmed date within 48hrs (it's been longer than that now - so still waiting).

How long have you been waiting?

All the best with the process mate!

[falesagain]

Hey mate,
Yes, similar to you I did additional testing a month or so back and am currently waiting for an email back from the assessment coordinator to schedule. If you want, send me a DM, I'd be happy to have someone go through it with. Are you also going for FWP?
Good luck as well!

[AERNERD]

DM sent - yeah FWP DEO and also Aerospace Engineer Officer (Aeronautical) ADFA

[AERNERD]

Hi Mate,

I think your inbox might be full - heard back from the co-ordinator to schedule in the assessment day?

[falesagain]

Yes, heard back on Tuesday, booking is in April.
Not sure about my inbox sorry, do you have email or something else?

[Lmitch24]

Better late than never, (first time poster so feel free to correct my on anything) but have been having a real insightful read through this forum and just thought I'd repeat the usual question if anyone has any tips or tricks would really appreciate it.

I have my ASP coming up on the 1st April (hit me up if your heading down too) and while I've been going through the usual like CBAT and Lumosity, any recent experience, study tools or techniques for mental calculations would be amazing (especially when it comes to mental SDT calculations).

Also, thanks again to everyone else who has put the time into some really helpful advise on here, its been a great help.

[cw21]

Hey mate, I'm heading down on the 3rd, so I believe i'm the course after you. But I've been doing plenty of ThatQuiz, utilising a keypad, learning up to the 20x tables, to familiarise myself answering math questions quickly. But from what i've been told, the mental math in the SDT, isn't as hard as what's on the CBAT app. the questions are just different, sometimes more complex..

[Lmitch24]

Thanks for the help, I'll have a look at ThatQuiz, need to improve my times table speed as well, anyway all the best

[Jade02]

Anyone else heading down to East Sale for their ASP on the 2nd of April?

[Gussy01]

Title ^