I WILL JOIN THE R.A.F, but i need ur help!

[Rusty Cessna]

Dear all, I would like your help on a few topics, and in order to help me I shall tell you my situation, this does however include a short life story!

Ever since I was very little I wanted to fly Tornado's for the R.A.F, I was certain I was going to do this and considered nothing else. I waited until eligable and applied for my A-level scholorship and Flying sponsorship this January. I passed the initial interveiw and was called back, passed the second interveiw too.

You can imagine I cried with joy and have since ben busy with GCSE until now. I decided to continue my application and I got through to the next interveiw, and yes, I got through to OASC, although I do not know when im going! I got the usual "please pick a secondary ground trade", and considering my predicament i did.

But now, after talking to a top bloke who I will not name, I have re-cindled my spirit and I say "I WILL DO IT". I am going to revise like hell for my interveiw at OASC.

What I ask of you great people is, what do I do now??? I am going to study; Maths, English, Physics and Psychology and History at A-level, and once I am 17.5 i will apply to join the R.A.F.

I did not join the ATC as I wanted to study for my (now finished) GCSE's, and I wont be joining cos of A-level. What I want to know is, what can I do in the mean time to prepare and help my case?? I am doing my P.P.L aswell. Oh! I am currently 5 feet 5 tall, and I fear I might be too short!

Thanks for all your help, and if this pilot shortage is real, will it aid me??

Rusty!

P.S Cheer to "Mr X" who has made me realise I can do it, and told me to go for it! He knows who he is and when i reach my goal he will be getting lots of beer from me!!! I couldn't have started with out ya "X", thanks

P.P.S, sorry if spelling is bad but I dont have time to check as im paying!

[This message has been edited by Rusty Cessna (edited 21 June 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Rusty Cessna (edited 21 June 2000).]

[Doors Check]

There are many things you can do to prepare yourself for application to the RAF. Without knowing you, the following is all the advice I can offer:-

-Stay keen and never, ever give up.
-Don't ever agree to apply for a secondary trade - just in case you get it!
-Perhaps the English A level will be of use to you, but don't get bogged down in academia with too much work to do!
-The pilot shortage in the RAF, at the moment, results from a mismanagement of the training system and a stubborn denial of impending facts by higher authorities, so entry standards will not be lowered: there are plenty of high calibre applicants each year and it will not help your application.
-Keep flying on your PPL - it'll prove you can learn to fly 'something' to the application board.
-The RAF needs shorter than average chaps like us.
-Have you considered going on to university, flying on an UAS, drinking plenty of beer with little responsibility for 3 years and then applying to the RAF as a more mature, rounded applicant?
-Again, stay keen and never give up.

Good luck,

Doors Check

[This message has been edited by Doors Check (edited 21 June 2000).]

[Q Banate]

Reesty
About 6 months or so before applying / attending OASC, start a scrap book of MAJOR newspaper stories, such that when the board asks you 'what's been going on in the world in the past 6 months'?, you can reel off half a dozen hot topics about which you can talk confidently and knowledgeably. Get a weeks' work experience (if you haven't already) at a fast jet base (if fast jet is what you want). To arrange this, write either to the Community Relations Officer at the base concerned, or directly to the Sqns - if you don't ask, you don't get.

Hope this helps.
Q-B ;)

[G Suit]

Go for it Rusty,

RAF and Navy need pilots. You can't fail. (Unless you are a crusty old git who is spoofing!?) Top tip about going to Uni and drinking lots of beer. Never did me any harm, well not much anyway.

Best of luck old boy!

[Gimme300]

First thing you need to do is make your mind up! Couple of days ago you wanted to join the navy!!! Mind you probably wont be long before we are all one flying 'agency' LOL

[kbf1]

1. Map out your life history and be able to give an account of what you have done and why you have done it. You HAVE to demonstrate logic and a thought process and a plan. No good answering "coz it seemed like a good idea at the time!"

2. Get your **** to a decent university (not the new poly-versity of Chipping Sodbury, but a good one..Oxbridge, London, Durham,Bristol, other red brick). Join the UAS. Failing that the Officer Training Corps (army). This will give you an excellent grounding in the skills you will need for a commission in any of the services (probably more so in the OTC than the UAS/URNU as it is Sandhurst spread over 3 years). Drink lots, sh@g women, play sports, graduate. Then go into service. If you can get the buggers to pay for it all the better. Most guys who I know who picked up a cadetship did it in their 2nd year so don't be disheartened if you miss it in your first year (most army c'ships went to Welbexians in the 1st year). The RAF may have a preference for giving cadetships to 6th Form Scholarship holders, but give it a crack anyway.

Good luck!!

------------------
Remember: all landings are controlled crashes!

[Welsh Flyer]

Not being in the military yet i can't offer you any advice on that front. What i can tell you though is the benefit of going to University.

I have just graduated from a very good red-brick Uni and have loved every minute of it. I played some great rugby, drank plenty of beer, experienced the joys of the opposite sex, and made some fantastic friends along the way. However, Uni also offered me something else, it offered me the chance to make myself more appealling to the Navy. I was involved in the running of the rugby club in my second year and in my third i was elected by the student body (about 10,000 of them) to be the Athletic Union President. This gave me a 'political' standing within the University 'system'. The Navy loved it when i told them, said it was the best thing i could have done. Apparently it shows leadership as well as communication skills ect, ect. I also did other things to enhance my C.V., to lengthy to go into now, but the point being is that University gave me this great opportunity and i took it.

I have loved Uni, and my advice to you would be to seriously consider it as an option.
It offers so much more than just a degree.

Good luck with your RAF scholorship, hope you get it.

Regards

Welsh Flyer (potential Navy pilot)

[Rassy]

By all means join the RAF - but heed all the advice and go to university first. You MUST have another string to your bow or else it will be too late by the time you decide that you want to leave and the airlines aren't recruiting anymore. Join the UAS and fill your boots with flying - do the same when you 'get in' to the RAF. After a few years it may well be that you've progressed to a stage where you're sick of detachments and spending 6-8 months of the year away from home and the family and need a change of lifestyle. Politicians don't give a monkey's about individuals - they only care about statistics and lies. The bottom line is - just be aware that you will be an overworked and thinly stretched pawn.

[Ham Phisted]

Go to university first. It will seriously improve your chances of getting through Cranditz. You will have matured into a well-rounded individual with a variety of interests (or that's what you tell them). You will be better educated and will have learnt the art of self-motivation (as well as improving your spelling!).

But more importantly, you will have had a great time: debauched parties, flying your nuts off with the UAS and relaxing a little after school. And last, but not least.you might have grown a few inches! Good luck. :)

[Rusty Cessna]

Hi all, thanks for the replies, they are greatly apreciated.

I never inted to give up and I will not sign up for another trade, I was asked a secondary one at my initial interveiw but I will tell them that I would like to (only) fly. I dont intend to get bogged down in my acedemia but I will do my best at it, and why would English be of use? Is my spelling that bad? I will also keep on with my PPL, dont worry! I am definatly going to UNI, but I dont know which yet, any sugestions??? And I hope to get in the UAS, is this automatic once a scholorship has been awarded and if so which one?

I will do that scrap book thing, excellent idea! So is the weeks work experience idea, more info on how to do this would be great, thanks.

Looks like I have to start mapping my life now, will do! I dont know much about UNI, or which ones are good so a little advice would be great, and I also dont know if I will be eligable for the good ones, and I will try for everysponsorship going mateys! Is ringing Cranwell with regards to where my application for A-level spon. is at??

Nice one Welsh, waht a good source of inspiration you (all) are!

Thanks for all the replies and I hope for more!

Cheers and good luck

Rusty

[Doors Check]

Contact HQ UAS at RAF Cranwell and ask 'em to send you a list of universities that are associated with Air Sqns. They'll be more than willing to help.

If you ask nicely (it worked for me) they'll also let you know which universities are located near to the airfield where its UAS flies from. I'm not suggesting for one minute that you should put flying before your education.....but if you want flying to be your trade then why not get some of the best people out there to train you (conveniently) - and it'll give you a better insight into the Service.

Hope this helps.

[BEagle]

Choose your degree course with care!! Otherwise you'll find trying to get a decent degree in something like Aero Eng at Impossible College London and spending your weekends travelling to Wyton to fly rented plastic German lightplanes (the RAF can't afford to buy its own military trainers!!) frequently enough to be assessed as a potential FJ pilot just can't be achieved if you want any quality of life!!

[Binary]

The advice to go to Uni is good. It served me well and I didn't regret it. However, it is worth bearing in mind that the current push from Cranwell is for Direct Entry guys, as they are afraid of losing good people during the three years out at University. I'm not sure I agree with that policy and I don't suggest for a minute that Direct Entry is best for you, but the question will be asked and you may be faced with a tough decision if they offer you direct entry with no guarantee of graduate entry. Be prepared to answer the question, only you can really know what's right for you. Best of luck, it's a great life (for a while) and will stand you in good stead for whatever you do after.

[Face man]

In case you've missed the salient points from the above here they are;
i. Go to Uni
ii. Join the Uni Air Sqn
iii. Play Rugby / Footie - Good TEAM games - they like things like that.
iv. Read the papers - there may be more information on the net but the crusties on the selection board still like to hear that you read the broadsheets.
It's that simple. In answer to your question about the current shortage helping your position - No, it won't. Don't take it to badly if you don't get the scholarship / bursary, a lot of people don't.
Lastly - Good luck.

[HappyChappie]

Rusty,

There is no rush old fella, I don't have a degree and it hasn't done me any harm, but, you would certainly benefit overall from having one. What's more, the three years of debauched fun you have getting it, may allow the few of us who are staying in, to straighten things out a little (Some Hope!). But it will also allow you time to really decide, Eurofighter to be in service (With some kit!...maybe), a bit of growing up time and probably a whacking pay rise!!!! Overall, and for all the other good reasons people have posted....GO TO COLLEGE FIRST...DON'T RUSH...THE RAF NEEDS YOU....BUT IT CAN WAIT.

[Rusty Cessna]

Thanks for all the responses people. Just one more thing. If i had Asthma when i was im year 4! but dont suffer from it now, and have not done for ages, and i put it on my Sponsorship app. form, will this hinder me, can i still go for it.

Thanks for your help!

Rusty

[Phoenixandtheflame]

Rusty all the above advice is great but whatever you do don't even consider mentioning seasonal allergies, summer colds or occasional breathlessness. Particulary when it was years ago and has never occured since. Obviously I would never condone lying to the upright honest chaps at OASC but a momentary loss of memory could be handy. Whether it becomes a factor depends on if its in your medical history etc, but no point eliminating yourself before you start. Let them do that if they have to. Good Luck, and do try to go Air Defence. http://geocities.com/r337m0nk3y/owen/fett.gif

[bignavbag]

Rusty,

heed all the above advice, ( except go to Hercs, much better parties !!) and no matter how difficult it may get, always keep going. Bare ar$e enthusiasm will always triumph

It's what got me through training...

[kbf1]

...and the best flying can only be had in the type of bird where the wings go faster than the airframe. As a great friend of mine from the US Navy once commented:

Sub guys may go down for a living, but helo pilots get it up faster, and longer!

Harriers don't fly. They are so damn ugly the Earth repels them! :)

------------------
Remember: all landings are controlled crashes!

[B4ME]

Rusty,
From someone about to leave and who has spent a good few years instructing - top tips:
Don't mention the asthma bit at all, it's the kiss of death , even if you only thought you may know someone who's granny might have had it once. Let the medics find out for themselves what you are made of.
Do go to Uni. A UAS is sound advice-free flying,cheap beer and a head start in your chosen career. If the choice of Uni doesn't bother you, pick one with a good UAS. They are all excellent really, but some are sighted better than others. If you want RAF exposure,pick one on a base with operational aircraft and lots of brains to pick. Northumbria UAS,Aberdeen,Dundee and StAndrews UAS or East Lowlands UAS spring to mind initially. Any RAF Careers Office will tell you where they are.
Next, play rugby or any other gregarious team sport. Gen up on all the new toys the RAF is getting and form your own opinions about them. The bods at OASC like a bit of lively debate so long as it is well thought out. The previous tip about a current affairs scrap book is good also.
Finally, know exactly how old you are in years, months and days at the time of your OASC interview. Yes, they do ask that question!
Good luck.

[scarab]

Rusty,

Your enthusiasm is to be commended, however, take some heartfelt advice from someone who, like you, always dreamt of flying Tornados (and now does). . . start dreaming hard about 747s instead and get an application form sent off to BA asap. You'll be doing both the day after you join and you'll save yourself a 16-year wait.

[This message has been edited by scarab (edited 24 June 2000).]

[HappyChappie]

Scarab,
You miserable Bu%$er!!! Give the chap a chance. There are people who still want to be in and stay in the Mob!! Ok there's me and that other bloke!!, but it's a start, and with some new leadership in town...you never know, Maybe the wheel has turned. ( Ever the Optimist )Good advice from Phoenix Bloke...56 Sqn perhaps???

[scarab]

HappyChappie,

What does Bu%$er stand for? In the clear please (miserable - yes ; very clever - no).

Scarab

Ahhh! Bugger . . .

[This message has been edited by scarab (edited 27 June 2000).]

[droptank]

Rusty Cessna,

You've had lots of advice, and most of it is pretty good - as an ex-UAS student pilot and QFI (all spit!) it is the way to go if you can (although it has disadvantages such as hitting your first operational tour later than a direct entrant).

One final word of the 'fatherly' - listen to HappyChappie rather than Scarab, and try to differentiate (in all these pages) between those who are happy but frustrated, those who are using a new medium to exercise an age-old RAF privilege and 'having a wizard bind', and those who are seriously, cynically, terminally pi%%ed off and should leave - I was in restaurant the other day. The bloke next to me was wading into a mixed-grill so I ordered one. Didn't enjoy it! Moral - it's a free society and what suits one doesn't suit all!

Me - bin in a long time, fought some wars (won most of them), done a lot of flying (enjoyed most of it), done some desk jobs (enjoyed most of it), drank a lot of beer (threw up some of it), met a lot of good blokes (including air marshals) and some not so good (not all air marshals). Overall, wouldn't swap the package retrospectively for 30+ years doing anything else for anybody else anywhere else.

HappyChappie - am I 'the other bloke' or does that make 3 of us???

[chequesicks]

Rusty
Please don't take this the wrong way old chum; you are clearly as keen as mustard and that is a most laudable trait. However, if I may address one of your questions which has, hitherto, remained unanswered, notwithstanding the wealth of outstanding advice previously offered, viz, is your spelling that bad? Here is a small selection of your gaffes on this page alone:
eligable (eligible)
scholorship (scholarship)
interveiw (interview)
ben (been)
im (I'm)
who (whom)
re-cindled (re-kindled)
wont (won't)
apreciated (appreciated)
inted (intend)
definatly (definitely)
sugestions (suggestions)
waht (what)
as for "acedemia", I give up. The closest real word of which I am aware is "academicalism"
No doubt I will be reviled as some sort of ISS pedant, but my point is this: Raw enthusiasm is unlikely to get your size 9 in the door if the chaps at OASC can't decipher your application form. Perhaps you should bone up on your command of the Queen's language if you want to become her loyal servant. :)

[HappyChappie]

DropTank,

I think it's 3 of us, I went into SHQ the other day, and met a chap leaving who was very happy......OK, it was OC PMS, on his way to the gym, because it was Wednesday afternoon and he could!!! Unfortunately, I didn't have time too chat, since I had 95 Seconds to complete my buisness before brief time. Does that count, or are we really the only two?!!!! (I should have gone over lunchtime) Err No, they're closed and I didn't get lunch

.......hey ho

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

I am Archiving this thread in the Wannabes Archive for future reference.

I am placing most Military Wannabe threads there so that over time you guys can just point young hopefuls to the Wannabes Archive where they will find answers to all the stock questions.

This will free up space for non-wannabe threads.

Cheers,

WWW