CAF aircrew selection standards, advice?

[pipes2]

Hello,

I'm a 27 year old student pilot with 170hrs and a multi rating. I applied to the canadian airforce for pilot, passed all of the stages including aircrew selection for pilot/ nav. I recently found out that I was not selected during the final selection board. I applied DEO with a degree but poor grades in math and physics. Any advice on what I can do to improve my chances next time around? I don't have much true leadership experience or team sport experience. Am I getting too old? Any advice would help.I think that my weaknesses were more in the officer category and not in the pilot category.
Thanks,

[canberra]

im very suprised they even looked at you. the raf age limit for pilots from civvy st is 25.

[Huron Topp]

Canada hasn't had an upper age limit for some time now, having to do with Human Rights issues...yadaya,yadaya...

Been years and years since I went through Aircrew Selection in Toronto. I would suggest that you get involved in anything requiring you to develop leadership skills. Join the Reserves, work with Cadets. Its also an excellent chance to see whether the 'lifestyle' works for you, cause it doesn't for many. Probably why we're so f***ed up right now , cause too many of the upper echelon joined back in the early 80's just to avoid the recession.

[pipes2]

Thanks Huron Top,

Just got word from my interviewing officer that he spoke with someone in Borden and got some feedback for me. It turns out that it WAS my lack of leadership experience and that I should volunteer for the cadets for a while, do a follow up inteveiew in a few months, and they would re-submit me for the next selction board. I've spoken with a couple of local squadrons and will be starting with the cadets soon. He said that otherwise I would have been in. Wish me luck.

[canucker]

Pipes2,

I seem to be in a very similar situation to you... I also have approx 160 hours, a multi-ifr rating and a BSc. degree. I did the entire canadian aircrew selection thing and managed to pass it all. My application went to the selection board in mid-november ('02) and now I'm playing the waiting game.

It was nearly an entire year from the time I finished my preliminary test at the recruiting office (including blood, eye and turn your head and cough test) until I got the call for the 5 days in Trenton/Toronto. During that year I started civilian flying and had practically given up on hearing from the airforce. When I did finally hear from them they gave me all of 5 days notice to drop everything and show up for the entire week. Sound familliar?

Out of curiousity, how long did it take for the recruiting office to contact you with the board decision? Waiting another whole year is very unappealing. To reapply did you have to complete your commercial license?

I've found it basically impossible to gauge what my chances of getting an offer from the airforce are. With the NFTC has creating a HUGE backlog of people already selected but waiting for their chance to jump into the Harvard II, it's hard to say how many new recruits they're going to be taking. The nastiest rumour that I heard was that they were only taking 4 people at this selection board but I don't see how anyone could have got that information.

Here's a dose of optimism though. The most recent Auditor General's report uncovered the fact that DND had only used something like 1/3 for the training slots that they had payed for with NFTC in the last 2 years. Since, by contract, they can't get the money back, the only way to recover that cost is for them to put more pilots through the system in the future. :)

Anyways, I hope you hang in there and your second application gets you in.

Cheers,
canucker

[saudipc-9]

canuker and pipes2,
My advice, having been there myself (sometime ago) is to phone the recruiting office every week for an update. Even if they say they will call you as soon as they know, continue to call them every week. Don't let them blow you off, it is after all your future you are interested in and they do see a lot of faces.
Cheers