Fleet Air Arm Attempt

[Do-Do]

Dear Wannabies,

After an absence from Pprune since old Bin Liners 11 sept episode, I have decided that I simply can't give up the cause! I'm back in the dreaded selection loop, this time instead of BA and bmi it's the Navy.

Just wandering if you lot might just be able to give me some jen on the cranwell tests. I know there's the BA micro pat type stuff, but my weakness tends to be the maths. What exactly do they get you to do, the rumor is time/distance stuff?

Before you ask, I've given the archives a good scan but unfortunately to no avail!

Thanks in advance,

Cheers,

Do-Do.

[The Ugly Fend Off]

Try looking at the threads involving OASC in the Military Aircrew forum. Lots of gen in those!

[Sagey]

Identical to the R.A.F I think as well.

Start off with pilot aptitutes. Joystick and pedals to keep a dot as close to the centre of a cross. You have three attempts. You also get to practice so use the practice time. Joystick very sensitive so are the pedals so make sure you are comfortable and have come to grips with the sensitivity before you start the real test.

Second test is joystick only move left and right to collect as many dots falling down the screen, you will understand it when you see it. Hint you get three attempts some routes you get to choose.

Third test you get an altimeter, artificial horizon, vertical speed, airspeed, compass and bank indicators) and you have to answer loads of questions on them. If I remember right they are in two parts. First Part is you are asked questions and you have to decide which question correctly represents what the meters are telling you.

Second Part you get the aritificial horizon and compass and lots of dodgy graphics of the direction of an aircraft and you have to answer correctly which aircraft is heading in the correct direction.

It is easy to get totally confused half way through simply because you have seen so many and your brain is playing tricks on you. Read the instructions and read them again and your first instinct is normally correct. Have to answer as many as you possible can in within the time limit.

You get breaks after groups of tests and I think your first 5 minutes break is after completing the third test.

Fourth test and this is where the order will probably get wrong but will try and include everything, even if I have forgotten the exact order.

A short term memory test, you get number appearing on the screen and you then have to type in the sequence of the numbers. At the beginning it is easy, only around five numbers but they get longer and longer. Hint: you get scored on the each individual correct number entered not sequence so remember as much as you possibly can, ie on a 10 number sequence make sure you get six/seven right rather than try and remember the whole thing.

Fifth test, a 9 by 9 matrix where you have to cancel out stars by entering the co-ordinates, make sure you read the instructions so that you know which co-ordinate has to be entered correctly. May sound stupid but when I did it someone said it took them about 30 seconds to realise why nothing was being cancelled out. Sometimes a priority co-ordinate appears (yellow star) and you have to press a coloured key and cancel out that co-ordinate before you can continue deleting the stand stars. Just try and pay attention, and don't get sucked into concentrating on one corner of the grid, very easy so make sure you are aware of what is going on in the whole grid.

Sixth test. Horrible thing that gives you a splitting headache and makes your eyes think they are watching a bar code ;). Also apparently impossible if you are colour blind!. Anyway, you get mathematical questions such as 342-231 and have to enter the correct total, these are continuosly appearing, also a sequence of letters appears and you have to remember them and then multi choice which one is correct whilst still answering the mathematical ones. To make things just that more fun, you have a red, yellow and green bars and little colour dots move from left to right and you also have to cancel out those when the dots are over the bars by pressing the correct colour key.

You will be glad for the 5 mins break after that.

Then you have general verbal reasoning, mathematical and diagrammatic questions to answer all multi choice not that difficult if I remember correctly. Work accurately and quickly no surprises in that one.

Eight test, Speed/distance and time multi choice practice them and you should be fine with those too. Once again accuracy and speed in answering the key.

Ninth test is a table reading exercise, similiar to maths GCSE table reading and you answer on screen and is multi choice. Same hint applies to the two above.

Then you go onto ATC'er tests as well.

Angles and Bearings: First one you are given a radar screen with bearing around the circle and you have to estimate what the correct bearing is; not too difficult. Second part is the same thing but the bearings around the circle have been removed so it is more a case of approximating than being 100% sure. I would advice you to spend a few minutes just familiarising yourself with the example and the practice questions.

Then it is a string of numbers game<?> You have 9 grids of numbers and you have to switch between them by pressing 1,2,3 ....9. String grows longer and longer and you have to cancel them out before they hit the end and are erased. The longer the string the more you score. You get to work the pattern out fairly quickly, and it is easier than it sounds. Flick quickly between the lines and try not to panic.

Left/hand right man. You get to see a man facing you or not facing you and you have to answer which hand the object is in. The man doesn't have to be upright. You can practice this by making your own examples. Prior to the tests I just kept going over and over in my head, that if he is facing towards me it is opposite of how I see it and if he is facing in the same direction ~(ie you can see his back) then the object is in the same hand. Seemed to work for me. Think you only get about 2 seconds to answer each one before the man disappears.

Think the final test, might be a couple more and I apologise if I have forgotten them is a horrid cube thing. You see a cube and then lots of unfolded cubes and you have to answer in multi choice format which cube if folded up makes the completed cube they have shown. To be honest you can either see it or will find it impossible. Just do your best.

Hope this helps, biggest hint of all is don't get pissed in the bar the night before ;) it is an early start, think it is 7:30am. Get something to eat before you will be knackered by the end of the tests. You get lunch and then you get your results. Be prepared to see lots of unhappy people. The majority were told they didn't have the apt to be a pilot in the Navy when I did them. Fortunately I was one with a smile on my face.

Will wish you the best of luck hope the post helps and isn't too confusing.

Sagey

[Send Clowns]

They are a little different to the RAF tests Sagey, or they were when I did them. In fact the computer-based tests were almost identical to the BA tests (and if you can hover a helicopter they are easy!), except for the addition of ATC-related tests.

I seem to remember the paper tests though including those similar to the BA ones are expanded to be more like the RAF, but I can't remember specifics. Don't expect to finish the maths one, I couldn't do the last quesion in the time even with a couple of good A-levels in maths!

[Sagey]

There arn't any paper ones at Cranwell it is all on computer. Was told when up there that they are identical for all three services. The AIB paper ones well yes I guess they are different from the R.A.F. ones, wasn't the question about the apt ones at Cranwell though <?> Thats the first hurtle, then it lots of fun paper ones at AIB lol


Saying that just remembered you do get a pencil and scrap paper for the maths questions before sticking the multi answer onto a computer. All good fun though, if that is your sort of thing ;)

Sagey

[Do-Do]

Cheers People,

As usual showing that pprune is worth its weight in gold (well it would be if it weighed anything).

[Nigel Osborn]

Do Do

I blew my first medical for the Navy and breezed through it 6 years later, also found the testing difficult. However if the Navy want you, they will take you and I enjoyed my time in it. Believe I was 1 of 3 out of 500 tested to get in, so good luck!:D

[G-SPOTs Lost]

Gapan are advertising for their yearly ATPL sponsorship, candidates are sent to Cranwell to sit the tests. Maybe a cheeky way of having a look round and having a go.

You will have to pay, however if it doesn't work out with FAA you get a piece of paper from gapan stating that you "Stand a high chance of success in commercial flight training" assuming you do ok.

A fine reference indeed