Military Age Limits

[MaxJam]

Hello all,

this is my first post.

im 26, soon to be 27, im SICK of working at a desk all day, im slaving to save cash to get my modular ATPL, please note, i havent even got my PPL yet.

Ive a degree in IT and 2 yrs experience.

Im Irish and no offence to my fellow irish peolpe, but we dont even have a proper air force.

Im interested in a military career.

What are the upper age limits for military flying in the

1. Australian Air force,

2. Royal Air Force

3. USAF???



Ive looked at recruitment sites, and seen the 25 age limit for the RAF, is that a real limit, as in if i go to military college next year and qualify in or near the top of my class would as an officer over the age limit would an allowance be made if they figured i was good pilot material? or if i already held my PPL???



Ive also applied for my greencard for USA, im waiting to hear back, il know this or next month. Il probably miss the age limit here again. :{

The one that interests me most is the RAAF, the aussies aparently accept people up to 35 as pilots, can anyone clarify that for me? you only need a permanent residency visa.

ive been assured I would get one pretty quick cos my skill set (IT) is a major requirement in australia and the fact I want to serve in their defence forces helps too.

any information is of great help and well appreciated.
:ok:

[MaxJam]

Look,

If someone here knows the answer to any of my questions, please reply. I think ive posted it in the right place? military aircrew?? if thats what you are, then you MUST be able to help?
please reply,

I really apreciate any help you can give,
thankyou. :(

[SunderlandMatt]

To be honest you could have look for this as easily as I have.

RAF :yuk:

You've missed the boat for the RAF. They want 17.5 to 23. There is a back door if you go in as a Soldier first then apply/get selected for a commisioning course then ask to go pilot. I think you may still be the right age for that now, but it's dam risky!

See http://www.raf-careers.com/html/airbase/dispjob.asp?id=67

Army :ok:

These will take you until about 30 I think.

See http://www.army.mod.uk/careers/officer/jd_officer_pilot.html

RAAF

This looks best for you.
Entry requirements:
Applicants should be 17 to 42* years of age inclusive at the commencement of basic aircrew training and must be an Australian citizen, or eligible to become one. Applicants must also meet specific aircrew entry requirements regarding physical and medical fitness.

* Age preference is for applicants to be no more than 27.5 years at commencement of pilot training. Applicants older than 27.5 years maybe considered for selection if they demonstrate significant potential for Air Force pilot training. If unsuccessful for Air Force pilot selection, applicants may be offered Army or Navy pilot training.
Education requirements:
Applicants must have completed year 12 with passes in English, Maths and two other academic subjects. Maths in Society or similarly modified Maths subjects are not acceptable. Applicants must also have passed year 10 science.

See http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/AIRFORCE/airforcehtml.htm

USAF :eek:

Can't find any details on age limits here.

Good luck. Don't get so moody! :E

[Basil]

Bad timing for UK mil too - just had punch-up and advised by CIGS oops, CGS that Brits can't fight again for a couple of yrs. - Just in time for your training to end and straight off to war with the goolly chit safely stuffed in growbag pocket! :* :}

[Training Risky]

You MUST get your priorities straight and figure out what you want in life.

Do you want to be an officer in the RAF? Or do you want to be an NCO/officer in the Army Air Corps?

Or are you motivated by the prospect of free hours, and joining an airline? Because by "slaving to save cash to get a modular ATPL" was one of your first comments.

I know this sounds like a hackneyed old line, but you really are an officer first and a pilot second... are you prepared for this? You could spend years training and still get nowhere near flying. Then get pulled off flying to fight fires, or even a desk job that your poster forces on you for 3 years!


Sunderlandmatt is right about missing the boat with the RAF. You are too old for officer entry (pilot). I think 27 is the upper limt for navigator (maybe 29)... but navs are a dying breed: there are a couple of multi-engine roles and just the GR4 to look forward to.

I only know of one RAF student pilot who was commissioned from the ranks. He was a mate and very switched on, unfortunately he was chopped early on... but that was purely due to his flying ability, we are not as class-orientated as the army.
At your age I would not consider risking joining as an airman, because the chances of a crossover to pilot are very, very small!
(Not denigrating the value of airmen though, its just NOT the trade to join if you want to be a pilot...)

Don't know about Oz.

But I have lived and trained in the USA. And I can say that unless you have family over there, your chances of a Green Card and subsequent recruitment and training as a military pilot are non-existent. It is something that is reserved for US citizens, and they are very inflexible on the rules..... (would you expect anything else??;)


I hope this helps. I really think you should convince yourself first, and then the RAF, that you are committed to serving the United Kingdom as an officer for at least 12 years (normally 16 years).

You don't want the selection board to think you are there just for the hour-building, do you?

[flyboy007]

As far as I'm aware, whats been said about the RAAF is correct, and providing you met all other criteria, you wouldn't be limited by age. As for the USAF, I looked at that before coming to the RAF, and was told to get a commission, you had to be a US citizen, which is next to impossible, unless you manage to bag a Yanky Wife!Failing these options, I can tell you that the RNZAF wouldnt limit you wrt your age. I know the publicity regarding them downsizing etc is not all good, but it depends what you want. If you don't want to fly a fast jet, then it is a great place to work, and a great lifestyle and the training is excellent.Again, it depends what you want...

[5 Forward 6 Back]

It's all fair and well saying that you want to go for a career as a military pilot, but have you thought about what it really entails?

If you get in front of a USAF/RAAF recruiter, what are you going to do to convince him that you really want to fight and die for his country, which you've got no connection with at all.........?

[DIVINE WIND]

Max
as far as I know there are Australians and Kenyans who have obtained green cards and served in the gulf during the recent skirmsh in th US military.I also know a guy who got a green card and headed over there already having about 2000hrs.A green card is not impossible to get,the chances are just very bloody slim.keep trying:cool:
Just tell the same story to every recruiter,yes I am dedicated and willing.

[FlyboyBen]

Why is the air force so strict with it's upper age limit for application of <24 yrs old? At a time when they are short of pilots surely it would be wise to relax this rule a little. As has been said, other branches of the forces and other air forces aren't as strict.

The way my university degree worked out meant I was just over 24 yrs old by the time I graduated which meant I couldn't go on and apply. Needless to say I wasn't impressed. I mean, I feel as mentally and physically fit as I did when I was 22, if not fitter. :confused:

[CSL]

Like it or not statistics show the success rate for passing military flying training decreases as your age increases - esp once you hit 23/24.

Like everything in todays world it all comes down to cost versus risk.

cheers
CSL

[DIVINE WIND]

FlyBoyBen
Because the Air Force is a club:yuk: Not evryone who gets through is good.
The RAF cut off is a joke.Maybe it is their way of culling applicants.

[raytofclimb]

Flyboyben, the RAF is not a club, it is the Armed Forces. We are in the buisiness of learning to fight and kill. It is not a place for hours building. No-one who is capable of flying AN aircraft has the divine right to be aircrew in the RAF, or any Air Force. It's hard work from start to finish- Top Gun was so far out it's untrue.

Anyone who does get through deserves it, it is a way of life and you live and breathe it. The selection process has limits for good reasons, the age limit being just one. If people wanted to fly for their country so much (and be an Officer too) then why do they wait until they are too old to do anything about it, deride the rules and make out like they have been treated like a Leper?

I know it is a dream for people, it's mine too, but if you don't get off your a**e and start looking into it (leave school at 16 and you have a whopping 8 years!!) then you are never going to live it.

Rant over.

Ray.

[BlueWolf]

Sad but true.

Once the years start clocking up past those halcyon days of 18 - 24, your reaction times start pegging downwards, even if you're not aware of it.

If you were sufficiently well qualified, motivated, aptitudinally (?!) correct, and fortunate, to get in before that, and good enough to finish the training, then experience and cunning will probably carry you through your years of physical decline (late twenties...:{ )

You could hope for a war, wherein all previous rules go out the window, or marry right....but as TR and 5F6B have intimated, even then, you have to be able to convince some pretty experienced, and understandably cynical, recruiting folk, that you have as your prime motivation the desire to die for their country, and not to build hours for an airline career.

The romantic in me says that America was built on impossible dreams....start there.

You could come down here, but as flyboy007 has said, while we won't discriminate against you on the basis of age, ethnicity, or uncorrected eyesight, we don't have any aeroplanes for you to fly either....
:D

Good luck, and keep us posted.

[Training Risky]

What's wrong Divine wind?

Did the nasty man turn you down....?

[DIVINE WIND]

No no TR.
I think that a few people who have been in to long tend to be xenophobic.
How old was Bader when he first saw combat?after a break from the RAF of how long boys?I'm sure he was older than 24 even though he did his training some time before WWII
Do people think that all the older aircrew being trained down under will be sub-standard?
Maybe some think that if they are flying a desk in their thirties that everyone else should be.

[raytofclimb]

Divine Wind - You have a chip on your shoulder about

a: the military

b: not getting into the military


Go back to the civvi forums.

Ray.