Please Advise!!
 

Dear All,
Any advice would be greatly received!
I am currently about to undertake advanced fast jet training at RAF Valley, however i have suddenly realised i do not want to be in the RAF and would like to PVR.
Now without getting into the reasons why i want to PVR (as im sure many of you could name quite a few!!) i would greatly appreciate any advice related to PVR'in but more importantly what i can do once i hit civvi street!

I have been to university and have a 2:1 in a non-engineering degree. I had a sixth form sponsorhsip and uni bursary with the raf and obviously got streamed fast jets. I would definately be interested in a career in the airline world but have no idea where to start?! I would aslo be interested in some sort of apprenticeship in the investment banking world.
Anyway like i said, any info would be greatly appreciated! :O
Cheers
Worriedpvr

Mmm interesting one.
First of all well done with what you have achieved so far.
You will have around 300 hours but with no licence, so what you would need to do if you wanted to leave and fly commercially would be do all 14 ATPL exams at somewhere like Bristol groundschool this takes 6 months min with 2x3 week exam courses, then complete an approved CPL course plus IRME at somewhere like exeter or Leeds.
Then you would be in the same boat as a lot of wannebees on this forum, low houred.
If the credit crisis hits the airlines then it could be tricky to get a job.
Equally, in London at the moment, it is a terrible time to start looking for a financial job.
I have the same uni quals as you and have flown fast jets for 14 years, I have had similar doubts at times, but without doubt I am glad I stuck at it.
Firstly, flying jets is a privilege with not many able to make the grade.
Secondly, you may have made this decision suddenly so maybe it is wise to wait a while rather than do something rash that may effect something that changes the rest of your life.
Why not wait a week and if you feel the same talk to someone on the base who is impartial that could help, perhaps the padre or someone from a different service, if you cannot talk to your course commander/CO.
If you feel the same after a week, and want to call it quits I am sure the RAF would rather keep you than lose you, so you could ask for multis.
There are a lot of good options. Eg Royal Flight/ASTOR etc
Good luck anyhow!

If this is no duff then pm me. I will be able to help you. But i warn you now, a multi cross over is very unlikely.

Worriedpvr,

Can you explain why you dont want to fly fast jets in the raf? I'm having trouble trying to work out how you actually got through the selection process?

:confused:

abbotyobs thanks very much for the advice! I have been thinking of this for nearly a month now but havent managed to get around to seeing someone impartial such as a padre, but its a great idea thanks!
I think in the mean time i will have a look at other civvi jobs but wont make any rash decisions as yet.
Ive heard what you have said about being hard to get a job in the airlines and financial sector before so im afraid you may be right!
Would definately be interested in a cross over to multis but i dont think the raf are too keen to allow this to happen unfortunately.
Again thanks for the advice!

worried pvr is not the first to feel like this. There is alot more than people realise who get nearly all the way through and quit. Especially in the last 2 years!

Why do people get most of the way there and quit, especially in the last 2 years?

Unless you have a real reason not to fly fast jets, do Valley then PVR.

Anyone can fly an airliner, how many people ever get a chance to fly Hawks?

I cannot bring myself to believe this threas is genuine.

The spelling, the reference to career advice from the padre(!) and the unusual circumstance of having a slot at Valley but not wanting it all of a sudden.. Either OASC have become very poor at their role or there is something fishy about this post.

WWW

Caution
 

WWW you would be suprised! Seeing the Padre for advice is quite common in the armed services, they are usually the only people you can count on for some non-bias feedback. It's all about having someone to talk to and bounce ideas off. The Military can be very claustraphobic when you are thinking of making a big decision that bucks the "trend".

This thread might be genuine, might not be. For what it is worth, having been there and done that, I would have a bash at Valley and at the very worse you can get chopped. This way you have had a chance to drive the wonderful hawk (a real beauty) and can still have your cake and eat it. An airline will not be remotely bothered that you got chopped from fast jets (or any mil type for that matter). The bottom line is that you have passed a very difficult selection procedure (at least very difficult aptitude tests). Civ aptitude tests are a complete joke by comparison, a total idiot could pass Pilapt or COMPASS. Plus I suspect that the majority of civvy pilots were military rejects or are ex-military anyway and appreciate how very very hard it is to get to your standard anyway.

My only concern is the state of the economy and where we are heading. I am currently in the transitional period between military and civvy street and I must admit to being a little scared about the prospects. Ensure that financially you can take the jump.

If flying is in your blood than that must be the way forward. Investment banking may allow you to have enough money to fly for fun but are you sure that you would be happy sat in an office (at ground level) all day long? Speak to your resettlement staff, I am sure that they will have links into this world (we do in the RN).

Go on, have a bash at Valley! You may like it.

MFWF:ok:

I don't much care if this thread is for real or not...however...
you cheeky b*****ds..
18 greens : so anyone can fly an airliner ,huh, I think not friend.
Must fly will fly:I think you will find the VAST majority of civil pilots are not 'military rejects or ex-military', not everyone wants to be shot at in some sand caked s**thole.

Twunts:*

Mustflywillfly, thanks very much for the advice. Think i will definately go and see the padre some time in the new year.
To be honest i hadnt thought about the financial position of airlines at the moment and how that may make it hard to get a job so thanks very much for highlighting that!

In the mean time i think i will have a look at other job options but continue with the raf, like you said i may end up liking it, although i did have these doubts when i was a linton. :bored:

For the all the other guys who are so sceptical; i am real and yes i am having doubts. I think you shld really grow up and take a look at yourselves. Everyone has doubts no matter what they do!

Anyway again thanks to everyone who posted USEFUL advice. Anymore would still be greatly received!

Worriedpvr

Couldn't agree more fade to grey, well said.

Compass and pilapt could be passed by idiots???????????
Any one can fly an airliner??????????
Your doing a good job of keeping up the idea that was put to me when considering the forces........ all military pilots turn into/are arrogant c*nts.

Those of you out there who fly airliners like myself keep up the hard work!

However inelegantly and undiplomatically it was written above, it is quite true that aptitude tests for the RAF are harder than those (if any) to which applicants to commercial airlines are subjected.

We all nevertheless know there is a great deal of difference in the job, and many ex-RAF cannot and do not adapt to civilian flight operations.

So on that note, it might be more useful to give the OP some decent advice instead of tearing into other posters who consider pilapt easy, which is no doubt the case if you have been successful at Cranwell.


To the OP: good luck. You're not the first.

Hook, Line, Sinker.

I would agree, give Valley a crack.
The Hawk is wonderful and the first solo around the Isle, is worth staying in for.
Good luck!

My advice if this is genuine (txt speak and over use of !'s continue to make me doubt it) is to stop wasting tax payers money on your very expensive training and PVR. Clearly you are not going to make it throught Valley never mind OCU with your half hearted levels of motivation. Staying in a while longer merely to log a few wasted hours in a Hawk is selfish and you are taking up a slot that someone else would give their left testicle for.

When you come out you will be nowhere much as far as a civilian license is concerned and will have to start on the Modular route to a CPL/IR and start your ATPL exams. Yours hours thus far will allow the grant of a PPL with minimal training time. Check out the CAA document LASORS for the full run down.

Passing RAF selection will look good on your CV. Compared to a lot of applicants but its not enough to give you anything more than a mild advantage. I would have thought you would need to spend around £40k getting yourself to a position where you can apply to airlines with your own license. The CTC academy may quite like you for one of their placement schemes as and when they are available as their selection procedures seem very close to OASC ones.

Sorry if this is a genuine request. Would you mind Private Messenging me your Cranditz course number so I can verify your bona fides?


WWW

Good luck with what ever you decide to do. If you got through linton ok on the mighty tuc then you will have no major problems with the exams,cpl and ir. Have you flown in a hawk yet? Its more fun than the tucano and you may even change your mind when you are on it. Just make sure you are 100% with your decision so when you look back in a few years time you have no regrets. The above thread is correct. I did the PPL in around 5 hours but everything else will have to be the full course. Currently looking at a total of 35K. Time wise you should be able to do most of the flying fairly quickly as you have been exposed to long sorties. With the training provider i was with i was able to fly 4 hours a day on the cpl then around 5 hours a day in the sim during the ir.

Think very carefully!

Some people would give their right nut to be where you are now. You must have a talent to get that far through pilot selection/training. Why throw all that hard work away to sit behind a desk in a bank!!!? Have a chat with someone impartial about your feelings, like the Padre or SMO. If it’s combat that you're not keen on, that's fine, it just means you’re not suited to front line ops. What about the transport wing? Some people believe walking away from the RAF with a heap of heavy jet time is better than fast jet time! Also, think very carefully about a PVR. The aviation industry is small and full of ex mil. The letters PVR during your training will not look good on a CV or sound good in an interview. Better to get chopped than PVR!

Good luck buddy, make the choice that’s right for you.

Dreamer :ok: