Pilot crossovers and Navy FJ?
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Pilot crossovers and Navy FJ?
Hi guys,
I've was talking to a friend who is currently completing his FJ training with her majesty's flying club and he told me that on his course and several others that he has seen there have been ex-navs and other branches doing "pilot crossovers" and also that there have been one or two pilots crossing over from the Navy. I am furiously trying to get into the RAF as pilot but it is looking like age is going to be a limiting factor (I'm a couple of months out). If the RAF do say that I'm too old then I am going to consider the Navy or, as a last resort, joining the RAF as another branch (medical officer) and try to crossover.
While at Uni I joined a UAS as pilot and took my aptitudes at cranwell and was told that I had passed both pilot and nav to a very high standard.
Just wondering if any of you guys could answer a few of my questions?
1) How do you crossover from one branch to another? and:
2) How easy or hard is it?
3) Why and how do Navy pilots crossover to RAF?
4) If you join the Navy as a pilot - what are the chances of going FJ relative to if you are in the RAF?
Would appreciate your helps,
Cheers,
Speedy
I've was talking to a friend who is currently completing his FJ training with her majesty's flying club and he told me that on his course and several others that he has seen there have been ex-navs and other branches doing "pilot crossovers" and also that there have been one or two pilots crossing over from the Navy. I am furiously trying to get into the RAF as pilot but it is looking like age is going to be a limiting factor (I'm a couple of months out). If the RAF do say that I'm too old then I am going to consider the Navy or, as a last resort, joining the RAF as another branch (medical officer) and try to crossover.
While at Uni I joined a UAS as pilot and took my aptitudes at cranwell and was told that I had passed both pilot and nav to a very high standard.
Just wondering if any of you guys could answer a few of my questions?
1) How do you crossover from one branch to another? and:
2) How easy or hard is it?
3) Why and how do Navy pilots crossover to RAF?
4) If you join the Navy as a pilot - what are the chances of going FJ relative to if you are in the RAF?
Would appreciate your helps,
Cheers,
Speedy
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Speedy,
In response to questions 3 and 4:
3. The most common cause, historically, of Navy FJ pilots crossing over to the RAF was that they were students at Valley who didn't get a single-seat recommend (but passed the course to a standard that would allow them entry to a 2-seat fast-jet OCU). In the RN their only option was to fly rotary, so they transferred and had long and happy careers flying RAF jets. However, more recently both services have been much better at lending said students to the RAF to complete one tour on a two-seat FJ, after which time they should have accumulated enough experience to allow them to pass a single-seat OCU (in this case the SHAR). As for the How, I believe it's a pretty straight-forward process that occurs when the student fails to get a single-seat recommend.
4. Lower. The RN only has single-seat fast-jets, and not many of them, and thus selects few of their pilot trainees to go directly to FJ training. However, a significant proportion of the RN FJ force is made up of ex-chopper guys. In your timescale the SHAR would be gone so you would be looking at GR7/9, with JSF (hopefully) in the longer term.
Hope this helps. Ask away if you need more.....
In response to questions 3 and 4:
3. The most common cause, historically, of Navy FJ pilots crossing over to the RAF was that they were students at Valley who didn't get a single-seat recommend (but passed the course to a standard that would allow them entry to a 2-seat fast-jet OCU). In the RN their only option was to fly rotary, so they transferred and had long and happy careers flying RAF jets. However, more recently both services have been much better at lending said students to the RAF to complete one tour on a two-seat FJ, after which time they should have accumulated enough experience to allow them to pass a single-seat OCU (in this case the SHAR). As for the How, I believe it's a pretty straight-forward process that occurs when the student fails to get a single-seat recommend.
4. Lower. The RN only has single-seat fast-jets, and not many of them, and thus selects few of their pilot trainees to go directly to FJ training. However, a significant proportion of the RN FJ force is made up of ex-chopper guys. In your timescale the SHAR would be gone so you would be looking at GR7/9, with JSF (hopefully) in the longer term.
Hope this helps. Ask away if you need more.....
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Thanks Nozzles,
Will send you a message with a few more questions that I have. Come on the rest of you - I know you're out there. Anyone crossed over from another branch?
Will send you a message with a few more questions that I have. Come on the rest of you - I know you're out there. Anyone crossed over from another branch?
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Speedy
It's a dangerous game joining one Service - or even a branch within - with the aim of ending up somewhere else. It can be done, and happily there are many who can testify to some degree of flexibility. But we are going to be employing you for our benefit and not solely your own!
The RAF FJ pipeline is stuffed full as we speak. Draw your own conclusions! For that reason the "twin-seat back to single" route for RN FJ aircrew is also much more limited of late.
Don't want to discourage you in the least old chap, but make sure b4 you leap, and only do so with the right intentions in mind!
Good Luck!
It's a dangerous game joining one Service - or even a branch within - with the aim of ending up somewhere else. It can be done, and happily there are many who can testify to some degree of flexibility. But we are going to be employing you for our benefit and not solely your own!
The RAF FJ pipeline is stuffed full as we speak. Draw your own conclusions! For that reason the "twin-seat back to single" route for RN FJ aircrew is also much more limited of late.
Don't want to discourage you in the least old chap, but make sure b4 you leap, and only do so with the right intentions in mind!
Good Luck!
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Speedbird,
In answer to your first question, generally and this is fairly general, only navs cross over to become pilots - if anyone can correct me I've never heard of a medical officer getting a cross-over. To crossover itself, its just a case of getting your wish put on your annual report and hoping you have a sympathetic flight commander and boss and your in the right place at the right time.
Your right in saying the FJ system is chokka at the moment and the RAF is not especially short of FJ pilots. I don't know the exact figures but its only a few that do crossover, so in terms of how hard or easy it is, to be honest not that easy.
Hope that helps mate
In answer to your first question, generally and this is fairly general, only navs cross over to become pilots - if anyone can correct me I've never heard of a medical officer getting a cross-over. To crossover itself, its just a case of getting your wish put on your annual report and hoping you have a sympathetic flight commander and boss and your in the right place at the right time.
Your right in saying the FJ system is chokka at the moment and the RAF is not especially short of FJ pilots. I don't know the exact figures but its only a few that do crossover, so in terms of how hard or easy it is, to be honest not that easy.
Hope that helps mate
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Thanks for your replies guys. In one of my previous posts "age limit for RAF pilot" an ex instructor at valley said he had a 30 year old medical officer crossover but I understand this is likely to be an extreme exception and not the norm. If anyone does know of any other examples I would appreciate the info.
Thing is, want to fly FJs but not sure that I could go months at a time without seeing land.
How much more time away from home do Navy pilots spend than those in the RAF?
Thing is, want to fly FJs but not sure that I could go months at a time without seeing land.
How much more time away from home do Navy pilots spend than those in the RAF?
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Just so you realise those few people doing crossovers are the last for the moment. Because the FJ pilot slot is overflowing no more Pilot Crossovers are allowed. Also, every single person I know who has done a crossover has put in at least 12 years in their previous branch. It was never guarenteed they were going to be able to crossover and they had to prove themselves quite thoroughly before being able to even go forward to be considered.
Your best bet is to speak to your squadron leader from the UAS and see if he can put a word in for you. But bear in mind the air force don't really like taking people who only want to join for the job not the air force itself - particularly now when they can be a bit more choosey.
Your best bet is to speak to your squadron leader from the UAS and see if he can put a word in for you. But bear in mind the air force don't really like taking people who only want to join for the job not the air force itself - particularly now when they can be a bit more choosey.
