UAS 's to close (Merged)
So will UASs recruit as normal this autumn? Or hedge their bets against the announcement which has been on the cards for several months now?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Now all beomes clear.
A briefing note on the future of UAS's was released on Tuesday and an automatic recall was sent. Next day a furthure recall notice went out.
Clearly someone jumped the gun. Now with the parliamentary recess . . .
A briefing note on the future of UAS's was released on Tuesday and an automatic recall was sent. Next day a furthure recall notice went out.
Clearly someone jumped the gun. Now with the parliamentary recess . . .
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Hi,
I am in EMUAS currently and have just finished my first year on the sqn as a pilot.
They recruit during freshers week at the differnt uni's.. Nottingham (obviously!!), Trent, Loughborough, De Montford, Leicester and Lincoln. UAS sqns are interested in people who have a keen interest in probably joining the RAF, therefore the selection is much like RAF selection, in terms of quality, aptitude and medical fitness.
You are given a short pre intereview at freshers fair, which if you do well at, you are then offered another interview at the THQ (town headquarters). This is OASC style 45 mins. On this day you are also required to take Aptitude tests for 15mins or so (these aren't too hot in comparision to the ones at OASC, and most get through these because the computer programmes are broken!!).
If you are successful here you ar einvited to a Medical weekend, which is the full Pilot medical given at OASC, and Aptitude tests, if you have not already done them.
At the end of the weekend many people are filtered out and about 25 studes are chosen! It is tough competition for places, but fairly done. We had over 400 applicants ,last year, and only 25 chosen. Out of the 25 there is around half of the studes left!
EMUAS is awesome though, the best preparation advice I can give you, is to buy some smart clothes, start your drinking training (it IS a requirement!), and learn the words to Whitesnake: HERE I GO AGAIN.
WE ARE THE ONES!
Row
I am in EMUAS currently and have just finished my first year on the sqn as a pilot.
They recruit during freshers week at the differnt uni's.. Nottingham (obviously!!), Trent, Loughborough, De Montford, Leicester and Lincoln. UAS sqns are interested in people who have a keen interest in probably joining the RAF, therefore the selection is much like RAF selection, in terms of quality, aptitude and medical fitness.
You are given a short pre intereview at freshers fair, which if you do well at, you are then offered another interview at the THQ (town headquarters). This is OASC style 45 mins. On this day you are also required to take Aptitude tests for 15mins or so (these aren't too hot in comparision to the ones at OASC, and most get through these because the computer programmes are broken!!).
If you are successful here you ar einvited to a Medical weekend, which is the full Pilot medical given at OASC, and Aptitude tests, if you have not already done them.
At the end of the weekend many people are filtered out and about 25 studes are chosen! It is tough competition for places, but fairly done. We had over 400 applicants ,last year, and only 25 chosen. Out of the 25 there is around half of the studes left!
EMUAS is awesome though, the best preparation advice I can give you, is to buy some smart clothes, start your drinking training (it IS a requirement!), and learn the words to Whitesnake: HERE I GO AGAIN.
WE ARE THE ONES!
Row
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Wholigan,
Is it safe to assume the decisions will be made in plenty of time before September/October's intakes? Or is it possible that the current rules may stand for the next intake?
Thanks
Is it safe to assume the decisions will be made in plenty of time before September/October's intakes? Or is it possible that the current rules may stand for the next intake?
Thanks
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Sorry Phil, I genuinely don't know. I imagine that is one of the things causing furrowed brows in the hierarchy right now.
Question: "Hmmm ..... do we recruit for the new scheme assuming it will receive the nod from the Minister, or do we think there are - to quote the old song - 'more questions than answers' in the study and so the final decision will be delayed sufficiently that it would make sense to recruit for the old scheme?"
Certainly there is a real need for guidance on that question very soon.
(Wonder how long I can hold my breath.)
Question: "Hmmm ..... do we recruit for the new scheme assuming it will receive the nod from the Minister, or do we think there are - to quote the old song - 'more questions than answers' in the study and so the final decision will be delayed sufficiently that it would make sense to recruit for the old scheme?"
Certainly there is a real need for guidance on that question very soon.
(Wonder how long I can hold my breath.)
Gentleman Aviator
I would guess that now Parliament has gone off on its long, well-deserved 
summer hols, an announcement is unlikely before they get back. Certainly the UAS I share an airfield with is planning to recruit "normally" from next year's freshers ...
summer hols, an announcement is unlikely before they get back. Certainly the UAS I share an airfield with is planning to recruit "normally" from next year's freshers ...
Recruiting for UASs
I'm not sure that it makes any difference to daveyp as to whether he tries to enter under the new rules (whenever they come into force) or the current ones.
Give it a go; learn all you can about the RAF and the UASs, have a story to tell and be ready to tell it at interview. Dress smartly for the interview, make sure that your shirt is ironed and that your personal hygiene (ahem ;-)) is up to scratch. Tidy hair would help ...
This advice, freely given (;-)), will work for any organisation, military or civilian.
Give it a go; learn all you can about the RAF and the UASs, have a story to tell and be ready to tell it at interview. Dress smartly for the interview, make sure that your shirt is ironed and that your personal hygiene (ahem ;-)) is up to scratch. Tidy hair would help ...
This advice, freely given (;-)), will work for any organisation, military or civilian.
Did anyone manage to see the Briefing Note before the recall arrived...??
At the premier UAS yesterday at London (Wyton) aerodrome, no-one seemed to have any firm knowledge about the future plans for the UAS world.
But if whoever it is who plans to dumb down the UAS world to a pale imitation of its current state (in itself a poor imitation of its pre-1996 state) had been there yesterday, I would have liked to have seen him to try to explain the idea to the old-timers (some dating back to the Second World War) who were there.
I don't think he would have survived.....
At the premier UAS yesterday at London (Wyton) aerodrome, no-one seemed to have any firm knowledge about the future plans for the UAS world.
But if whoever it is who plans to dumb down the UAS world to a pale imitation of its current state (in itself a poor imitation of its pre-1996 state) had been there yesterday, I would have liked to have seen him to try to explain the idea to the old-timers (some dating back to the Second World War) who were there.
I don't think he would have survived.....
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Beagle,
I got a copy of it the BN on email, skimmed through it and deleted it I'm afraid. The only part I remember with any clarity (getting old) was about number of flying hours cut to 10 per annum per student, and a greater focus on personal development aspects. Wish I hadn't been so quick on the delete button now - sorry.
By the way, I'm sure the premier UAS was and always will be Cambridge, being several days older than those Oxford whippersnappers...?
Regards,
Single Seat, Single Engine, The Only Way To Fly
I got a copy of it the BN on email, skimmed through it and deleted it I'm afraid. The only part I remember with any clarity (getting old) was about number of flying hours cut to 10 per annum per student, and a greater focus on personal development aspects. Wish I hadn't been so quick on the delete button now - sorry.
By the way, I'm sure the premier UAS was and always will be Cambridge, being several days older than those Oxford whippersnappers...?
Regards,
Single Seat, Single Engine, The Only Way To Fly
10 hours per student per year? That'd be worse than useless...
And WTF are 'personal development aspects'? Muddy games with pine poles plus jolly jockstrapping?
Who is the author of such utter bolleaux?
And WTF are 'personal development aspects'? Muddy games with pine poles plus jolly jockstrapping?
Who is the author of such utter bolleaux?
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Well, they may change their minds.....??
My first thought was, how do they divide that flight time up? I mean, do you do nothing all year, then go off on summer camp, get your 10 hours in some sort of PPL syllabus, then forget it all over the course of the year? Or do you get 1 flight a month of AEF type flying, and learn very little at all? Frankly I can't decide which is worse. Presumably, at most you'll only need 1 or 2 QFIs on the permanent staff, if any at all, so there'll be a lot more ground branch people as staff.
Alternatively, it may be a cunning plan to increase the 'ground branch' membership of the UAS - bump up the membership a bit, budget for 10 hours each, but only fly the same number of students as you do at the moment, who still get their 30 odd hours a year. Maybe I'm clutching at straws.
I assume the rest of your (non-flying) time is spent along the lines of the OTC, though I have to confess, I have no idea exactly what they did/do all day. Do they have a tripod-building fetish? Do they practice marching up and down the square? Or do they concentrate on sailing/diving/skiing/climbing/canoeing trips etc? None of the above have any strong correlation to a day-in-the-life of the average JO as far as I can make out, but maybe they're good for recruiting (?). Anyone out there have any OTC mates who can shed light on what they get up to, and are they a good recruitment tool?
My first thought was, how do they divide that flight time up? I mean, do you do nothing all year, then go off on summer camp, get your 10 hours in some sort of PPL syllabus, then forget it all over the course of the year? Or do you get 1 flight a month of AEF type flying, and learn very little at all? Frankly I can't decide which is worse. Presumably, at most you'll only need 1 or 2 QFIs on the permanent staff, if any at all, so there'll be a lot more ground branch people as staff.
Alternatively, it may be a cunning plan to increase the 'ground branch' membership of the UAS - bump up the membership a bit, budget for 10 hours each, but only fly the same number of students as you do at the moment, who still get their 30 odd hours a year. Maybe I'm clutching at straws.
I assume the rest of your (non-flying) time is spent along the lines of the OTC, though I have to confess, I have no idea exactly what they did/do all day. Do they have a tripod-building fetish? Do they practice marching up and down the square? Or do they concentrate on sailing/diving/skiing/climbing/canoeing trips etc? None of the above have any strong correlation to a day-in-the-life of the average JO as far as I can make out, but maybe they're good for recruiting (?). Anyone out there have any OTC mates who can shed light on what they get up to, and are they a good recruitment tool?
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I read the same brief and IIRC, the points were:
1. Current system not working as planned and not cost effective.
2. Primarily focused on aircrew to detrimant of other branches.
3. Flying/UAS commitment directly in conflict with increasing Uni/education workloads.
Solution:
1. EFT removed from UASs and re-established elsewhere.
2. Flying reduced to 10 hours per year per student.
3. UAS opened up to all branches.
4. Personal development training (Force Development/air power? can't remember - sorry).
I also seem to recall that there was a shift of pilots to the AEFs (may be mistaken here) and also that UAS Cdrs may be drawn from branches other than aircrew.
I think that was about it; if I can find the BN I'll post it.
Cheers
SBG
1. Current system not working as planned and not cost effective.
2. Primarily focused on aircrew to detrimant of other branches.
3. Flying/UAS commitment directly in conflict with increasing Uni/education workloads.
Solution:
1. EFT removed from UASs and re-established elsewhere.
2. Flying reduced to 10 hours per year per student.
3. UAS opened up to all branches.
4. Personal development training (Force Development/air power? can't remember - sorry).
I also seem to recall that there was a shift of pilots to the AEFs (may be mistaken here) and also that UAS Cdrs may be drawn from branches other than aircrew.
I think that was about it; if I can find the BN I'll post it.
Cheers
SBG
Yes, I wonder how we are going to find enough to occupy them, especially with the minimal level of staffing that is apparently in the plan.
Still, most of the kids make it worthwhile; and they keep me young. I have a carpet burn from a new slant on tug-of-war which a fellow staff member (who had 4 stone the better of me) managed to inflict on me ... ;-)
Still, most of the kids make it worthwhile; and they keep me young. I have a carpet burn from a new slant on tug-of-war which a fellow staff member (who had 4 stone the better of me) managed to inflict on me ... ;-)
1. Current system not working as planned and not cost effective.
The plan was bolleaux, so it's hardly surprising it doesn't work!
2. Primarily focused on aircrew to detriment of other branches.
Means that they're desperate for people such as engineers. Who, if they've any sense, won't want to work in the RAF, because neither the rewards nor the opportunities can touch those available in the real world!
3. Flying/UAS commitment directly in conflict with increasing Uni/education workloads.
Well, quelle bŁoody surprise! That's what those who've been around for more than a couple of tours have been trying to tell the idiots who introduced the streaming idiocy!
The real solution? Put it back the way it was in around 1994. And fire the idiot who wrote the paper.
Incidentally, if things do change, you can most certainly expect a review of credits for UAS flying towards civil qualifications.
The plan was bolleaux, so it's hardly surprising it doesn't work!
2. Primarily focused on aircrew to detriment of other branches.
Means that they're desperate for people such as engineers. Who, if they've any sense, won't want to work in the RAF, because neither the rewards nor the opportunities can touch those available in the real world!
3. Flying/UAS commitment directly in conflict with increasing Uni/education workloads.
Well, quelle bŁoody surprise! That's what those who've been around for more than a couple of tours have been trying to tell the idiots who introduced the streaming idiocy!
The real solution? Put it back the way it was in around 1994. And fire the idiot who wrote the paper.
Incidentally, if things do change, you can most certainly expect a review of credits for UAS flying towards civil qualifications.
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Who wrote it?
A little research into the name being associated with the study shows just one group captain fitting the bill.
An RAF pilot since 1972, he trained on Chipmunk, JP and Hunter, and flew Harrier and Jaguar operationally. A PPL holder and BGA instructor, he was a QFI on Hawk and Harrier (A2). He spent 8 years in the elementary flying training business, 4 as wing commander EFT and 4 as Director EFT/OC 1 EFTS, overseeing the first stage of pilot training for all of the UK armed services (and probably comparing the UASs to other ways of achieving the aim).
It's a shame they couldn't find someone properly qualified to do the job!
A little research into the name being associated with the study shows just one group captain fitting the bill.
An RAF pilot since 1972, he trained on Chipmunk, JP and Hunter, and flew Harrier and Jaguar operationally. A PPL holder and BGA instructor, he was a QFI on Hawk and Harrier (A2). He spent 8 years in the elementary flying training business, 4 as wing commander EFT and 4 as Director EFT/OC 1 EFTS, overseeing the first stage of pilot training for all of the UK armed services (and probably comparing the UASs to other ways of achieving the aim).
It's a shame they couldn't find someone properly qualified to do the job!
It's certainly a shame they didn't choose someone with direct UAS QFI experience...... With all the peripheral activities that involves.
Was he a student at a UAS? Or one of the commissioned schoolkids who never made it to University?
What I find really concerning is the allegation made by a UAS boss of my acquaintance:
"The outcome of the report was decided before the report had even been written. It's a total stitch-up!"
Was he a student at a UAS? Or one of the commissioned schoolkids who never made it to University?
What I find really concerning is the allegation made by a UAS boss of my acquaintance:
"The outcome of the report was decided before the report had even been written. It's a total stitch-up!"
