RAAF Flight Screening Programme
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aptitude assessmment centre
I'm applying for british forces but if i was in your position (and living in Oz), i would be making use of the pilot aptitude assessment centre.
I can't remember the company's name but they are advertised here in Pprune. If only somebody ran something similar here in the U.K!
I can't remember the company's name but they are advertised here in Pprune. If only somebody ran something similar here in the U.K!
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Had my pilot testing today and got through! Really thought it was game over part way in, but, as the unwritten law of examinations usually go, when you think you did poor you end up doing alright.
Waiting for my defence interview and psych day now.
Good luck to those who are looking to do pilot testing in the future! Believe you can do it, and stay focused on what you really want.
Waiting for my defence interview and psych day now.
Good luck to those who are looking to do pilot testing in the future! Believe you can do it, and stay focused on what you really want.
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Hey, good to hear there's some more people out there getting through. I had my pilot testing last Monday down at Parramatta. Did very well, I've done a lot of preparation having been living off my savings since January (my last job paid quite well). I found lots of useful info here and moreso on the Australian Air Force Cadet forums, and as a result I'm happy to say I finished every section before time ran out. Apparently that's pretty rare.
For anybody else doing it, the mental math problems get pretty crazy - estimate 359,000 / 42,000, you have ten seconds, stupid hard fractions, etc. To give you an idea of an average long-form problem, a ship could be going at X knots for Y hours, then sustained damage resulting in it going 2 knots faster than 18% of its maximum speed. If it then travels another Z hours, how far did it go in total? Try doing 30 of those under a tight time limit with only paper and pencil!
Instrument comprehension is exhausting, 60 questions in only 9 minutes (9 seconds per instrument). I only finished it with about 10 seconds to go, and the girl next to me only made it a bit more than halfway through. The two joystick test is pretty hellish too, I practiced for it by flying helicopters in X-Plane, but still felt only barely prepared.
Best thing I can advise is X-Plane, focusing on hovering and landing helicopters to improve your hand-eye-joystick coordination (http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Simula...8703543&sr=8-1) making sure to practice using both hands, reversing the controls, etc. Also, this book is great for the written tests (aircraft silhouettes, instrument reading): http://www.amazon.com/Officer-Candid...8703598&sr=8-2
And know how to do mental math accurately and *fast*, it helped me greatly. I learnt my time tables pretty thoroughly, and also how to multiply any two two-digit numbers together.
Given the long, long odds of being selected as a pilot, I was feeling pretty unsure about things until I walked out of the recruitment office on Monday. However, after this performance I think I might actually have a shot at it, just have to hope I don't screw up at flight screening! Anybody have anything useful to suggest about that?
Oh, and in case anybody is wondering the guys at recruitment didn't say anything about keeping quiet about what the tests entailed. Given the number of study materials out in the wild, they seem quite happy for people to share their experiences. Not to mention that with the grueling time limits, to a large extent candidates either have it or they don't.
For anybody else doing it, the mental math problems get pretty crazy - estimate 359,000 / 42,000, you have ten seconds, stupid hard fractions, etc. To give you an idea of an average long-form problem, a ship could be going at X knots for Y hours, then sustained damage resulting in it going 2 knots faster than 18% of its maximum speed. If it then travels another Z hours, how far did it go in total? Try doing 30 of those under a tight time limit with only paper and pencil!
Instrument comprehension is exhausting, 60 questions in only 9 minutes (9 seconds per instrument). I only finished it with about 10 seconds to go, and the girl next to me only made it a bit more than halfway through. The two joystick test is pretty hellish too, I practiced for it by flying helicopters in X-Plane, but still felt only barely prepared.
Best thing I can advise is X-Plane, focusing on hovering and landing helicopters to improve your hand-eye-joystick coordination (http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Simula...8703543&sr=8-1) making sure to practice using both hands, reversing the controls, etc. Also, this book is great for the written tests (aircraft silhouettes, instrument reading): http://www.amazon.com/Officer-Candid...8703598&sr=8-2
And know how to do mental math accurately and *fast*, it helped me greatly. I learnt my time tables pretty thoroughly, and also how to multiply any two two-digit numbers together.
Given the long, long odds of being selected as a pilot, I was feeling pretty unsure about things until I walked out of the recruitment office on Monday. However, after this performance I think I might actually have a shot at it, just have to hope I don't screw up at flight screening! Anybody have anything useful to suggest about that?
Oh, and in case anybody is wondering the guys at recruitment didn't say anything about keeping quiet about what the tests entailed. Given the number of study materials out in the wild, they seem quite happy for people to share their experiences. Not to mention that with the grueling time limits, to a large extent candidates either have it or they don't.
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RAAF Pilot Recruitment
Hello all,
I am new to this forum and i'm using it as an information source to hopefully help me in my quest to one day becoming an Australian Air Force Pilot.My story goes as follows:
I am currently 23 years of age and after spending the last 8-9 years of my life working in a trade,have decided to finally bite the bullet and chase the career path i have always dreamt of.
Over the past 3 years i have returned to school (night school,because i work full-time) in order to obtain the education requirements necessary for entry.In this time i have also began my testing through Defence Force Recruiting (DFR) and finally had my Assessment Day in January (2008) - where i was given the all clear for Flight Screening.
Now this is where my problem begins.
Since then i have rang DFR on many occasions to see how my application is going,only to be told that "it has been sent to the board".
That is all fair and good however,it has been six months now and i have still heard nothing.
I do realise that they have many applicants and i'm not asking for any special treatment,but,i really would like to know what is happening (whether they haven't looked at it yet,i have been placed in the waiting pool,ect...)
I have managed to get in contact with some current Air Force pilots whom all have been exceptionally helpful and they have all told me the same thing - WE NEED PILOTS,KEEP CALLING DFR.Yet, when i call they have said "there is nothing they can do - Just wait to hear from the board".
Is there any way that anyone here knows of, that i can find out where i stand at the moment.
One of my friends has been to the Officer Selection Board for the Army where the Commanding Officer of the Pilot Selection Agency gave him his card and said,"get in contact with him if he has any problems getting to Flight Screening".He has offered his details to me however,i am a bit hesitant to do that (i don't want to get in trouble).
So if there is anyone here that is in my situation,or any Service members who can give me some advice it would be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards,
Mark.
I am new to this forum and i'm using it as an information source to hopefully help me in my quest to one day becoming an Australian Air Force Pilot.My story goes as follows:
I am currently 23 years of age and after spending the last 8-9 years of my life working in a trade,have decided to finally bite the bullet and chase the career path i have always dreamt of.
Over the past 3 years i have returned to school (night school,because i work full-time) in order to obtain the education requirements necessary for entry.In this time i have also began my testing through Defence Force Recruiting (DFR) and finally had my Assessment Day in January (2008) - where i was given the all clear for Flight Screening.
Now this is where my problem begins.
Since then i have rang DFR on many occasions to see how my application is going,only to be told that "it has been sent to the board".
That is all fair and good however,it has been six months now and i have still heard nothing.
I do realise that they have many applicants and i'm not asking for any special treatment,but,i really would like to know what is happening (whether they haven't looked at it yet,i have been placed in the waiting pool,ect...)
I have managed to get in contact with some current Air Force pilots whom all have been exceptionally helpful and they have all told me the same thing - WE NEED PILOTS,KEEP CALLING DFR.Yet, when i call they have said "there is nothing they can do - Just wait to hear from the board".
Is there any way that anyone here knows of, that i can find out where i stand at the moment.
One of my friends has been to the Officer Selection Board for the Army where the Commanding Officer of the Pilot Selection Agency gave him his card and said,"get in contact with him if he has any problems getting to Flight Screening".He has offered his details to me however,i am a bit hesitant to do that (i don't want to get in trouble).
So if there is anyone here that is in my situation,or any Service members who can give me some advice it would be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards,
Mark.
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Six months is way too long. Put it in writing and tell em to pull their finger out as you are being stalled and will look at other options. Take the upper hand. They may even like that way of thinking from a future pilot and it may go your way.
"Telling them to pull their finger out" won't achieve anything except to piss the person opening your letter off.
However, making some polite but firm enquiries would be totally fine.
The main thing to keep in mind is that the RAAF is like any large organisation -when you make contact with it, you may not be talking to someone who knows, or cares about, the answer to your question.
Some tenacity is needed, plus careful noting of who you talked to, what their position is, and what they said.
If someone fobs you off with something non-committal like "You'll be contacted in due course", try to pin them down to something specific. If they can't tell you, ask for the contact details of someone who can, then send a letter or email to that person.
Putting things in writing is good, or at least keeping your emails or records of phone conversations so if someone says "Try us again in a month", or some such thing, you can come back to them with specific dates, times, who it was, what they said, etc., so as to not let them use the same excuse twice.
Good luck and keep trying, and don't be put off by the bureaucracy.
However, making some polite but firm enquiries would be totally fine.
The main thing to keep in mind is that the RAAF is like any large organisation -when you make contact with it, you may not be talking to someone who knows, or cares about, the answer to your question.
Some tenacity is needed, plus careful noting of who you talked to, what their position is, and what they said.
If someone fobs you off with something non-committal like "You'll be contacted in due course", try to pin them down to something specific. If they can't tell you, ask for the contact details of someone who can, then send a letter or email to that person.
Putting things in writing is good, or at least keeping your emails or records of phone conversations so if someone says "Try us again in a month", or some such thing, you can come back to them with specific dates, times, who it was, what they said, etc., so as to not let them use the same excuse twice.
Good luck and keep trying, and don't be put off by the bureaucracy.
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Mark 86
My first impression from your post was "well here's a keen young fellow who should be considered" but then you start spoiling it all by showing that you are lazy and inattentive to detail , both detracting from the essentials for a RAAF pilot.
You indicate that your communication skills are inadequate and your laziness by not bothering to use the shift key on the keyboard and being satisfied to demean yourself with an "i".
Indicators such as that mean that you may be careless in the cockpit where much error free computer entries are often required.
My first impression from your post was "well here's a keen young fellow who should be considered" but then you start spoiling it all by showing that you are lazy and inattentive to detail , both detracting from the essentials for a RAAF pilot.
You indicate that your communication skills are inadequate and your laziness by not bothering to use the shift key on the keyboard and being satisfied to demean yourself with an "i".
Indicators such as that mean that you may be careless in the cockpit where much error free computer entries are often required.
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Milt
How about you look at your own sentence structure, grammar and punctuation? Those in glass houses and all that...
When are you 'Baby Boomers' and senior 'Gen Xers' going to realise that language evolves and younger people, particularly those who have grown up in the digital age, don't communicate in the same way that you do? Nor do they really care what you think about the way they communicate.
I'm sure your parents and grandparents would be mortified by your use of the Queen's English, they're just less likely to chastise you on internet forums.
How about you look at your own sentence structure, grammar and punctuation? Those in glass houses and all that...
When are you 'Baby Boomers' and senior 'Gen Xers' going to realise that language evolves and younger people, particularly those who have grown up in the digital age, don't communicate in the same way that you do? Nor do they really care what you think about the way they communicate.
I'm sure your parents and grandparents would be mortified by your use of the Queen's English, they're just less likely to chastise you on internet forums.
Last edited by Green on, Go!; 22nd Jun 2008 at 04:00.
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Thanks for the response guys,I appreciate it.
(Mick.B) - I have contemplated putting something in writing however, I didn't want to stir the pot and make things harder for myself.Nevertheless, if I haven't heard anything in the next few weeks I think it will be within my best interests to do so (it will be polite though).
(Arm out the window) - You will be pleased to know that over the past two and a half years i have kept every e-mail i have recieved from DFR,together with all responses i have had from current RAAF Pilots.
The only problem which lies here is that every time I ring to speak to my Recruiter they have moved on and I have someone new to deal with.
(Green on,Go!) - Thanks for the support.
One thing that I failed to mention in my first post was that one of the RAAF pilots I have been talking to is a FCI from Williamtown.He has over 4000 hours flying F/A-18's and I was lucky enough to go for a flight with him.
I may get in contact with him again and see what he thinks.
This is just so frustrating,I know that Pilots Course will more than likely be the most challenging 18 months of my life.But, I am prepared to put in the hard yards and do as much as I possibly can to graduate.
I JUST WISH I WAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY!!!
(Mick.B) - I have contemplated putting something in writing however, I didn't want to stir the pot and make things harder for myself.Nevertheless, if I haven't heard anything in the next few weeks I think it will be within my best interests to do so (it will be polite though).
(Arm out the window) - You will be pleased to know that over the past two and a half years i have kept every e-mail i have recieved from DFR,together with all responses i have had from current RAAF Pilots.
The only problem which lies here is that every time I ring to speak to my Recruiter they have moved on and I have someone new to deal with.
(Green on,Go!) - Thanks for the support.
One thing that I failed to mention in my first post was that one of the RAAF pilots I have been talking to is a FCI from Williamtown.He has over 4000 hours flying F/A-18's and I was lucky enough to go for a flight with him.
I may get in contact with him again and see what he thinks.
This is just so frustrating,I know that Pilots Course will more than likely be the most challenging 18 months of my life.But, I am prepared to put in the hard yards and do as much as I possibly can to graduate.
I JUST WISH I WAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY!!!
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Warning: Thread drift!!!!
Originally Posted by Green on, Go!
When are you 'Baby Boomers' and senior 'Gen Xers' going to realise that language evolves and younger people, particularly those who have grown up in the digital age, don't communicate in the same way that you do? Nor do they really care what you think about the way they communicate.
Milt might be labouring the point a little, but those 'Baby Boomers' and senior 'Gen Xers' are the Wing Commanders and Group Captains who will assess Mark and his peers at the OSB, and then through the early stages of their careers. Ergo Mark and his peers will just have to 'really care' a little.
Mark for what it's worth, and I think I am a senior 'Gen Xer', or an immediate post-boomer, your comms skills are OK.
Good luck!
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Like this--
Don't be so sure the OSB are so clueless that they haven't realised the world has moved on from the days of black labradors under the desk and pink gins in the O's mess after work
I believe they have even heard of email..
Don't be so sure the OSB are so clueless that they haven't realised the world has moved on from the days of black labradors under the desk and pink gins in the O's mess after work
I believe they have even heard of email..
Last edited by oldpinger; 21st Jun 2008 at 22:37.
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Since then i have rang DFR on many occasions to see how my application is going,only to be told that "it has been sent to the board".
That is all fair and good however,it has been six months now and i have still heard nothing.
I do realise that they have many applicants and i'm not asking for any special treatment,but,i really would like to know what is happening (whether they haven't looked at it yet,i have been placed in the waiting pool,ect...)
That is all fair and good however,it has been six months now and i have still heard nothing.
I do realise that they have many applicants and i'm not asking for any special treatment,but,i really would like to know what is happening (whether they haven't looked at it yet,i have been placed in the waiting pool,ect...)
I can't agree more with AOTW's advice. Continue to maintain records of all the times you have made contact (as you have been doing), and keep following up with another polite phone call every couple of weeks or so if you haven't heard anything. This, IMHO (that's In My Humble Opinion in the latest lingo, Milt!
), is not being rude or pushy - on the contrary, it clearly demonstrates someone with drive and motivation to achieve a personal goal. I think that this is probably a far more desirable quality in a pilot applicant than someone who can spel and do gramma gud! Just don't expect things to magically change once you are actually in the service though - there will still be a fundamental need to follow up everything that you have a vested interest in. Unfortunately, if you don't do it yourself, it just won't get done at all.The Baffler
P.S.
I know that Pilots Course will more than likely be the most challenging 18 months of my life.
It's worth it in the end, though.
Join Date: Jan 2002
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Mark_86...
To quote you:
Having been through the RAAFs aircrew training system (and graduated!), some years ago, let me tell you that your statement is a gigantic, read really gigantic, understatement.
Your pilot training course will easily exceed ANYTHING else you have ever done as regards both it's difficulty, and how easily it will be to get booted out for not exceeding the required standard, right up to the very last day!
And don't forget, the overall assessment you graduate with will determine what category of aircraft you will be operating following graduation.
By that I mean if you are only average or less in assessment, you will not be getting anywhere near a fast jet, but the C-130 will be the go for you! (600 knots verses 300 knots!)...get my drift here?
Sorry for being blunt..but that's the way it is, pilot shortage or not!
BE PREPARED FOR THAT!
Cheers...FD...
To quote you:
"This is just so frustrating,I know that Pilots Course will more than likely be the most challenging 18 months of my life.But, I am prepared to put in the hard yards and do as much as I possibly can to graduate."
Your pilot training course will easily exceed ANYTHING else you have ever done as regards both it's difficulty, and how easily it will be to get booted out for not exceeding the required standard, right up to the very last day!
And don't forget, the overall assessment you graduate with will determine what category of aircraft you will be operating following graduation.
By that I mean if you are only average or less in assessment, you will not be getting anywhere near a fast jet, but the C-130 will be the go for you! (600 knots verses 300 knots!)...get my drift here?
Sorry for being blunt..but that's the way it is, pilot shortage or not!
BE PREPARED FOR THAT!
Cheers...FD...
With blunt-minded individuals like Milt running the show, is it any wonder the military is in such a parlous state these days? Then again, it sounds like nothing's changed since I left the fold 15 years ago...
Good luck with your application Mark 86. Don't let defence bureaucracy get you down - you certainly seem to have the drive to succeed and fulfil your dream.
Good luck with your application Mark 86. Don't let defence bureaucracy get you down - you certainly seem to have the drive to succeed and fulfil your dream.
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Knowing Milt's background I suspect that Mark_86 ought not discount the more senior's advice .. you could, perhaps, do very much worse than drop Milt a line by email seeking specific guidance ....
Yes, I don't think anyone should really be calling Milt a blunt (have a search for some of his previous posts, particularly regarding the Mustang).