RAAF Flight Screening Programme

[numbersguy]

Assessment day question

Hi all,

First time writer, long time reader lol! anyways I've passed my Aptitude testing today - such a huge relief...calling tomorrow to book in my assessment day so about that - i know that they'll do the whole medical check etc and from reading this forum most ppl's questions about health have been regarding eye's and laser surgery on it etc... but what about teeth..i havent exactly been one to follow the dentists guidelines down to the bone and though dont have really bad teeth, mine do need some work..so is this something that can hold me back?

apologies for what might be a n00b question but better to cover my bases.

btw good luck to anyone else out there going through testing...i know how ya'll feel

[reece.t]

RAAF eyesight

I hope I'm posting this in the right forum, but I was hoping for some advice.

I have a YOU session with RAAF in a few weeks, and while I may already be getting ahead of myself, I'm a little concerned about my eyesight. I have a class 1 civil aviation medical from CASA which doesn't require me to wear glasses, however my eyesight is not perfect.

I have fine binocular vision (6/6), but on my class 1 medical from CASA, it deemed my right eye by itself 5/6 and my left eye by itself 4/6.

Anyone know if this is/isn't good enough to be an air force pilot in Australia?

[cj0203]

Numbersguy.
The dental isn't done till after a successful FSP. If they find anything that needs doing, they will make you (out of your own pocket) rectify this before enlistment. I had mine at Raaf Amberley and seeing I hadn't been to the dentist in lets say, years, I got lucky and had no problems. Not so the guy before me who needed wisdom teeth out and a whole bunch of work which according to the dentist was going to be thousands! If you listened to your Mum and brush twice a day and you should be cool!

[Arm out the window]

so they become 40 year old FLLT's really going no where.

...and loving it!!

Well, 40 and a bit more.

Secondary duties and aiming for the top are all well and good, but I'd rather have an Air Force founded on experienced operators who know their primary job inside out than a system that puts more store on people going up through the rank structure in minimum time.

Sure, we need a pool of people to feed the future upper echelons of leadership, but keen motivated aircrew are a bloody good start in my view; the rest will follow.

[Captain Sand Dune]

I'd rather have an Air Force founded on experienced operators who know their primary job inside out

What?! Experienced? Know their jobs? Why, the wheel would grind to a stop!!

[finestkind]

Naaah,

imagine people with experience, not just first tour, doing a job in the ADF. Hell, common sense and reasoning might break out and where would the head shed be then???

[septerra]

@REECE

I am not entirely sure, but when I went in for my YOU Session and enquired about my eyesight, the nurse handed a sheet to me which I was initially asked to take to a eye clinic and have the doctor fill out after a test [And then later asked not to bother with it as I would have to do the medicals on assessment day anyway].
It specifies that an unaided 6/12 vision is acceptable, however you never know.

I havnt completed my specialist testing yet, which is on the 25th of this month. Ill update once I am informed of my situation after my medicals. My eyesight is on the border at 6/12 and can go either way.

[numbersguy]

@CJ - thanks for the info.

Buggery for me coz I do need a lil bit of work done - ahh well..i'll just add it to the credit card bill! I'll blame the sweet tooth lol!

nwys not sure if the assessment day qn's been asked but ne1 got ne advice for the day? was there a set structure to the tests? or did you have any kind of team activity on top of all the individual stuff? what did you guys get asked to talk about when you had to your 5 min speech or so...? oh and when you did your assessment - was it jus pilot v pilot from other services or were other job types involved?


Apologies for the question onslaught here...appreciate any answers you guys can give.

Good luck to all!!

[reece.t]

@Septerra. Thanks heaps mate. Would be real helpful if you let me know! Good luck!

[Shonfield]

Hi everyone,

I just finished reading this thread (slowly) and am thinking about going in for my YOU session. I'm 16 and 6 months in 2 days, so that's the earliest I can go to DFR to get started. I was just after peoples opinions as to how soon I should start.

I understand that it can take months in between steps and longer if there are any problems. My goal is to start ADFA in 2012, my first year out of school. So I figure for that to happen it will be a stretch no matter what. My main concerns are that my current year 11 grades, while they meet the minimum requirements, are not as good as they could be and defiantly not as good as I want them in my HSC year.

Secondly, would going in there before I'm 17 be a deterrent at all? I would hope they see it as motivation, but I can also understand how they would see it as a negative.

I have noticed there are a few others here around my age as well, what do you guys think? Would love to hear from anyone else also.

Thanks,
Sam

[Dilmah G]

G'day mate,

Well, since my $0.02 was asked for..

I know of guys and girls who've applied around about mid-way through Year 12, so perhaps if you were to put some work in between now and then and apply it may help you a little bit? Regardless, I doubt it'd be much of a worry if you were getting A's and B's (though I don't have first-hand experience to really comment). There are a few posters on the cadet forum who do stress grades a fair bit when talking to applicants about ADFA-entry aircrew specializations, though.

I share the same concerns as you do over my grades, as I'm not exactly an academic superstar. Personally, I don't believe being 16 will be a disadvantage to you as long as you come off as a mature personality -> I'd assume the psych would destroy the kind of bloke who says he wants to be a pilot because he'd "Get to shoot ****!"

[Shonfield]

Hey,

Sorry perhaps I should have been more clear, I intend on applying for ADFA pilot, preferably starting in 2012. I figure that to get into the pool with a chance of being picked for 2012, I would need at least a year from the YOU session, which would mean applying towards the end of this year at the latest. Just to be safe I figure I should apply sooner.

My main concern is whether they use my current grades for the entire process, if I can update them when I get new ones or do they only change for my HSC ATAR mark?

If anyone has any insight that would be great, DFR are being very vague about this.

Thanks,
Sam

[finestkind]

Shonfield,

good thinking. Given some of the post on here about recruiting you are safer allowing a lot of time for lost paperwork, incorrect info and a slow process.

What you provide is what they will use but no doubt you can update this info.
The first part of the process after recruiting is to get a spot on an FSP course. All the info you provide is looked at and you can update this when you have new stuff. Unless you have finished YR 12 than you ATAR will not be avaible and therefore does not help in getting an FSP spot.

Good luck

[rotor11]

My advice, being a current ADFA applicant, is to apply at the start of year 12. Ie Term 4 of year 11 (but since year 11 is only 3 terms).
Around september or october.

I think the process is more streamlined for ADFA applicants, than it is for DE.

[Shonfield]

Rotor11,

Not trying to have a go at you, but why do you think it is better then?

Thanks,
Sam

[rotor11]

-***You have all your year 11 reports***
-Thats when most ADFA education award people do it, so you get streamlined.
-Gives you heaps of time to prepare for each part

Alternatively you can apply up to December?the year before.
Bit more rushed that way

[AlexanderB]

Totally agree with finestkind, I put in my application first term in Year 11. It gave me plenty of time to sort out paperwork and medicals before having to juggle it with the stress of year 12. If you don't have any hang-ups on medical or missing/incomplete paperwork then your probably a minority. I also just realised that I applied before 16 yrs 6 months of age, obviously no problem there.

My grades are not exactly spectacular (B's, B+'s at the best of times). Having better grades would likely make you a more competetive candidate althoug keep in mind it's definately not the only thing you're asessed on. My advice is simply to put in your best at school and show to the recruiters that you've got the ablility the work hard and get results (improvement in grades).

Best of Luck

--------------------------------------------------------------------

numbers guy- "ne1", took me a while to figure that one, might want to watch the engritch there.

The Assesment day is simple (in a DFR simple kind of way), I think you may have this mixed up with other parts of the selection process. Its comprised of a Psycological examination (having a 'little' chat with a slightly creepy bloke who sits dead upright and has freaky eyes), Brief Medical Examination (Height, Weight, BMI, Urine test, eyesight, hearing test and ECG), Full Body Medical Examination (be prepared to waddle like a duck in your jocks) and a Defence Interview where the questions will probably vary from person to person (If you know your stuff and are fairly confident this can actually be an interesting conversation)

[septerra]

Hello again,

Got my Pilot specific testing this Tuesday [25th May]. From all the information I was able to gather from here and PPRUNE, I have prepared myself for general math based calculations, speed-distance-time, basic aircraft information, few hours on Microsoft FS in order to get used to the instruments, and a pdf of one of the Solomon Weiner USAF books.

Any other pointers or suggestions from you guys would be appreciated. Gives me the weekend to review if I have missed out on anything. Want to make sure I get this right, rather than ending up wasting another year doing stuff I dont enjoy before I can resit it.

Cheers

[numbersguy]

questions...

Having gone through the Pilot Aptitude tests and passing (thank goodness), I'd say to anyone doing it that the biggest thing to try and do is just relax and make sure you answer the questions correctly. Googling Pilot Aptitude tests did help me somewhat and just practice doing quick calculations in your head...

Anyways I've got a few questions regarding my med test- I handed it in at my YOU session and had the nurse call me about it the other day - I've now got an Assessment day coming up...

1) Firstly I've broken a bone in my elbow last year which has healed now - i've got the x-ray and initial report but am completely ok now...has anyone something similar to this and did you have to prove that your 100% now during the med screen??

2) Also, have any pilots gone through despite having asthma or anything similar??? I used to have symptoms of this but am now perfectly ok - I run 40-50km a week but listed it in my med history...

3) Do they do the dental check at the assessment day or is it before you enlist?

I really want to get past this because I know I have the potential to do well in the interviews and really want to get to FSP.

Anyways good luck to all going through!

[rotor11]

Having gone through the Pilot Aptitude tests and passing (thank goodness), I'd say to anyone doing it that the biggest thing to try and do is just relax and make sure you answer the questions correctly. Googling Pilot Aptitude tests did help me somewhat and just practice doing quick calculations in your head...

Anyways I've got a few questions regarding my med test- I handed it in at my YOU session and had the nurse call me about it the other day - I've now got an Assessment day coming up...

1) Firstly I've broken a bone in my elbow last year which has healed now - i've got the x-ray and initial report but am completely ok now...has anyone something similar to this and did you have to prove that your 100% now during the med screen??

2) Also, have any pilots gone through despite having asthma or anything similar??? I used to have symptoms of this but am now perfectly ok - I run 40-50km a week but listed it in my med history...

3) Do they do the dental check at the assessment day or is it before you enlist?

I really want to get past this because I know I have the potential to do well in the interviews and really want to get to FSP.

Anyways good luck to all going through!

A friend of mine didnt pass the medical because he too broke his elbow, even though he broke it like 10 years earlier.

I think he said it was because later in life it can cause arthritis.

But i may be wrong