L1A2 discharged

Well done, you have a ticket in the raffle. The rest is up to you.
Check the OASC 'sticky' thread for hints and tips.
Have a happy and hardworking New Year.

**Edited after slight recovery from a 'flu affected Christmas.

charliegolf

But it was a typo, so nothing lost then.

Lucky he didn't get any tenses wrong then.

Dave, just bide your time- it's the holiday. Good luck at OASC.

dave_perry

The OASC dates for Sixth Form Scholarships are from end of Jan to the end of Feb. My friend got his invitation on the 18th December. Is it worth ringing my AFCO do you think? Sorry to sound arrogant but I expected to get on, so Im just a little anxious at the moment to see whether I have got on.

Pontius Navigator

Dave,

1. Relax.

2. Ring on 7 Jan or after as everything shut down on 21st. Even if the AFCO is open they will not be able to answer the question.

3. Therefore ring OASC.

L1A2 discharged

MJ,
Its a fair cop. I should have learned by now not to shoot from the lip (metaphorically).

Dave,
Good luck, as has been said try after the 7th. It appears that most of the country is closed until then.

Negligent_discharge

Is there anyone who might be able to help me out with this? I’m trying to find the typical (if there is any such thing) career progression for pilot (RW, FW and FJ if possible) in the RAF.

Anyone?

Thanks ND

TorqueOfTheDevil

N_D,

In a nutshell, the career progression for a pilot in the RAF might go something like this:

Flying training, OCU, front-line tour. At the end of the first tour, he/she will in many cases stay on the same aircraft type for a second tour, but where feasible moving to another base (or perhaps another Sqn on the same base). This benefits both the individual (who, by staying on the same type, can build on their experience and work towards an Above Average rating, necessary for promotion or instructing) and the RAF, who have a still young but now reasonably experienced operator to help those arriving from training.

After the second tour, it's usually time to do something different. This usually means either promotion or becoming an instructor. After this third tour, many people either work for further promotion (which almost inevitably means a ground tour or two), or lose themselves in the world of flying training, or leave, having done by now at least 10 years' service (including their own training). Some lucky people may get an exchange tour (ie flying an equivalent aircraft type in a foreign air force), or perhaps change aircraft type (Herc to C-17 as one of many possible examples, also Tornado to Typhoon etc etc)

This is a huge generalisation, but it does apply to a great many people. Two things to bear in mind: as far as I know (but I'm sure I may be corrected!), what I've written applies more or less to FJ and RW and ME pilots alike; also, once a pilot finishes his/her training, he/she will in almost all cases stay in that stream. Plenty of people are keen to change stream (eg ME to FJ), but not many people manage it. Getting into or out of RW is particularly rare due to the amount of re-training required - but then it does happen for some people.

Hope this is of some use,

TOTD

Negligent_discharge

Thanks very much TOTD that was exactly the sort of thing I was after.

Fully understood it can't be given as typical, but best to have a rough idea just in case the questions arises at OASC and I don't know what the hell I'll be doing after OCU.

Thanks once again.

ND

aaron5150

I Was wondering if anybody knew how the part of keeping the crosshairs centred at OASC works?

so for instance when you move the joy stick forward, to pilots it makes sense that you go down and by moving it towards you it goes up.

However i do know some tests forward means up and backwards means down. Which is it in OASC?

RobinXe

Can't remember, but anyway, you don't move the crosshairs, you move the dot.

rleungz

Hey People,

I thought it be a good idea to make a thread with all the links to information and help to aid people who are currently in the selection stage of the RAF.

Myself have found these articles and threads very useful

Numerical Reasoning Tests at OASC (SDT)/Aptiude
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=501724
http://www.speeddistancetime.info/index.php
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=456087

http://www.mattieb.110mb.com/apt.php


UAS (University Air Squadron)
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=392670

Filter Interview Questions (Sample)
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=454000

Information on the RAF (IOT)
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki...oyal_Air_Force

Hope this helps

Ric

Flik Roll

Perhaps a link to the Armed Forces part of TSR would have sufficed?

Lpatch

Hi,

Just hoping for some advice. I've been considering applying to fulfill that 'pie in the sky' dream of becoming an pilot in the RAF. Finished uni last where I did a degree in a subject I enjoyed (Film Production) and got 2:1. I did well and even won an award at a festival but it wasn't for me as I didn't want to work freelance. Then I allowed what seemed to be fate to run it's course and I've wound up training to be a primary school teacher. Almost finished training now but it's just OK and I want a job that's GRRREAT!! (as our old friend Tony the Tiger would say). Always been interested in joining the forces as I love planes, outdoors and travel so the RAF keeps coming to mind. I'll be 22 later this year.

If I decided this year that I wanted to apply, what do you think of my chances of becoming a Pilot Officer?

Also,
a) Is there still a shortage of pilots?

b) On a scale of 1-10, how difficult do you think it is for beloveds at home when you're on duty?

c) Excluding any rises in line with inflation, does pay rise annually?

Thanks, Lpatch.

airborne_artist

a) Is there still a shortage of pilots? - No shortage of applicants, certainly, and I doubt the pilot intake is below target.

b) On a scale of 1-10, how difficult do you think it is for beloveds at home when you're on duty? - On duty, or on operations in Iraq/Afg.? Ops will be hard for families, and very hard for some.

c) Excluding any rises in line with inflation, does pay rise annually? Yes, find the annual tables on the RAF's web site.

Crack on with your application and good luck

kiwi chick

Shemy

Sorry to hear that mate.

Do you want to fly, or did you just want to be in the Air Force?

Because, my boy, last time I checked there were still a few more aircraft around your parts!

Pick your chin up, work hard at school, [be nice to your mother] and you will be surprised what else comes your way if you open your eyes to it!

Trust me.

Kiwi Chick.

muppetofthenorth

Shemy,

Just to put it in perspective, when I went for a 6th Form Scholarship, out of around 100 people who made it to OASC, I only know of 5 who got awarded them.

I then decided just to carry on with school and cdts, get into university and have since joined the UAS and am about to put in my papers for a bursary - it doesn't end yet for me, and neither will it for you!

kiwi chick

I'm going to be a little more subtlethan AIDU was... (but he's dead right )

I don't know the back end of a Hornet from a Tornado from a Tomcat (is there such thing? ) from a Hawk. If I haven't flown it, or flown on it, or photographed it at an air show - chances are I have no idea what it looks like.

I don't know how things exactly work over there, but over here, being able to list every military aircraft ever built is not the be-all and end-all.

Did you show them you also have a personality outside all those memorised facts?

airborne_artist

Let's cut to the chase - what grades did you get at GCSE? They'll have had so many applications that unless you scored at least 50% A and A* you'll have been discarded early in the process. As MoN says, they only give about five a year, and perhaps only two or three of those will be for aircrew. That still leaves a whole load more to be recruited post A-levels and university.

airborne_artist

Brutal to say it, but it's the Cs that did it for you. My guess is that the cut-off was roughly a minimum of B grades. Cs in any of Maths, Physics or English would be an almost certain rejection at this stage.

Professor Plum

Shemy,

When I was at school, I applied for a 6th form scholarship as a Pilot and was rejected prior to OASC in exactly the same way as you were.

I applied for a bursary for University whilst in my last year of college, again as a Pilot, but was rejected after attending OASC.

I joined a UAS when I was at University and was accepted into the RAF as a Pilot shortly after graduating.

I'm now 24 and in flying training, enjoying every minute of it.

As said before (and in your rejection letter), competition for 6th form scholarships if fierce. Chin up, work on your areas of relative weakness, and keep trying. It worked for me!

Good luck.