Unable to join University Air squadron because of childhood asthma

[HRS1992]

I had mild asthma from the age of 1 to 13 which I have since grown out of. I tried applying to the East Midlands University Air Squadron, But was told in my initial interview that I am ineligible to Join because I had asthma after the age of 3! Is this true with all other UAS? According to other UAS websites the medical requirement is that you meet the standard of the Group 2 (HGV) drivers' licence.
Can anybody offer any advice?
Thanks

[muppetofthenorth]

That does sound like a very unusual rule to put into place, but if the UAS is enforcing it there's not a lot else you can do. You won't endear yourself to the staff if you go over their heads to get in - unless you get a bursary - and you aren't eligible for any other UAS.

[Dysonsphere]

Its a strange world you might be intrested to know the HGV eyesight test is more severe than the PPL version. Go figure

[Old-Duffer]

Second opinion

If you are really mad keen, then seek a specialist opinion about your condition.

I learned a few years ago that some children had been diagnosed with asthma but they were living in areas where chest complaints were prevalent because of the general conditions and they did not have asthma but transitory problems which disappeared with age or a move to a different area. Unfortunately, having once declared the asthma, it remained a devil's own job to get it recognised for what it really was (medics reluctant to counter other medics views).

This probably won't help in the short term but might be useful if you decide to persue an aviation career later.

Option 2 is to Lie!

O-D

[Pontius Navigator]

Originally Posted by HRS1992

I had mild asthma from the age of 1 to 13 which I have since grown out of.

You are 18. You had asthma until you were 13. That means you had asthma in the last 5 years.

If you look at the following link you will see the significace of the 5-year test:

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...ml#post5924425

I have chosen 2 extracts:

(1) Candidates with a current or past history of asthma are to be made permanently unfit for aircrew duties.

and

(2) Have you had any asthmatic symptoms including nocturnal cough or exercise-induced wheezing in the past 5 years or since the age of 16 years?

(3) Have you used any inhaler (continuously or intermittently) for control of asthma or wheeze for a period > 8 weeks in the 5 years before application?

(4) Have you required oral steroids for asthma or wheeze since the age of 5 yrs?

So without more information these are stoppers for both air and ground branches.

[RookiePilot]

That's definetely the kind of thing you keep secret from the higher ups!
It doesn't sound very good, as it was after the age of 3 and was repeated proscriptions of inhalers. Sorry mate.

[muppetofthenorth]

PN, thing is, requirements to enter the UAS have long been different than those to enter the RAF. Indeed, the post you refer to is relevant to those going through OASC selection, which UAS candidates do not need to go through.

If everyone on the UAS had to pass fit enough for Pilot then noone would get on! My eyesight's appalling, but I was allowed both onto the UAS and to fly (and I had asthma as a kid).

[Mr C Hinecap]

If everyone on the UAS had to pass fit enough for Pilot then noone would get on! My eyesight's appalling, but I was allowed both onto the UAS and to fly (and I had asthma as a kid).

Things change. Rules change. If the entry requirements for the RAF are now different, then aligning the UAS with them is only logical.

[dctyke]

My daughter was not allowed to join Durham UAS because at the time she was 'to light' to be FJ aircrew! Never mind that she rowed for the uni and was in the athetics team. In a way I'm glad it happened seeing the way the RAF has gone..................... and that as a 30yr old she is on 60 thou and travels the world business class working for the oil industry.

[BEagle]

dctyke, a couple of questions:

1. Is she married?
2. A current photo?

[HRS1992]

Flying isn’t compulsory in the UAS so I don’t understand why the entry requirements are so strict and how they can differ between different squadrons. I don’t see why the medical requirements should be any different to that of the air cadets.
Thanks for the replies

[Pontius Navigator]

HRS, the air cadets are not part of the military forces but a youth organisation for air minded young people. The thrust is quite different.

I agree that the ATC is an extremely useful recruiting tool but it is a disciplined youth organisation first and foremost.

You say flying isn't compulsory which reinforces my original thought that you only wanted to join the UAS while at Uni with no plan for a career in the RAF. I can't say why the medical rules have excluded you except perhaps because they have a one-size fits all approach (makes it simple for them).

[davejb]

My daughter was not allowed to join Durham UAS because at the time she was 'to light' to be FJ aircrew!

I suspect this is not to do with fitness, more likely to be a limitation regarding ejection seat/parachute.... perhaps somebody more in the FJ line would care to confirm or deny this...

[Justanopinion]

There is a fast jet minimum bang seat weight which i think from memory is about 60kg on the Hawk - the 'dial your weight' apparently alters the rocket angle to ensure the optimal trajectory on the way out.

This was enforced after a female (I think UAS student) was command ejected from a 2 seater Harrier in the 90's, the pilot Ashley Stevenson dragged her from the wreckage and saved her life. Before that time there was no minimum weight limitation.

[RookiePilot]

This was enforced after a female (I think UAS student) was command ejected from a 2 seater Harrier in the 90's, the pilot Ashley Stevenson dragged her from the wreckage and saved her life. Before that time there was no minimum weight limitation.

Does anybody have any more gen on this? I've been researching it on t'interwebs but can't find anything. Do you mean Stevenson as in Commandant RAFC?

[ExAscoteer]

There is a fast jet minimum bang seat weight which i think from memory is about 60kg on the Hawk - the 'dial your weight' apparently alters the rocket angle to ensure the optimal trajectory on the way out.

This was enforced after a female (I think UAS student) was command ejected from a 2 seater Harrier in the 90's, the pilot Ashley Stevenson dragged her from the wreckage and saved her life. Before that time there was no minimum weight limitation.

Min weight on the MB Mk 10 as fitted to the Hawk was 65 Kg. As a lightweight at 55 Kg I could fly on the seat purely because the AEA put me over the minimum weight. This was being looked at well before the incident you mention.


It occurred on 25 September 1991. The passenger was a Cambridge UAS student, Cadet Pilot Kate Saunders. After a low level ejection following a birdstrike she descended into the fireball and suffered a broken leg, broken pelvis, crushed vertebrae, and 20% burns.

The pilot was Sqn Ldr Ashley Stevenson. He pulled her from the fire and was given both a Queen's Commendation as well as the Royal Humane Society medal as a result.

It was Sqn Ldr Stevenson's second ejection having punched out almost exactly a year before in Denmark following an engine failure.

[SandyYoung]

Kate Saunders

25 September 1991 - 2005

RAF Harrier T4A XZ147/S of 233 OCU. A female cadet was seriously injured after ejecting from a Royal Air Force. Harrier T.4 near Driffield, northern England. Cadet Kate Saunders, 22, suffered a broken leg, broken pelvis, crushed vertebrae, and 20% burns when her parachute descended into the fireball of the crashed Harrier. The pilot was uninjured and pulled student from fire. Saunders is the first female to eject from an RAF aircraft.

[NigelOnDraft]

The pilot was uninjured

I think Ashley might choose to disagree with this

T4 Accident Report shows he suffered 'Major' injuries as well.

The GR5 accident

NoD

[Mr C Hinecap]

Flying isn’t compulsory in the UAS so I don’t understand why the entry requirements are so strict and how they can differ between different squadrons. I don’t see why the medical requirements should be any different to that of the air cadets.

Firstly - you don't sound like you meet the requirements for a Ground Branch, never mind the flying types - so you don't meet the lower requirements. The requirements are as strict as they want them to be and usually backed up with solid evidence and reason.
Secondly - those other squadron websites may not be the most up to date, so I'd not be using them in an argument. The official RAF website is often behind the drag curve.
Thirdly - you are making the step up from youth organisation to the adult world. You can't compare cadets to someone holding a military ID card. I'm sorry you don't like the answers, but there are reasons for all of them.

[fly_surfbeach]

Dude, I am a member of a UAS. Below is an extract from an RAF policy document of RAF medical standards at selection. Although I'm sure that these do not apply at UAS level. PM me and I will try to find out more to help your case, especially that you have excepted you are unfit RAF aircrew.

Regards,

fly_surfbeach



[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']1. The medical standards for entry into the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an Officer or as NCA are very high and some pre-existing medical conditions may prevent you from a successful application. This leaflet is intended as a guide to some of the relevant major medical conditions that may affect entry into the RAF, especially as potential Aircrew. The leaflet is not exhaustive and, if you have any doubt, you should contact your nearest Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO) who may, in turn, seek advice from the medical staff at the Officers and Aircrew Selection Centre.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']2. You must have been both off medication and symptom-free for the stated periods to be considered for Officer or NCA: [/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']a. Asthma. A history of asthma/wheeze after age 4 precludes selection as Aircrew. [/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']b. Hay Fever. If you have been symptom-free from mild hay fever (without wheeze) for 4 years, you may be considered for selection as Aircrew. Current, but mild, hay fever without wheeze, chest tightness or accompanying asthma is acceptable for Ground branches. [/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']c. Migraine. A history of migraine at any age precludes selection as Aircrew, Fighter Controller or Air Traffic Controller. If you have been symptom-free from mild migraine for 2 years, you may be considered for other Ground branches. [/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']d. Epilepsy. A history of epilepsy after the age of 5 years precludes selection as Aircrew, Fighter Controller or Air Traffic Controller. For Ground branches you may be accepted if you have only had a single fit and have been off medication for 4 years. [/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']e. Current or Recent Injury, Illness or Operation. You will not normally be called forward for selection for at least 6 months after significant injury, illness or operation. Medical history that might only be a minor inconvenience in civilian life may well be a bar to serving in the RAF, because of the potential need to deploy world-wide, often with only basic medical back-up. As a rule of thumb, any illness requiring medication to keep you well is likely to be a bar to recruitment. [/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']f. Visual Standards. The need for glasses or contact lenses may preclude selection for some Branches. The standards for Aircrew are high, particularly for pilot duties. If you are aware of a colour deficiency or colour blindness there may be a requirement to have a Holmes Wright Lantern Test to determine branch options.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']g. Weight and Size. You will be expected to be reasonably fit and not be overweight for your height. Please note all Aircrew have to be of a certain size, especially for the Pilot and Weapons Systems Officer Branches. Only the taller females tend to have long enough arms. [/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]