Holding Times
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Holding Times
As this is a rumour network anyone know if there is any substance to a recent rumour I heard that baby pilots leaving Cranwell will soon be subject to extensive holds prior to starting their basic flying training and if so does it mean we are now over recruiting?
in advance!
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Contrast long holds post training to long holds before OASC. At least youb are getting paid and gaining experience.
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With manning forecasting significant (up to 33%) shortages across all streams in the next few years, and those figures based on recruitment and training taps open fully, this is not going to help matters!
Is the delay down to resource limitations? Why on earth there should be any delay following IOT is a question which should be answered.
Or is it all down to the creeping cancer of contractorisation and MFTS?
Or is it all down to the creeping cancer of contractorisation and MFTS?
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My own experience was that each course never quite matches up to the next one. The RAF should have a holding unit from which guys can string together the vast myriad of adventurous training and academic courses that are available. If i had my time again I'd be a Yacht master, I'd have done about half of the Defence Academy Science and Technology courses and have about a 1000 parachute jumps. But instead i did media ops.
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I'm not sure why the RAF still bothers to train its own ME pilots - just send them to one of the civvy training schools such as Oxford Aviation, complete a frozen ATPL cse & be on an OCU in a year post IOT. They'd still be on a ROS post OCU & with an ATPL in their back pockets already they might be a bit less restless about completing licences & moving on in their early 30s which is very much the norm today. If they did decide to leave then the Oxford path would furnish their replacements much faster & more cost effectively than MFTS & their 5 Phenoms. If we had to use them for something it could be for an RAF orientation case covering low-level, formation etc pre-OCU.
Post IOT student pilots could be offered the option of waiting years for the MFTS route to hopefully fly a FJ or rotary or volunteering for civil ME training straight away.
Post IOT student pilots could be offered the option of waiting years for the MFTS route to hopefully fly a FJ or rotary or volunteering for civil ME training straight away.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Ken,that begs the question, do we recruit ME pilots? Last heard only FJ pilots were recruited with ME slots from those streamed later on.
As for holds, the arbiter is the OCU. With only two FJ OCU streams, if that is right, they determine the rate of transfer from the training system. Input to the training system will have been based on future requirements and anticipated failure rates.
If requirements shrink, or are late arising, if failures are fewer, if OCU slots are taken up with re-rolling aircrew, then it is inevitable that there will be holds.
Magpie suggests a holding unit, such a unit would be established, staffed and accommodated and therefore come at a budget cost. Money would have to be diverted.
OTOH if the holding officer can be stuffed in to some unit as an ops assistant (SAC level) or a gofer job, provided there is some worthwhile job they may learn and even become productive at little cost.
As for holds, the arbiter is the OCU. With only two FJ OCU streams, if that is right, they determine the rate of transfer from the training system. Input to the training system will have been based on future requirements and anticipated failure rates.
If requirements shrink, or are late arising, if failures are fewer, if OCU slots are taken up with re-rolling aircrew, then it is inevitable that there will be holds.
Magpie suggests a holding unit, such a unit would be established, staffed and accommodated and therefore come at a budget cost. Money would have to be diverted.
OTOH if the holding officer can be stuffed in to some unit as an ops assistant (SAC level) or a gofer job, provided there is some worthwhile job they may learn and even become productive at little cost.
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PN - true, all pilots recruited need FJ potential but with the ME fleet expanding & the FJ fleet the smallest it's ever been then giving people the option of a fast track to a ME OCU or years holding for a possible seat in a Typhoon/ F35, particularly if it comes with a frozen ATPL? Plus places on a commercial cse are relatively cheap in mil terms & the provider could probably expand capacity if required with a degree more flexibility than Ascent which, it is alleged, cannot provide the throughput now required by the RAF.
I am in no way suggesting our training system is efficient or productive but it continually outpaces the absorption rate of our operational conversion units.
The absolute reluctance to produce aircraft available for conversion training, over and above those required for operational tasks, has allowed our conversion-to-type system to wither on the vine.
The absolute reluctance to produce aircraft available for conversion training, over and above those required for operational tasks, has allowed our conversion-to-type system to wither on the vine.
Why not combine EFT/BFT and IOT into one continuous course? It could take place at a single site, perhaps in Lincolnshire?
Give the site a catchy name - 'Royal Air Force College', perhaps?
Then AFT on that little bizjet for ME at RAFC, for FJ on the Hawk at Valley - and RW at wherever?
Give the site a catchy name - 'Royal Air Force College', perhaps?
Then AFT on that little bizjet for ME at RAFC, for FJ on the Hawk at Valley - and RW at wherever?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
BEagle, certainly no excuse for the initial post-IOT courses as their input should have been fine tuned to the IOT output. I think IOT output is near 100% so provided the flow from AFCO was correct . . .
Are AFCO/OASC banking applicants and IOT flexing to take them? Look like that is the case.
Are AFCO/OASC banking applicants and IOT flexing to take them? Look like that is the case.
Two things the military have never been able to do, and now seem to be worse worse than ever at;
1) Run a budget and 2) Plan personnel numbers.
1) Run a budget and 2) Plan personnel numbers.