What's going on with RAF recruitment?
CHAPS
Being straight out of training, maybe I can answer some of these questions...
Rusty Cessna: Yes, the nurses at OASC make sure you lean back, right against a freezing cold measuring frame, touching it with your shoulder blades (wearing nothing more than y-fronts and a smile).
Sauid-PC9: I flew 62 hrs on the Firefly T67 M260 at JEFTS, spread over 3 hectic months. The UAS fly about 90 hrs over 3 years. Some would argue that JEFTS provides better continuity of training. But due to the huge proportion of FJ recommends that the UAS give compared to JEFTS, I feel that the way EFT works for direct-entrant officers is much more demanding.
Bow5: The FJ world is definitely short of numbers. RW is a little better, but ME is overloaded with students. Just before 11/9 everyone who got chopped from FJ/RW got their choice and almost everyone who got chopped from RW got ME!
Having just got chopped myself at the very end of a difficult RW OCU, I am a little p****d off to find the ME stream backed up for months because the RAF just doesn't need ME pilots AT THE MOMENT.
Rusty Cessna: Yes, the nurses at OASC make sure you lean back, right against a freezing cold measuring frame, touching it with your shoulder blades (wearing nothing more than y-fronts and a smile).
Sauid-PC9: I flew 62 hrs on the Firefly T67 M260 at JEFTS, spread over 3 hectic months. The UAS fly about 90 hrs over 3 years. Some would argue that JEFTS provides better continuity of training. But due to the huge proportion of FJ recommends that the UAS give compared to JEFTS, I feel that the way EFT works for direct-entrant officers is much more demanding.
Bow5: The FJ world is definitely short of numbers. RW is a little better, but ME is overloaded with students. Just before 11/9 everyone who got chopped from FJ/RW got their choice and almost everyone who got chopped from RW got ME!
Having just got chopped myself at the very end of a difficult RW OCU, I am a little p****d off to find the ME stream backed up for months because the RAF just doesn't need ME pilots AT THE MOMENT.
TR - I guess you didn't mean that it was the nurses who wear nothing more than Y-fronts and a smile....
".....the nurses at OASC make sure you lean back, right against a freezing cold measuring frame, touching it with your shoulder blades (wearing nothing more than y-fronts and a smile)"
Pity - that might brighten up the recruiting process somewhat!
".....the nurses at OASC make sure you lean back, right against a freezing cold measuring frame, touching it with your shoulder blades (wearing nothing more than y-fronts and a smile)"
Pity - that might brighten up the recruiting process somewhat!
SAUDI PC9
All that and more... 2 years ago the syllabus was:
34 GH sorties, from ccts to spinning,
Intermediate Handling Test,
6 Basic IF sorties + Test (IFTO/UP's/PAR/SRA),
8 Navigation sorties + Test (500'/250'),
4 Close Formation sorties + Solo (echelon, line astern, tail chase),
5 GH refresher sorties,
FHT, comprising any of the above.
A few solo's thrown in to the training here and there. I hope this answers any questions? Incidentally... The word around the campfire is that Hunting Aviation has lost the contract to provide EFT to DE officers, and the studes will be farmed out to UASs various once IOT and G/school is complete.
Any advances on that?...
34 GH sorties, from ccts to spinning,
Intermediate Handling Test,
6 Basic IF sorties + Test (IFTO/UP's/PAR/SRA),
8 Navigation sorties + Test (500'/250'),
4 Close Formation sorties + Solo (echelon, line astern, tail chase),
5 GH refresher sorties,
FHT, comprising any of the above.
A few solo's thrown in to the training here and there. I hope this answers any questions? Incidentally... The word around the campfire is that Hunting Aviation has lost the contract to provide EFT to DE officers, and the studes will be farmed out to UASs various once IOT and G/school is complete.
Any advances on that?...
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Training,
Thanks. The flight training seems quite comprehensive. However, I would be curious to see exactly by what criterion the selection to FJ, RW and ME is based on. I guess I'm old school in a sense, in that I think the selection should be made later in training. The selection would then be made in one or two places instead of all over the country.
Thanks. The flight training seems quite comprehensive. However, I would be curious to see exactly by what criterion the selection to FJ, RW and ME is based on. I guess I'm old school in a sense, in that I think the selection should be made later in training. The selection would then be made in one or two places instead of all over the country.
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OASC and New Zealanders
BOW5 I have been through both training systems (OASC in New Zealand, NZ Officer training, aircrew training, UK Officer selection, RAF professional training) over the last 17 years. The selection criteria was the same and I would attest that the NZ officer training was as rigourous, if not more so. I no longer fly; ironically I believe that my contribution to the RAF in a non-flying capacity is greater. I probably have a greater say in how things are run and also find my current employ intrinsically more interesting. It can be a bitter pill to swallow, but in hindsight I would also recommend a ground career in the RAF.
Good luck in what ever you are doing - or choose to do in the future.
Good luck in what ever you are doing - or choose to do in the future.
Thread Starter
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European Crash,
Cheers mate for that. To be honest, I very nearly joined the RAF as a Fighter Controller but after a lot of thought decided I wouldn't be able to hack working everyday for 16 years with people doing the job I so badly wanted to do. Also, given the tri-service nature of the forces, I didn't want to spend 3 years on a ship (no offence to the Navy), which I believe would have been a possibility, and there was no guarantee of an AWACS posting which was one of the big draws for me. I also didn't want to get to 35 without, at the very least, having tried every avenue for a career as a pilot and found myself regretting it.
Hopefully things will ease further in commercial aviation to give those of us training now a fair crack of the whip in the near future. Needless to say that with my RAF application and the Osama interlude, I pretty much missed all the airline scholarships.
Bl**dy typical. 
Anyway, if something's worth doing it's worth doing the hard way!!
Take it easy,
bow5
Cheers mate for that. To be honest, I very nearly joined the RAF as a Fighter Controller but after a lot of thought decided I wouldn't be able to hack working everyday for 16 years with people doing the job I so badly wanted to do. Also, given the tri-service nature of the forces, I didn't want to spend 3 years on a ship (no offence to the Navy), which I believe would have been a possibility, and there was no guarantee of an AWACS posting which was one of the big draws for me. I also didn't want to get to 35 without, at the very least, having tried every avenue for a career as a pilot and found myself regretting it.
Hopefully things will ease further in commercial aviation to give those of us training now a fair crack of the whip in the near future. Needless to say that with my RAF application and the Osama interlude, I pretty much missed all the airline scholarships.
Bl**dy typical. Anyway, if something's worth doing it's worth doing the hard way!!
Take it easy,
bow5
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Re: measurments
As far as I'm aware the anthropometry guidelines have changed in the last 6 months, although I couldn't give you exact figures I do know that you can now be accepted with shorter arms than back in 2000.
Hi Rusty - howya doin? I'm only 5'3'' and back in 2000 was big enough for Nav (sorry - WSO nowadays) so don't fret too much.
As an extra note, the measuring rig at Cranwell has been computerised so that you cannot cheat by leaning foward/flicking the functional reach measuring dial with your finger while the nurse isn't looking/ shifting your backside off the back rest for leg measuremnts, etc etc. It's super accurate, but just as cold - eek!
Never mind seeing the nurse in your Y-fronts, try maintaining your modesty in the blue mini-gowns with all the female candidates watching (oh how I laughed.......)
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Hiya YY,
I'm not too bad thanks, glad to see you're going well. Thats good and bad news about the anthropowhatayacallit, its good because hopefully my measurments are well inside the brackets now (if they are significantly different from my green sheet), but its also a bit of a downer that its computerized.
Hopefully they let you carry out the reach test with at least an ounce of realism to how you would reach in a cockpit, but its not worth worrying over.
Rusty.
I'm not too bad thanks, glad to see you're going well. Thats good and bad news about the anthropowhatayacallit, its good because hopefully my measurments are well inside the brackets now (if they are significantly different from my green sheet), but its also a bit of a downer that its computerized.
Hopefully they let you carry out the reach test with at least an ounce of realism to how you would reach in a cockpit, but its not worth worrying over.
Rusty.
Last edited by Rusty Cessna; 13th Nov 2002 at 14:50.
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Hi Guys
Been a while since I had a look on here.
My experience of being measured at OASC was a good, if painful one. It was good coz the staff did their best to get me within the nav limits for bum-knee, which was nice of them
. It was painful coz they did this by ramming the measuring thingy into my knee harder and harder. It took a couple of mm off, but I was still a few over . I caried on in selection for AEOp. I'm 6'3", by the way.
The reason why I've been looking on pprune again of late is because I'm feeling like it is worth one last try. I took up gliding a few months ago and the flying bug has bitten me again.
What I'd like to know is:
a) What is the current demand for new AEOps (sorry, WSOps) like?
b) Am I a bit old to be applying again (I'm 24)?
Cheers
Tim
PS Hi Rusty and Yakkers
Been a while since I had a look on here.
My experience of being measured at OASC was a good, if painful one. It was good coz the staff did their best to get me within the nav limits for bum-knee, which was nice of them
. It was painful coz they did this by ramming the measuring thingy into my knee harder and harder. It took a couple of mm off, but I was still a few over . I caried on in selection for AEOp. I'm 6'3", by the way.The reason why I've been looking on pprune again of late is because I'm feeling like it is worth one last try. I took up gliding a few months ago and the flying bug has bitten me again.
What I'd like to know is:
a) What is the current demand for new AEOps (sorry, WSOps) like?
b) Am I a bit old to be applying again (I'm 24)?
Cheers
Tim
PS Hi Rusty and Yakkers
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Recruitment for WSOp is bordering on desperation at the moment. Your age is not a problem, people over 30 in the system. BUT have a good think before you jump being down the back if you are a fustrated pilot is I expect purgutory. On the other hand flying and getting the job done with a crew of good mates is the best job in the world and I wouldn't have changed the last ten years for anything ... but then I didn't want to be a pilot. Best of luck and don't hesitate if you have any questions
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No, I'm not a frustrated wannabe pilot. It's a few years since I found out that I can't be one due to eyesight. I've come to terms with it .
I actually flew on a Nimrod back in April, on a 6 hour training sortie. Great fun, but how can so few people eat so much in so little time?! The food was nice though. I found flying at about 200ft a bit disconcerting initially, but ended up liking it.
I find it hard to understand why the RAF has trouble recruiting aiman aircrew. It seems like a good job and career to me! On the WSOp side, Kinloss is a bit of a long way north, but I liked the area and the locals I met.
I suppose I'd better apply again before I go and start (and pay for!) the MSc or MEng courses I've been thinking about doing.
.I actually flew on a Nimrod back in April, on a 6 hour training sortie. Great fun, but how can so few people eat so much in so little time?! The food was nice though. I found flying at about 200ft a bit disconcerting initially, but ended up liking it.
I find it hard to understand why the RAF has trouble recruiting aiman aircrew. It seems like a good job and career to me! On the WSOp side, Kinloss is a bit of a long way north, but I liked the area and the locals I met.
I suppose I'd better apply again before I go and start (and pay for!) the MSc or MEng courses I've been thinking about doing.
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Nothing ventured........
Have a go - the worst they can say is no, and if you do want to go kipper fleet, bear in mind that by the time you are through the mill we will be (OK, poss conf low maybe) in the MRA4 era, and things will be interesting!
Have a go - the worst they can say is no, and if you do want to go kipper fleet, bear in mind that by the time you are through the mill we will be (OK, poss conf low maybe) in the MRA4 era, and things will be interesting!
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I wondered how strict they are at OASC on this, I mean do they hold your back and shoulders to the wall when measuring functional reach, or can you lean out a tiny bit?
2mm too Short with Sustainable reach.
Line has to be drawn somewhere
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Chaps. As far as I can tell, the fact that the RAF took on board the ex RNZAF drivers, while maybe declining some applications, is the fact that the kiwi lads are a known risk. Or lack of. They have already proven themselves, so the RAF would have been silly to deny them over a new applicant, who may get chopped at any stage upto, or during flight training.No offense, but it does make sense.
Ciao
Ciao
