Fitness Test - Fail and you're out!
 

Apparently there is a new P1 directive that effectively means that 4 fails (after appropriate remedial and without medical reason) and your'e out on an administrative discharge.

Excellent news for clearing out those that want to dodge the fitness requirement and are generally lazy and often a burden in other ways.

One nagging concern is the slight possibility that this may be driven by the need to reduce numbers and that a few with genuine medical problems may find themselves out on their ear. Some may say "it'll never happen..." but look at the MCP issue the Army have had and remember that we work for the caring MOD!

....Used wisely, it would appear to be an excellent way to reduce your PVR waiting time to your advantage.......

good theory, crap practice.

We are so short in some trades that it would be cutting off nose to spite face. If we made exceptions because of need just watch the courts!

No way we could give out continuance on the one hand and dismiss with the other.

A good way to reduce the surplus of Airships:E

Poly

Er No!!

Same rules as CCS, i.e. no one over the rank of Wg Cdr does a compulsory fitness test!!

:ok:

Yes Gorilla. that's correct.

But surely there's a requirement for them to be physically capable and operationally competent of doing their job and deploying where necessary.

If they can't meet the standard, they should be out too. No questions. Or is this like the recent first class travel scandal and their airships have a valid reason for not bothering to meet the requirements that the rest of us must?

With the way things are going towards an expeditionary air force, with operators going away and contractors hiding at home, if the senior officers can't meet the deployment standards they should be put on probabtion and then if there is still no improvement discharged for failing to meet the standards required to perform their job. For God's sake, it ain't difficult, but watch em waddle up and down the gym faced with 'retiring' on a lower pension or not getting that next stripe!

Are you stating that no one above the rank of Wg Cdr or the equvalent does a fitness test or CCS etc:rolleyes: Surely feckin not:rolleyes: a two tier system:}

all spelling mistakes are "df" alcohol induced

Well if a fitness test is supposed to assess whether you can do the job, why is the standard different for women or old pricks. Should be the same standard for the same job.. Oh that's right, the fitness test isn't based on fitness required for the job.. just remembered.. :hmm:

Good way to get out of Return of Service Obligation though :E

Funny thing was, when they changed to using a cycle ergonometer for those who were just doing that running across the gym thing, the failure rates went up. Which only went to show that the 'old pricks' were perhaps subject to a more stringent assessment than the young tigers....

Did my last one at the age of 52 before retiring - piece of pi$$. But never really saw the point of it - I don't recall a whole bunch of folk dropping dead on the job in the '70s and '80s.....

Since when were people above the rank of Wg Cdr exempt from RAFFT or CCS? That'd be hugely divisive....

Any chance of being given a ref for this P1 directive. I know a few people it would scare!!

MATZ :D

Not seen the RAF P1 directive, however, not sure about the waivers for wg cdrs and above. It may be age related but I am current in both CCS (A2 and 9mm) and fitness test. Moreover, I am still allowed to make reference to an officer's attitude towards fitness if it is not positive ! I know that wg cdrs and above still deploy, are exposed to the same dangers (relatively speaking) and require good personal admin. It is not just officers though and I won't bore you about the incident where the WO self administered a combopen because his chest pain, sweating and dimming of vision were down to the fact that he was a pie merchant who wasn't fit enough to make the shelter without puffing !

As an aside, from 2005 failure to pass the RN walking test is a black mark and block to better things.

As someone who was the wrong side of the scales before I left the mob, I would frankly question the real reasoning behind this.
There will always be those 'racing snakes' who claim that we should all be mega fit and able to deploy blah. That may well be true, but squadrons 'lose' more people NOT because they are overweight or supposedly 'unfit' but because they have injured themselves 'jock-strapping' around the world, day-in, day-out.

I have been grateful for my extra layer of insulation as a SAR crewman, and I firmly believe that if you are fit enough to do your job, then that should be enough.

We do not yomp for miles, like the pongo world does, and therefore that argumant dosn't hold true.

Maybe it's time that the aircrew got together and flew everyone on a Nimrod low level trip (very low level!). All those that chuck-up can have remedial training, and if they barf again, then out you go!

Likewise, if it is really that important, then lets get all those scribblies and the likes out on a real survival exercise, instead of pi$$ing about and playing at it like they do!!

Rant over, time for another Pie!!

Kind regards
The Swinging Monkey
'Caruthers, pass me another glass of that lo fat Grouse stuff!!'

Read a copy of the Stn Cdr's brief here at Bzn and that is pretty much what it said, though there is talk of a tougher test as well.

The current test is rubbish, particularly in its inflexibility. The way that sit ups are done are bl**dy dangerous so I refuse to do them as I have a very dodgy lower back. I have been told there is no other exercise that can be used for that part of the test..... what utter rubbish. The fact that I am in the gym 3 time a week at least and do other sport is irrelevent as far as my "fitness" is concerned though. Yet, we have chaps here who are horribly over weight, have no idea what a gym is and nothing is done.

The whole system is cr@p and always has been.

Tonks:mad:

As at least one major base I know of has facilities worse than my old primary school unless you want to pay to join the fitness suite I fail to see how can be expected to maintain an arbitrary standard in your own time.
Prior to yet another lengthy detachment I strolled into the gym and asked for a fitness programme from the 4 PTIs discussing their next fun run. Sorry only do those on Thursdays, told them I was detached on Thursday, reply:shame!
I learnt to swim at 3, learnt to ride a bike at 5 and can still operate for 24 hours without sleep and fly at low level without throwing up. As for fitness to survive, the chances of surviving the missile strike are slim and wher would you run to, coupled with the rest the crew being possibly less fit or injured and the appalling kit we are/are not issued with seems pointless on balance.
Scrap the PTI branch along with "swimming tests" and "fitness tests".:ok:

Seem to recall that Wg Cdrs and above in certain posts still have to do CCS. Thought everyone had to do the fitness test, including those with scrambled-egg on their hats.

I hate the fitness test, my crap sense of rhythm doesn't help keep time with the bleeps! The old 1.5/1.5 mile run was better and did not have those knee-knackering on-the-spot turns!


One gripe I forgot - more bloody work for the Flt Cdrs! The next new thing will be something like "plus or minus 10% of the body weight for your height or you're out":p

Would Douglas Bader have passed the test?

Very eloquently put kilo. :ok: :ok: BRAVO!!! THAT MAN

kilo52
I thought he designed it!

Bader would have done exactly what the Airships of today are doing:-

RHIP and I have no intention of doing it!!

I met Bader once, Greenham Common circa 1980. A man who did not appear to suffer fools gladly!! Arrogance the size of a hangar, but then he was a hero!!!!

:ok:

The police have been talking about introducing fitness tests for bobbies throughout their service for some time now.
All they apear to have done is reduce the standard for prospective candidates in an effort to meet Blunkets increase in the number of recruits for each Force. The successful new recruits then do a few fitness tests for the first two years of their probation and some even fail that! For example the shuttle run now appears to have become a shuttle walk for those who need to make the minimum standard - no wonder the bad guys keep on successfuly running away from a young officer whose had one too many Macdonalds Big Breakfasts:ooh: