WSOp Streaming
 

Hi all, I have made my application for OASC and have been given my selection date. My chosen route is into WSOp and I have recently been to the NC-Aircrew briefing at Cranwell but one thing that was kind of misted over was how much choice in which way you get streamed?! I understand that Linguist get streamed straight away but can anyone help explain what happens to the rest of aircrew?
Thanks :bored:

Having spoken to one if the instructors on 55(R) Sqn recently, apparently 75% of studes get their first choice of streaming.

Thanks, do you know of any other RAF forums that I can get on?

In the old days, you were streamed on the strength of your performance at OASC/personality type(Myers Briggs etc ie: ESTJ for ALM) and other psychological factors. This meant that on the whole, those with a flair for languages went linguist, the introverted reflectors went AEOp, the technologically advanced went Air Eng and the gobby pragmatists went ALM, the really gobby Rotary.

Now it is very much a lottery based on vacancies and the observations made by training staff at Cranwitz.

Before anyone straps on the gloves for a bit of sparring, I will qualify that by having witnessed the process from most angles.

Anyway, you have to be in it to win it.

"In the old days, you were streamed on the strength of your performance at OASC"

True - the cream became pilots, the rest didn't.....

and that is what got one of my SAC promoted to Cpl with a High rec for NCA :)

BEagle,
In my day the wanabees got chopped. The really good ones got what they wanted. I wanted to navigate.
I was trained in all the arts to fly to Berlin and back, without landing. Thereafter I never really pushed a pencil in anger.

Beagle,

True, the cream become pilots. It's the milk that stop them doing stupid things from time to time.

Ring any bells from the distant past?

Wokka me old meister, you must be naught but a lad. In the old old days, you were streamed F/W or R at Brize at the end of Ivan T Seamus O'Burns' Loadie course. (Gilthrax 's if you want the official line).

After the colostomy bags went to shiny 10, and the knuckle draggers to Lyneham-on-the-hill, the top perfomers were streamed again after Strawbs. Slow deliberate types to Wessex, and handsome, confident debonair types to starships. There were no Chin hooks.

Well that's how I remember getting to Pumas anyhow!;)

CG

I have it on very good authority that the % who get their choice is greater than 75%, in fact closer to 85%. I am quite confident from what I have seen that the right people go to the right jobs, although you must accept that the Queen has the majority vote when it comes to allocation as the system decides were 'needs are'. In short, if there are 10 vacancies on the Nimrod and 10 students to choose from, the ALM wannabies will not get a look in, that is the lottery associated with 21st Century NCA.

The system is quite fair at handing out carrots & sticks to, and hard work is likely to play dividends. Everbody starts off at the same standard, but not everybody is equal after trade training, socially or professionally. There is no simple: Stars get....... Knobs get.......for both have strengths and weakness.
There is no point in trying to second guess the system.

There are differant qualities demanded by the various trades. The subsequent training systems can cope with certain weakness', whilst being intollerant of others. A long time ago, an NCA who I flew with whilst employed in my previous trade simplified it all by saying "You either have it or you dont". It was not what I expected and did not help my preparation for OASC an iota, but nowadays I can see that he has a fair point.

Bottom line, the training system is relatively short, work your butt off, show that you can fit into a multi crew environment without p155ing everybody else off (not every OASC graduate can do this) and keep your whinges to yourself, you may get lucky. Oh and remember this, it takes most trades at least a decade to get 3 stripes, do not take yours for granted or belittle them by acting like a dick after a pint of shandy.

Like your last line there tiger "so true" however the system for me would prevent me from applying in the first place! the jobs are so radically different that if you were set on one and you got the other it would absolutely drive you insane! I couldn't take that risk no matter what anyone tells you the percentages are!
On average the percentages may be X but the month you get streamed may just be the month that they need 6 Aeop's (old money) and two Alm's if you want to be a loadie and your told your going to be a dry man on nimrods you are in for one hell of a shock as there is no comparison whatsoever.
Jizman what do you want to do as you find that there are few if any that aren't bothered either way?

Toddbabe

Surely Jizhead wants to be a loadie? No-one walks into the AFCO WANTING to be an AEOp.

multiple choice NCA
 

Wait around for a few months, and the Air Eng option will be back on the cards, if they can find the staff to teach a course.

toddbabe, I would hazard a guess that a fair few of the 25% were really don't knows or don't minds.

If you have a burning ambition to do a particular job then you will probably have starred in that area.

Jizzman

I have just returned from Cranditz and have spoken to a few of the guys and gals on the course. Their view is it is all Kinloss, Kinloss, Kinloss, at the minute.

There have been lots of people want Helicopters and being sent up north.

"Bottom line, the training system is relatively short, work your butt off, show that you can fit into a multi crew environment without p155ing everybody else off (not every OASC graduate can do this) and keep your whinges to yourself, you may get lucky. Oh and remember this, it takes most trades at least a decade to get 3 stripes, do not take yours for granted or belittle them by acting like a dick after a pint of shandy."

Sage Advice Tiger Mate, that I wished I had!

I worked hard all through training, got good results in all the tests, although had a few 'Incidents' that ended up on my record (see Gatehouse Thread for Finningley Culture) but then over-relaxed when I got to Strawbs, got drunk, shot my mouth off, and pi55ed off a few of the old hairys in the mess. My Instructor was the Mess Manager.
I got Back-squadded and given an absolutely awful instructor (very short, moustachioed RS2000 driver for those there then) who then destroyed my confidence.
I then got chopped 2 days before heading off to Aldegrove for In-Theatre training on the Wessex, dropped back to AC, then decided to leave.

R 21,

that's probably got something to do with the number of people leaving KS!

Never

think thats what happens when an AEOp designed and approved this new and 'improved' (NOT) course at Cranditz!!:}

Kinloss, Kinloss etc etc

Not true

6 of 17 does not make it a single track road. I am quite sure that those travelling north 'against the flow' can be counted on one hand with several fingers remaining spare. Most got what they wanted (or joined for). Besides, as has been said before, there are no SOP splits, and decisions are made very late about branch division.

Regarding not running the gauntlet (toddbabe) I guess you have resigned yourself to wondering "What if" for the rest of your life. There is also a steady stream of Kinloss escapees rebranching at this time both ex Eng and AEOp, so the cross trade doctrine given by AFCO is true to a degree (Which I say because getting out of rotary is another kettle of fish altogether).

I left that museum a yr ago
 

Jizman,

It's good to see you've got your OASC date & best of luck with it. I left 55 Sqn 1 year ago & am about to go onto the OCU

The 55 cse is a cse for AEOps, taught by AEOps. You'll find a lot of the cse content pointless. In a 6 month period, there's only one week devoted to teaching the ways of the fixed wing/rotary loadmaster. If you're streamed the way of the loadie, you'll see what I mean.

Anyway, bitterness aside...

During the 6 months on 55 it's actively recommended you let people know your preference (i.e fixed wing, rotary wing, nimrod or linguist (which you are pre-streamed for anyway)) & they have a system for that. At the end of the cse, the powers-that-be sit in a room with a chap from Personnel HQ (at RAF Innsworth) & discuss each person indiviually. By the end of their meeting, your fate is decided.

My 55 Cse, started with 11 people & finished with 8. Of those 8, 1 wanted AEOp, 3 wanted fixed wing & 4 wanted rotary.

It turned out that 3 got AEOp & 5 got rotary. The 2 guys who got AEOp & didn't want it were mortified. They will try to give you what you want but if they don't need what you want, you won't necessarily get it.

The way they choose is:

The person with the highest academic score gets what he (or she...) wanted
The 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc go AEOp.

The rest go Loadie.

I'm waiting for the sneers & jibes to come through but the last 6 courses to have passed out of 55 all had that trend unless the person was pre-streamed (i.e the old system).

Hope it's some help but there's still a long way to go

ThePhoenix