Well Its been around 2 weeks since my assessment session and I got my call today to attend Tamworth

I'll be on the 9-23 June Course, anyone else going to be on that, send me a pm.

Any information or insight on the course would also be much appreciated

cheers

Edit: double posted, sorry

Mooch, really sorry to hear that. Commiserations.
I won't be happy if I don't get in due to something out of my control.

FSP
 

Hey Aydo,

Looks like we'll be on the same FSP :D See you in 3 weeks then!

Cheers,

Steve

Pilot-Specific Aptitude Test
 

Just passed this today.
Consists of:
•Reading gauges - you'll have about 6/7 gauges and be asked 4/5 questions relating to that cluster then there is a new cluster for the next bunch of questions. This isn't too hard, but you won't answer all the questions. One of the guys in my group failed and he was told that this first section is the most important (even though it is pencil and paper and the rest is all on PCs).

•I can't remember this step, but I didn't finish it. This step and all following question and answer tests are multiple choice.

•Reading gauges again - this time you will have a gauge showing the angle at which an aircraft is rolling and it's inclination and a compass. You must choose the correct aircraft based on the gauge and compass. Examples of this test are at this link.

•Fast maths - you need to do these questions in your head to get as many done as you can. A pencil and paper are provided, but the aim of this test is to measure the speed and accuracy of your mathematical skills. Lots of multiplication and division with both fractions and decimals. Some are quite tricky and try to catch you out. One example is 1/8 x 7832 / 0.125

•Speed, distance, time and fuel - this section has more complex questions that can and should be studied. The Student Room has some great examples. One example is "A pilot is 600km away and flying towards an airfield at 200km/h. An aircraft takes off at 300km/h in the direction of the oncoming aircraft. How far away from the airfield will they meet?".

A break and then Joystick and Touchscreen stuff:

•Memory - this can be rather tough. You have to follow a sequence of numbers. This is fine at first except for each 'lag' it gets harder. As the lag goes up you have to delay your input by one number. So you start on lag 0 and press each number as they light up, on the lag 1 you delay your input by 1 number, so when the second number lights up you press the first number and so on. The highest lag that my group got up to was lag 5.

•Multiplication and addition/subtraction - you have to quickly solve mathematical problems and press the correct number (from 1 to 9). You are given two digits and must multiply them then if the result is an even number you multiply the individual digits of that answer. If you multiply the provided digits and get an odd number you must find the difference between them. For example if supplied with "5 7" you multiply the digits and get 35, then because the result is odd you find the difference between the two digits in the answer, so 5-3= 1. If you are given the digits "8 4" you multiply and get 32, then because this is an even number you add the two digits in the answer to get 3+2= 5.

•Joystick stuff - you must keep a small circle inside a larger circle, a cross over a larger cross, etc. There are two joysticks and one controls up/down and the other controls left/right. Sometimes one joystick with control both axes and you must simultaneously solve the above maths problems. Sometimes one will control both axes of a cross which must be kept on a larger cross in the middle of the screen while the other joystick controls the horizontal movement of a circle that must be kept over a line. There are quite a number of different configurations with the joysticks and I honestly can't think of any way to practice for it. As far as people saying that experience with computer games helps, well I don't think it makes much difference. I think you'd get more benefit out of practicing patting your head with or hand while rubbing your stomach with the other hand, because it's about multitasking.

•Dials/Gauges - you use the touchscreen and one joystick to keep gauges and dials centred. Again, there isn't much you can do to practice this. The only thing I could suggest is perhaps not getting too close to the screen so you can keep them all within your field of vision simultaneously.

I have forgotten something here, so read through the rest of this thread. This is all I can remember right now anyway.
It's a fairly full-on batch of tests and for the complex maths (speed/dist/time/fuel) you definitely want to have studied for it or be used to solving those sorts of questions. Also, make sure you read the question carefully because it may ask for how much extra will a trip take or how many gallons of fuel did an aircraft have at a specific point along the journey

Thanks crazydingo, I actually have good news now though :)
After DFR said I wouldn't be eligible as an Army pilot and couldn't appeal etc, I called PSA and they advised I'm still eligible as the sitting height restriction is DFR's not theirs.
You would think they have one set of standards across DFR, PSA and ADF, oh well.

Congrats on passing additional pilot testing and good luck for assessment day, hopefully you're not waiting long.

Yes, they let you know if you passed or failed once you have finished everything.

Avoiding the dreaded, "Not Recommended For Pilot Training"
 

Just been to FSP and extremely disappointed to not get a recommendation. I haven't seen many posts from people who didn't make it, so I'm posting about my experience in the hope it might help other people get through.

The main reason I didn't perform well enough, was simple. I never reached a point where the controls and readouts became natural. As examples, I frequently used the wrong rudder pedal to balance, and would sometimes trim in the wrong direction... I'd think "throttle lower" and push forward, or vice versa... I'd even think "smooth inputs" then act like the stick was a 4-way control! Learning the material, was not a problem and I spent many, many hours chair flying (with distractions). But, the airborne environment never "clicked" for me. The most frustrating thing was, I really felt that as soon as I was at ease in the cockpit, everything would fall into place and I'd breeze through all subsequent sorties. I could feel that breakthrough point getting closer, especially on the first flight of each day. I obviously never reached it. Put another way, I didn't adapt quickly enough, which is one of the big things they're screening for.

Another major reason I didn't perform well... I was so worried about failure, I failed. As one of my instructors noted, "The only thing you need to do is relax". Instead, I'd make one mistake and think "Oh man! Oh $#!^! Don't screw this up! You only get one shot at this!"... a pretty non-relaxing thought, which usually spawned a series of mistakes. The only way I could imagine relaxing up there was to try and convince myself that being an army chopper pilot wouldn't actually be the most awesome job in the world. However, I stubbornly refused to believe such delusional nonsense, and thereby continued to stress myself into oblivion.

Based on my experience, my main advice would be to repeat advice already given in this thread. That is, get up there and get a few hours of experience at the controls of a plane. At the very least, buy a full suite of aircraft controls for your PC so that you can fly sims and become familiar using stick, rudder and throttle controls. I'd flown many hours on PC simulators, but only with a joystick and keyboard :(

Also, when people say the workload at FSP is intense, they are not kidding. There were 3 days, where I had 2 flights per day. Processing, reviewing and assimilating what you've learnt on a sortie takes time, and you may only get 2-3 hours to do it. There's not much you can do about that situation except to always study/chair-fly your next 2 sorties... but, you should already know that, by now.

One final bit of advice is to be absolutely sure your helmet fits properly! I tried my helmet on for a few minutes and I didn't notice there was a bit of extra pressure from the forehead pad. About halfway through my first sortie, that slight pressure had created a splitting headache... the headache gave rise to nausea, and some sudden vomiting which I barely managed to swallow (yum! :yuk:). The rest of my lesson was a blur of pain and nausea. I didn't even think to inform my instructor how I was feeling and just kept trying to move my helmet around to reduce the pain, while listening to what he was saying. The worst part though, was that it wrecked me for the rest of the day. I barely managed an hour of study before collapsing into bed around 8pm. Bizarrely, I felt really good the next day... which helped balance my lack of prep for those 2 sorties :O

Anyway, I hope that all helps! Personally, I would've taken the advice of having 6-8 hours of lessons before FSP, except I just don't have the money... the last of my savings went on vision correction surgery. I also stupidly took a 1-hour helicopter lesson, which would've been far more wisely spent on 4 hours of fixed-wing lessons. I seriously considered saving for lessons, but I believed further delay would mean missing the July intake at Duntroon... given the ol' 20/20 hindsight, I should've been patient and aimed for the Jan 2013 intake.

Navy Offers went out today. Unfortunately no call for us. Not sure when the next Army intake is but hopeful for that one.

Has anyone completed the ATC course with RAAF at East Sale?

Would appreciate someone with specific experience to answer a couple of questions.

Kordau,

What an incredibly mature, honest and valuable post you have made for the benefit of all. Mate, I am VERY sorry you didn't get recommended. Your honest and open self critique is something that is so lacking in so many of our applicants, even, unfortunately, for some of those who get through the initial FSP.
For those candidates who will attend FSP in the future, please take the time to digest Kordau's words - he has some important advice.
- Feeling "at ease in the cockpit" is something that is unlikely to happen at Flight Screening - that's deliberate, so don't feel stressed if you never seem to feel comfortable.
- Worrying about failure - this is a tough one to overcome. FSP IS very stressful - try to also allow yourself to enjoy it - probably the first time anyone is paying for you to go flying! (It was for me!)
- Flight sim - may work for some, however can be difficult to really appreciate what trimming is all about and doesn't really train you to set attitudes. If you use this as a tool to become familiar with the instruments, then it can be potentially helpful - but flying ON instruments is NOT what FSP is about.
- "Be absolutely sure your helmet fits properly" - excellent advice - take all the time you need to make sure it is as good as it possibly can be. As Kordau accurately describes, a minor annoyance at the beginning of the flight can turn into a painful and extremely distracting "hot spot" very quickly - usually about the same time you arrive in the training area and need to perform!

Kordau, I really wish you all the best with whatever path you follow from now on. It's a genuine shame that you didn't get through.

Cheers,

Joe.

Hey guys, First time poster... Long time reader. Just wondering, I saw a few posts on my way through this topic about people transferring from all services to apply for pilot. I'm currently enlisted in the RAAF and have completed the first step of my paperwork to be submitted for my OSB. Just curious as to whether anyone on here has gone through this process and how it differs.

Do we do another 'YOU' style day? Do we have all the aptitude tests etc or after our PE 063, go straight to an OSB to see if we are suitable?

Thanks in advance, Any help in PM would be greatly appreciated.
-Dan

Hi all,

Is anyone aware of when the next Army offers are coming out? If any?

Thanks
Liz

Hair cut for FSP?
 

Hey guys. I am going to Tamworth next week for FSP. I was just looking in the mirror and noticed that my hair is quite long. Should I go get a buzz cut or just an ordinary haircut? I am happy to get a buzz cut if it is going to be advantageous. But If it is not going to help, I would probably enjoy having hair as long as I can. Thoughts?

My advice: Buzz cut not required. Don't draw attention to yourself. Have a normal haircut. Make sure you are clean shaven and hygenic!

Get your wings
 

Hey has anyone used the book get your wings ? Wondering wether it is any good and wether there are any other books that are similar that would help me prepare for testing.

Hi campaspe8,

I purchased 'Wings' at the end of last year, it gives a great overview of being a pilot in the ADF right from attending your YOU session all the way to your retirement.
It gives you helpful tips to tackle the different stages of recruiting and training like the aptitude tests, FSP and BFTS.
I'm sure you won't but don't use this as a sole resource or gospel as some of the info was out dated even when I read it, e.g. current operational aircraft.
It also focuses on RAAF more so than Navy and Army, which for me as a potential Army pilot I would have liked a bit more info on the heli specific courses but a trip to Oakey fixed that :)
Overall, for just $50 or whatever it is I think it's worth it.

For other resources, the RAAF website has a wealth of knowledge from history to bases.
The military section of Australian Aviation - Military | Australian Aviation Magazine
Have a read through the current AIR projects on the DMO webpage - Defence Capability Plan 2009 - Public Version
Wikipedia is also a good starting point.
If you are looking for aptitude tutoring I can personally recommend Steven Holding.

Cheers,
Mooch

Thanks mate
 

Thanks for the info. I will check it out.

I just got out of the army after 7 years and am currently in reserves. Turns out it is easier to leave than try to transfer. Just looking for some practice questions and the like so I pass the aptitude testing first up.

This thread is amazing, I am slowly reading it through its length.

FSP
 

So after a long drawn out process of application, as I'm sure a lot of people in this thread would know about. I'm finally panelled for Flight Screening on the 15th July. If anyone else is also coming along feel free to PM or message me!

Congrats flametail!
Unfortunately I'm not panelled for 15th July but I might see you around as I just got invited to the 21st July course :)