I have been reading this thread for a while now, finally commenting as I have been given a date for my FSP and OSB.

Anyone on this forum heading to Tamworth on the 22nd of March as DEO?

I know I am still in the process however this thread is for advice, so if anyone needs help during their process of the YOU Session, Specialised testing or Assessment session for Pilot, I'll help the best I can if needed. :)

Hey guys, first post.

Just wondering who else is going to Tamworth soon?

Cheers

In response to Alec regarding flying hours, any more than 10 hours and you change to the intermediate testing which is significantly more involved. I personally would recommend get as close to 10 hours without going over and do them as close to your FSP course as possible.

I went to FSP last month with just under 8 hours from several years before my FSP, another person had only 4 hours that were much more recent. Our course had 5 recommendations from 6 people, and I know myself and the person with 4 hours have just received letters of offer from RAAF.

Hi bek14,

Firstly, best of luck for the 22nd March, I hope it all goes well for you.

I was just wondering if you could tell me how long it was between your Assessment Session and receiving notification of your FSP/OSB date?

Cheers

Hi Ferguson14,

I got back a few weeks ago and between assesment day and the course start date for me was approximately 8 weeks, but that was over the christmas period as well where everything shuts down for about 2 weeks. I heard that they were struggling to get numbers for the FSP courses and out of our group I think we all had 2 weeks notice so make sure you're available. Of course it's also dependant on how well you have performed up until this point as selection for FSP is competitive (I wasn't really aware of that until later.)

I also heard that the distribution pool is quite low at the moment, again not sure how reliable that is but one of the guys on the BFTS course told us.

Good Luck!

Guys, just a word of encouragement. I joined the RAAF in the late 80s, yep before most of you were born. it was the best thing I ever did. I have been in 4 airlines and now corporate since I left the RAAF. But nothing will ever top military flying, military training, military chicks, the military camaraderie and the life long friendships. I miss it with a passion. Go your hardest, give it your best - you will never regret it.

G'day

Anyone have info on whether the Army distribution call that was to go out this month has already been completed? A PM or a reply would be appreciated and would be a great relief to know either way. Anxious, anxious.

On a side note, I am a little too old for RAAF at this stage, and am curious to find out what the maximum age of a successful Army pilot application that you are aware of. I'm contemplating focusing on other things for a couple of years and perhaps start the process again when I'm about 28 years of age, so looking at around 29-30 years of age by intake date if I am successful at that point. Would age be a big deterrent for Army?

Regs
K

I've spoken to my enlistment coordinator about age; she said that while it is a stated preference, it has very little bearing on their decision to tender you an offer unless you're really pushing the upper end of the age bracket or you've displayed exactly the same potential/skill as another candidate younger than you, AND there isn't room for both of you (which seems to be a very specific scenario, and not one that I can imagine would arise often). I can't speak from experience, but this is what she told me and I have heard of people who are well into their 30s receiving offers for the RAAF. As for the army, the GSO Pilot page states: "Applicants must be aged between 17 and 49 years of age inclusive on entry." (for Duntroon candidates, different for ADFA)

I can support this claim, I had a chat with a 2fts instructor at the pt cook air show and he said they get late 20s early 30s students through quiet regularly. If you want it - go after it mate!

FSP Notice
 

Hi Ferguson14!

Sorry it's a late reply.... I got a call about 2-3 weeks after my assessment session. I leave on the 22nd of March so in total it has been just over a month since my assessment to going for Flight Screening and OSB. As Rivercat mentioned, it all depends on how you and the dossier you sent away are ranked against other candidates. I also didn't know this until recently... I believe it was mentioned somewhere in this thread :)

Best of luck!

Hey Bek14,

Did you go through Wollongong DFR by any chance? I've just completed my Assessment Session and received a recommendation, and the staff there mentioned they'd had someone who'd only gone through a few weeks ago getting on to flight screening this week! :D

Good luck!

Hi guys.

Long time reader. I thought I'd introduce myself since I have my YOU session on tuesday (1st) and will hopefully be going to flight screening in the coming months. I know a few of you are at tamworth at the moment so I'm hoping there can be a little bit of shared info when you return :)

For the others, does anyone know if there is truth behind these rumors about the RAAF increasing their recommendation score to 4.0? I'm not sure where they stemmed from, but does anyone know the source?

Cheers!

Hi Showaard,

The rumour of the increase in RAAF scores has been discussed a number of times on this thread, but I will repeat. Basically, the RAAF is only interested in guys who are capable and interested in going to fast jets, hence they have set the score to achieve this. There is also the 'gate' which means that even though you pass BFTS, that doesnt guarentee you a spot at 2FTS, this is only applicable to RAAF candidates.

Good luck with your YOU session, and additional testing, and assessment day. Hopefully you are all squared away with the medical side of things - from experience, that is where the delays come in.

Gordy.

Thanks for your reply gordy. I understand the reasoning behind the change, what I am wondering is whether there is actually any merit behind these rumors and what the sources were.

Thanks also for the well-wishes, I am getting a little bit nervous now about both the YOU and assessment day. Just out of curiosity, how much preparation did people actually do for theirs? I have actually passed the YOU before, back when it was called JOES, about 7 years ago but i can't remember too much about the aptitude questions and such. :ugh: I understand much of this has been discussed before, however it never hurts to get fresh opinions :ok:

Hi Showaard,

I went through FSP a few weeks ago and am awaiting an offer and yes the rumours about increased stadards are true and the RAAF is only looking at about the top third applicants in the distribution pool.

From memory YOU Assessment was easy, simple IQ test style questions, nothing to worry about.

Specialist skills assessment was a bit harder and and I think the only prep I did was mental arithmetic.

Assessment day wasn't too bad but lots of prep made it much easier. Know as much as you can about your chosen service and training pipeline and current ADF leaders as well as things such as the defence white paper etc. Also make sure you know what your motivations to join are and display some level of understanding about how your life will differ in the defence force (I encountered these subjects in my Assessment but they do differ.)

PM m if you have any more questions. Best of luck!

Regardless of the numerical value required for a raaf distribution you should be focussed on doing your best and striving for a perfect flight. Your not told your scores after each flight so don't get caught up chasing numbers just focus on doing the best you can.

Hi malakor1,

Cheers for that info. Had my YOU session today, all went fairly well, just got told to up the hours at work a bit and try to do a bit more team related stuff, however I'm good to continue. :D Only mental arithmetic practice for spec testing? This took me by surprise, I'll definitely PM you when I get my date booked in.

alec taylor,

Of course, you are correct. I wasn't aware you don't get told your score however, you do at least get a debrief though don't you?

Since it is fresh in my mind, if anyone wants more info about what to expect for the YOU session, don't hesitate to PM me.

On completion of osb whether it's a recommendation or not they do debrief you on how you went. i.e your flying was good but you kept making the same mistakes or whatever it happens to be. The debrief isn't a you scored a 2 on this flight and a 4 on this flight.

Regardless of your flying aptitude, how keen you are to become a military pilot is probably the most influential factor in receiving a recommendation.

Hey guys,

I got a call from the nurse at DFR this morning. She told me that they would be sending out a letter for me to forward to my GP due to the fact that I took anti-depressants for a few months a few years ago due to a bad break up. I was never diagnosed with depression or anything, however I find myself a bit worried that they might see this as an issue...has anyone had to deal with anything similar? I am not on any medication now and I am a stable and capable individual and it really is like it never happened...perhaps in hindsight I shouldn't have told them? I assume they will just see medical records later down the track anyway, is this correct?

@ Ben_10 – I just wanted to say thanks for that info on the ADF Mentors book, I just finished reading it and it was fantastic. Has anyone done their training course?

Unfortunately I sprained my ankle so I had to postpone my flight screening date, I should have stopped playing footy once I got the letter.

@ showward – I did a lot of study for the spec testing, make sure you study Distance/Speed/Time questions and fuel questions. And as Malakor1 said mental arithmetic is a big area of focus as well. The more study you do the better you will score, the time requirements are so tight that if you can gain 3-4 seconds on every question, you may have answered 6 more questions by the end. That’s too bad about your delay with the GP. I know how hard the wait can be but there are plenty of stories on here about people with small health problems etc. that have got through with sheer determination, persistence is the key!