Your advice on ASP (and OSB?)
 

Hi all, been lurking here for a while.

I have my ASP coming up next month, and I was wondering what tips/tricks people have to work through the complex SDT questions? For example, “what speed covers 297 miles in 3 hours and 40 minutes?”

It seems that any time an odd number gets thrown in, I get thrown out.

Any help would be much appreciated, as well as if anyone could share some gauge on how complex the SDT will be?

Cheers.

I used to look at these questions and wonder how anyone did it in their head, but its deceptively easy.
3 hours and 40 minutes is 3 and 2/3rds of an hour, which is 11/3 hours.
297/11 is 27. 27x3 is 81.
81mph

Hey Everyone

I'm a 19yr old Uni Student applying for a role as a Joint Battlefield Airspace Controller or Air Traffic Controller in the RAAF. I was wondering if anyone else has been through the process for this role or if any successful applicants could shed some light on their experience.

Thanks heaps!!

For anyone who took the ADFA journey or have been accepted, (or really just whoever has anything to do with it) how hard is it to get in? How well do you need to perform and what should your ATAR be looking like to even consider the ADFA route?

flbbbles or can I just call you b**bs

The ATAR is up to you in regards to the degree you wish to pursue. In saying that it's a competitive (nasty non PC correct word that is no longer used in recruiting for the ADF) process. Mate you should be able to work out that if your chasing a high 70's ATAR for an ARTS degree their are a lot in the same boat with only a limited number of spots available. So say you'r chasing a high 80's ATAR for an engineering degree and achieve this but all spots are filled and you than say I'll take an ARTS degree who do you think is going to get that spot, the 70's ATAR or the 80's?

In respect to how hard is it to get in. Nothing is hard if you want it but again it is a competitive process, limited spots against the number applying.

Hey All,

First of all congratulations to anyone that has recently been accepted into the ADF for aircrew, your hard work has truly paid off and you deserve full credit!

I have a quick question. Unfortunately at my 2 ASP's I was knocked back for Air Force pilot. I fully believe I can reach the standard required as first time being so young (16) I did feel quite nervous and made many silly mistakes, which really brought my score down, and second time I did perform much better with a cooler head (being older at 18), however I genuinely feel as though with the appropriate practice and experience my third attempt will be even better. I ranked quite high in some of the domains and just need to try and improve one or two (mainly strategic task management).

In the mean time before I go back, and whilst I complete my degree (I've just completed the first year of a four year mech and aero engineering degree), I have considered joining the reserves in some capacity, to not only improve my officer potential and demonstrate military motivation, but also to just genuinely serve my country in some capacity before I am able to hopefully fully dedicate myself to the service in the role I have always dreamed of.

Would joining the reserves be feasible if I want to later serve as a pilot (or even mission if pilot is not an option third time round), and if so, what would be the best roles (officer or enlisted) to join as for a future potential pilot (regardless of if they're recruiting for them at this moment)? I was thinking the top ones in the air force would be Intelligence officer or Ops manager (both are offered as reserve roles), but I'm open to any suggestions from all three services. Finally, if I am fortunate to enter into the reserves as an officer, would I need to repeat officer training, as it appears to be identical to full time?

Thank you for reading all of that! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has tips for improving strategic task management, I'm more than happy to hear that as well! :)

G'day jimjim,

I don't think reserve time would overly assist you in your application for Pilot. One big thing to take in to the recruitment centres though - apply for the job that you want and if they tell you they aren't recruiting for that position at the moment, tell them that is all you want.

They have targets to meet and are fulfilling a role of someone not much better than a car salesman. Don't trust what they say, if you encounter someone in those centres that cares about you, then you have found a very rare individual.

Also - most of them have no idea about the roles they are selling you.. no more of an idea than any random person who has a friend of a friend that does the role.

Also, to add to this... by joining the reserves you no longer compete for a “Direct Entry” target, rather you compete for an “In Service” target. This can be just as much if not more competitive because the number of targets is considerably lower, and you’ll find that the level of competition can be arguably higher (considering that being in service you have a leg-up by the way of networking, information access and corporate knowledge).

Hey all, I have been using the forms for the last year and used them to prepare for my ASP that I attended in early November this year. I received a recommendation for pilot and I was just wondering if anyone knows when the next round of OSB's will be?

Hi ND,

They do have dates for OSB's but also will ramp up extra ones if they have not been able to get the numbers they want. I am guessing you would have been told about the "standing" of applicants with this being a fluctuating thing as applicants come in and depart. Basically you just have to wait.

RAAF Pil​​​​​​​ot Application
 

Hey guys I had a question,

I wear Ortho K (Google of needed) contact lenses which I just wear at night and it corrects my vision back to 20/20. I only got these recently and am yet to make the DFR aware of these. My Optometrist says that its my choice if I want to tell them, but I don't want it to impact my chances.

Anyone in a similar situation or a suggestion?

‘Integrity’ is one of our values and what you will find is that people stay true to that. If as part of your medical they ask for information referencing your eye sight or any enhancements, I wouldn’t be hiding anything. Not to say you need to run down to DFR at first light and let them know, but be smart and be fair. This is what you should and would expect in the aircrew environment.

Realistically, and maybe a hard truth to encounter - but if it is something that the AVMO consider to be a concern, fair chance it’s for good reason. Limitations that aren’t a factor are taken on board and managed appropriately, but if it is a limiting factor then it may ruin your chances - though it’s better than not having your mates back when you least expect it during operations.

Hi again everyone,
Last month I successfully passed my RAAF OSB for pilot. Is there anyone else on this forum who is currently awaiting a letter of offer?
Also, I currently work full time and have not studied since i graduated high school in 2016. I undertook an extension mathematics bridging course last year, after i was told in 2017 that my mathematics was not competitive enough to send me to the old flight screening program when that used to run. Is there any other short courses or study that I could take on to make my application look better? I am considering starting a 3 year aviation based degree but not sure if it is worth taking on such a big commitment at this stage.
Thanks.

Hey Mate, I just got my letter of offer so hopefully your one is coming too. Don't stress to hard if you don't get one though as I did my OSB in September last year and only just now received it. If you wan't to do a degree then do one, but do it with the assumption you won't get in as a pilot and it will lead you down a career path you want. If you don't want a big commitment then I'd say your best bet is to do short term high reward things like volunteering or getting a job that has you leading a team of people.

Congratulations passing the OSB! This is a great time to join the RAAF if aviation is your goal, the civil world is going to take a while to recover from this hit.

As for uni courses, I query why you think you need to make yourself more attractive as a candidate? If you passed and received a recommendation then it's locked in for now. I'm not too familiar with the new screening process, do they tell you how well you performed?

I personally wouldn't worry about the degree for now, I think there's other avenues you can go down to make yourself look better if that's what you're after (community service, volunteer work etc). Besides, if you get in you can study on the government dollar if you still want to do a degree.

Thanks alot mate! Definitely nice to know that I've done all I can until this point. In terms of the degree, it's more so just in case I have to re apply next year, to make my self look better if I don't get an offer this year. My ASP standing was competitive enough to progress me but my debriefer said it's on the lower end of candidates that pass through. Just trying to prepare anything I can so if I have to redo my ASP and OSB I have an even better chance.
As for volunteering work, I was doing quite a bit of volunteering stuff before all this COVID-19 situation, which is why a degree is really the only other thing I can think of to help better my application.

ADF Pilot Specialist Testing
 

Hi Guys,

Hey guys, I’m just wondering what my chances are of being a successful candidate for Raaf pilot. I’ve passed the you session and additional testing. Got to the psych interview, got through what seemed like most the questions and then got asked if I had a drivers license. I told them I recently lost it for 6 months for speeding. (I didn’t want to lie). They told me to come back for my assessment day 9 months later. I also didn’t finish year 12 but got to advance because I emailed my transcripts for a couple of cert 4s and a semester at uni for exercise science. Since then I haven’t been able to study or work because of my license and the isolation that’s going on and I’m not attending uni anymore.
Ive just been studying my ass off for months and hoping I ace the assessment and ASP in hope of standing a chance. Would that be enough or would my downfalls stop me from advancing.
Thanks for any reply.

Kallin if you do not try than that will be a downfall.

oh yes I’m definitely going to try my best. I just hope them concerns don’t ruin my chances.

Good morning all,

I have passed my RAAF Pilot Assessment Day and have heard (unofficially) that RAAF is considering running ASPs in Canberra starting in around 3 weeks, as a result of the border closures in Victoria presently. Has anyone on this forum heard anything that could corroborate this rumour?

Cheers,

Hi Aurelius,

Can confirm that ASPs are running in Canberra (Royal Military College Duntroon). Mine was scheduled Monday 20-24th July, but postponed due to their one week notice. Was advised to expect one week notices during this challenging period.

I am currently awaiting for further instructions and have been told I will likely be in the next session scheduled in the next 2-3 weeks.

Hope that helps.

P

G'Day Everyone,

After combing through every single message on this forum, and a fair amount of time within DFR, I can finally say that I have completed every aspect of the recruitment process and am now awaiting a LOO for RAAF Pilot (ADFA). I was just curious if anyone knows when the next round of offers are coming out, or a rough timeframe of when to possibly expect an offer.

Cheers,

K

Congrats krab. Just confirming you have successfully completed ASP and the OSB.

Thank you FinestKind.

Yes, I have.

Just to clarify my situation a little further, I sat my first ASP last year, however was not competitive enough to progress through for RAAF Pilot. I was offered a few other roles, including Navy AvWO, and attended a board for that where I got a 'High Recommendation'. Even though that sounded like a really rewarding role, after a bit of consideration I chose to decline that LOO as my dream has always been to fly fixed wing. I went through my Assessment Day again, and have just completed my ASP for the second time where I unlocked all roles. It was mentioned to me that the RAAF was able to accept my Navy OSB scores, so I am not required to attend another OSB.

I was just curious about others experiences in how long they had to wait for receiving a LOO, and also if the RAAF would possibly look unfavourably on Navy OSB scores in comparison to RAAF ones.

Cheers,

K

Hi Krab,

I completed by OSB for RAAF ADFA pilot and mission in mid-september. I passed my ASP earlier in July and was put through for all defence ADFA aviation roles but chose only to progress for RAAF.

I was notified yesterday that I would receive an offer for mission in the next week or so and possibly for pilot within the next few weeks. I assume offer rounds will then start next week and will progress for the next month or so.

Hope that helps.

G'Day Afl123,

Thanks for that info, I really appreciate it.

I actually received a Letter of Offer for RAAF Pilot a little earlier. I'd just like to thank all the contributors on this thread over the years, it has been a priceless resource for preparation! I'd also just like to take the time to tell anyone who is currently in the the DFR pipeline, and those thinking about pursuing a career in OA; have a shot. If you are motivated and driven, you will get there in the end. I was in the DFR pipeline for quite some time, and I think the most important thing is to have confidence in yourself. That's all for now. Best of Luck!

Cheers,

K

Hi Everyone,

I am wondering if anyone has yet received an offer for Air Force DEO pilot to begin Q1 next year?

Regards

Thanks for another great year of questions and feedback in this thread. As the year winds up, I'd remind everyone starting in the ADF next year to be responsible over the Christmas break - don't injure yourself or get caught doing something stupid (drink driving, breaching COVID restrictions). It is an excellent time to be joining the military aviation community and you don't want it delayed by something stupid!

I also wish all those awaiting the next step in their recruiting process the best of luck. Merry Christmas to all.

Hi Jeffo,

Have you received an offer or heard of any offers going out since posting your question? I'm also waiting to receive an offer for RAAF DEO Pilot.

Cheers

Also in the same boat, looks like January and Feb intakes are all full so they're looking to fill the remaining spots for the following months

Hi Mate

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

I missed out on the offers for Jan + Feb as well. As far as I know the next intake is in April with most of the offers going out in March, but I also know of a few offers that have already gone out for April...

Although they’re not allowed to give exact numbers my EC told me there’s normally 5-10 spots at each OTS course for aviation (not all of which are pilot), so if some have already been issued for April I’m not particularly hopeful, but fingers crossed.

I assume the pool is filled with great candidates at the moment so we just need to wait and hope.

Anyway feel free to send me a message if you wanna get in contact 🤙🏻

Cheers mate

Hey all,

I am in the same boat waiting for RAAF DEO, did my ASP in June 2020 and OSB in October. Was waiting on med clearance which came through just before Christmas, but have heard that April intake has now been split in two, those with offers already are enlisting in March and the unfilled positions are enlisting in May. Unsure when those offers will be coming out, hopefully March.

Cheers.

ASP Prep
 

Hi Krab,

Congratulations on your LOO for RAAF Pilot. I was wondering when you went to ASP for the second time round, what did you do differently in terms of study/prep that helped and did you find any useful practice tools that helped you prepare for ASP, other than the CBAT app?

Thanks Fritz

LOO
 

Hi Guys

Just wanted to let you guys know I received an offer this week to begin OTS in May.

That’s almost 4 years in the application pipeline for me so as you can imagine I’m over the moon.

Thanks to everyone that’s contributed info on this sub over the years and good luck with all your applications. Feel free to message me if you want to chat about anything

cheers

Hi everyone - I've been one of the silent visitors of the forum looking to become a DEO Pilot.

After 2 years in the pipeline (this time around - first applied 10 years ago) - I have managed to secure a spot in the May OTS intake.

Just wanted to echo what a few of the posters above have mentioned by saying thanks to everyone that contributed.

Happy to answer any questions.

Cheers - Myk.

hey dear ,
could you please guide me in ASP?
If someone doesn’t reach the minimum score to clear all officer jobs , do they need to wait for 12 months to go any other lower rank or they can immediately offered with any other lower rank ?

Not too certain exactly what you are asking. If you are saying that the applicant was not recommended for officer entry due to their OSB than generally that is a 12 month wait to try again. If however you wish to than apply, straight after a non rec'd from the OSB, for entry as a Airman, Sailor or Soldier, that is a different type of entry and not required to wait.

Intro
 

Hi Guys,

I've been digging through this forum for the last few days in preparation for my upcoming ASP on the 11th of July down in East Sale.

I've found many golden nuggets of info which I think will help me in my journey to becoming a pilot. I just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone for the community spirit which has (for the most part) dominated this thread, especially to those who have gone through this process and share the benefit of hindsight with those of us who are about to have a crack.

To anyone who's in my position and is preparing for the same ASP, feel free to get in touch. It'll be good to have a friendly face by the time we get down there.

Cheers

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Until you have a posting history you don't have access to private messaging and adding urls. Email a far more effective route at the moment.