And your old man and his oppo's were correct. The Fleet Air Arm is the best flying club in the world with the best aviators, the best maintainers and the best aircraft.

Remember that you may leave the Royal Navy but you are always a member of the Fleet Air Arm.

Everyone has an opinion of the other Services, usually biased, and almost always second hand in that is viewed from the outside looking in. In my time in the RAF I met loads of ex Army/Navy who had crossed over to light blue but never knew anybody who went the other way (with the notable exception of RAF Regt to SAS). This could mean nothing of course but it could also indicate that once people knew the score they made the sensible decision they should have made originally.

Just a thought.

Or... that the RAF don't meet the standards of the RN.... *runs for cover* :}.

On my last Squadron we had an Ex AAC pilot and an Ex RAF Puma pilot. Both no flying RN Rotary.

Well thats 1 then, the AAC chap does not count, some folk will do absolutely anything to get out of the Army :ok:

And then there was the AAC bloke who ended up at Culdrose flying the Sea King.

And the RAF fella who is now in the bag world.... droll....

We had two crustaceans that saw the light and were deemed good enough to wear dark blue. There was also another who tried but wasn't allowed. He was a top bloke but, in the opinion of their Lordships, his time left in service was not enough to justify the transfer.

This was on the SHAR, so, two out of a total of 15 (or whatever it was :)) and that included the ship's cat, is quite a high percentage. Luckily they sent the good guys to the Sea Jet (apart from you Spon. I know you read this drivel sometimes :}).

BenO .. whatever you decide, you need to huury up if your age is accurate ....

.... surprised everyone's been too busy point scoring to notice... (no I'm not :()

Seriously, if you are 23, first question from any recruiter is what have you done towards military and/or flying so far?

Cadets, URNU/UOTC/UAS, PPL whatever..... and if not, why not?

BenO,

Just go with your heart - you sound level headed and I would be surprised if you were seeking a life/career decision on PPrune posts!

In my humble opinion, it will soon not matter and you will be serving as part of an air wing of the UK Defence Force - one uniform, one single service and one career.

Whether right or wrong is immaterial - finances will sadly force you and I to this inevitable conclusion (which may stop the puerile willy waving in previous posts and actually unite us as H M Forces against the Treasury and MoD civil serpents that actively try and 'divide and conquer' for their own gains).

Just do it - work out what you want to fly, and predominantly in which environment, and if you are good enough then the world will be your oyster, and as alluded to above - nothing is fixed and if the demand in a particular area/Service is not being matched then there will be more opportunities should your preferred choice not come to fruitition.

To join the AAC you don't have to be a soldier first. They take direct from RMAS. If you want to join from the ranks then yes you do have to do a couple of years soldiering but it doesn't have to be in the inf.

Tourist....I just love that....hit the nail on the head!

Have a happy Christmas!

Ralph

Fantastic cartoon. My only comment would be regarding the RAF chap being in a uniform....surely not..

"Soldier First" is an ethos, not a qualification. It simply means that whatever you might do for your shilling while serving with Aviation, you are always expected to be a professional soldier first, commissioned or enlisted. Operating the Apache has driven this point home more than any vague doctrinal fluff ever could.

Yaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwnnnnnnnn!!

Get a life.........take 'endplay's' advice all the rest is conjecture...:}

I would suggest that the flow of people from the AAC and RAF to the RN has relaxed since the sexual orientation ban was lifted, with no other reason to join a 'soon to be defunct' FAA.

Though, as stated, some will do anything to leave the Army.:ok:

Two's In,

I know about ethos; the same applies to the other forces. I was merely indicating that you do not need to be a SOLDIER as in OTHER RANK first in order to be a pilot which is what someone hinted at.

Flik,

Glad to hear that, and indeed, while enlisting to fly works for many in the Army, there are multiple points of failure in that career path to make it a very hard path to follow. It's not that the other stuff along the way isn't also great fun to do, but if you are absolutely determined to fly, there are far quicker ways to get there than enlisting in the Army.

Had PPrune existed in the eighties, I would now be flying navy, as opposed to a desk for the plod.

I was to RAF focussed, which was a nistake as all I wanted to do was fly choppers. Given my time around again today, AAC, FAA, RAF in that order.

you live and learn :sad:

"I was to RAF focussed, which was a nistake"

May I be the first to suggest that the order should be :- school, AAC, FAA, RAF ;)