RCAF to RAF Pilot
 

Good Day,

Relatively new to the PPrune forums here. This forum seems to have more active RAF Pilots / Officers than any others out there.

That being said I'm hoping someone can shed some light on my questions/curiosity.

I'm currently a winged Jet Pilot in the RCAF, flying the Hawk, and if everything goes well, moving on to the Cf188 Hornet next.

I'm interested in possibly transferring or joining the RAF as a fast jet pilot down the road once my terms of service have been fulfilled. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my flying with RCAF and will probably try for an exchange posting to the UK later in my career once operational (There are exchanges to the UK in each community Multi, Helo, and Jets).

The UK has always appealed to me after I lived there for approximately 5 months when I was 18, and my wife is from the UK so we are just considering future options once my Terms of Service have been fulfilled. I've always thought the UK would be a fantastic place to live, work, and raise a family.

I'm wondering if anybody on this forum has done this, or knows anybody directly who has? According to the recruiting website one needs to have residency in the UK. I've seen that residency requirement waved here in Canada for experienced Brit Pilots joining the RCAF, just wondering if anyone has seen that in the RAF? Also, if I left the RCAF as a Captain or possibly Major, would I retain my rank if I joined the RAF?

Also I know the RAF pay and benefits are not nearly as good as they are in Canada, however the cost of living is significantly less, and I think overall it would be relative to what we make here.

Yes I have contacted the recruiters via email, however the responses I got were typical. Basically they weren't able to tell me anything other than - your best bet is to visit an RAF recruiter near you! Which is approximately 7000 Km away :ugh:

Thanks in advance for the responses, hopefully somebody has some experience with this and can enlighten me!

Cheers,

RCAF Flyboy

Im guessing you're still at Moose Jaw? In a couple of months time you can speak to one of the Brits on 419 and ask them directly.

As a member of the commonwealth your chances are actually pretty good. Your timing is also good. The RAF is taking all sorts right now. We have many guys who have joined recently from other Commonwealth countries.

I am current RAF but served on 419 not so long ago (I have Canadian Citizenship as a result). I will not advise you either way since it's your decision to make. What I will say is one Air Force can be much like any other. I could bore you more but it sounds like you may wish to bide your time a little. Once you have some Hornet time under your belt you'll be a sound prospect for the RAF.

Best of luck and enjoy 419 when the time comes ;)

BV

@Bob Viking -

Thanks for the info! Sounds like the timing right now is good, however you are correct in that I will probably be waiting at least 5 to 6 years before my terms of service are up and I *hopefully* get a couple of tours on hornets first. I've chatted with the Brits at 419 a little bit about it, was just looking for more some more input from different folks. That's cool that you were here with 419, it sure is a small world. I'm up in YOD now and starting my FLIT course very shortly, definitely looking forward to it! That being said I've got a long way to go yet and a lot of busting my ass to get er' done ;)

That's good you were able to get citizenship - that's the kind of show stopper I was worried about if I wanted to transfer to the RAF later on. It sounds like the prospects of the RAF accommodating me to join up without those prerequisites (with some operational experience) is pretty good so that's good news for me.

Since you've done an exchange here and been part of the NFTC program, how would you say the Compensation, benefits and lifestyle is for the RAF compared to the RCAF ?

Cheers,

RCAF FB

Sounds like you might have a few years to go before you're looking to make this happen???? However, BV is absolutely correct in that as a member of the commonwealth, your UK residency concerns are considerably eased.

Anyhow, when you're ready, there is no need for you to get tangled up with the 'Recruiters". As an experienced pilot, you should write direct to Wg Cdr OASC (Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre) at the following address:

Wg Cdr OASC
Adastral Hall
RAF College Cranwell
SLEAFORD
Lincolnshire
NG34 8GZ
UK

You should include 3 things: an introductory letter (telling him what you want!); a copy of your CV; and some evidence that you are who you say you are - i.e. photocopies of a logbook summary or other quals. OASC will socialise your request with RAF Manning (HR/Desk Officers) who will look at current demand and, in the case of QFI quals, speak accordingly to CFS. You'll then be invited over for medical,fitness assessment and an interview prior to a decision. Concurrent with this latter activity will be all the discussions you need regarding seniority and terms and conditions of service.

Hope this helps

Bugs

I suspect the RN would bite your hand off as well if it's an F35 you're after.

RCAF Flyboy.

Trying to talk benefits etc can be misleading without a multitude of facts. In pure salary terms they are very comparable. Obviously exchange rates will change how that appears periodically but all that matters is what you're earning in the country you're in. If it's an exchange tour then you are usually compensated over and above the salary of your host nation counterparts so it is not a fair comparison.

Canada and Britain are very different in terms of cost of living in terms of what you would spend your disposable income on. Some aspects are better in one country over another. For instance fuel is cheaper in Canada but fresh fruit and veg is cheaper in Britain. The list is too exhaustive to go into but suffice to say you will have a similar standard of living in either country. You know how property prices differ in provinces in Canada? Well it's the same in Britain. Houses are far smaller here but at least they're built to last!

The one thing you're probably not thinking about is a pension and it also needs to be considered. If you leave the RCAF in a few years you may screw yourself over since you won't benefit from the RCAF pension and you won't be in the RAF long enough to benefit from ours either. Both Air Forces pension schemes have taken a hit in recent years and long service is the key. By splitting your time you won't help yourself unfortunately.

That said you can make a great life in either place. We loved Canada (and have the option to return) and we love the UK. As long as you're happy it doesn't matter.

The bottom line is we will have plenty of cockpits for years to come and you stand a very good chance of being accepted if you still fancy it. Remember the RAF will use you as much as you use them. A QFI tick would stand you in very good stead but you're guaranteed to spend your first few years at Valley in that case. It's a bit like Moose Jaw. Some love it, some don't. Just make sure you know what you want since emigration is a costly business. The 'try before you buy' element of an exchange is priceless but there aren't many to go around.

Feel free to fire away with any other questions but since you're at Cold Lake already there are a few Brits there who are just as knowledgeable as me. Enjoy FLIT and tell everyone 'Pope' says hi.

BV

As an aside, does the RAF still offer the "Specialist Aircrew" terms of service ?

It's now called the Professional Aircrew Spine or PAS. I am one!

BV

TLB

These days its known as Professional Aviator (PA); it's not quite the same as Spec Aircrew but very similar in that the aim is to retain experience in the cockpit. It also follows a separate pay spine that achieves a higher pension by effectively including flying pay in your basic pay. Transferees are unlikely to move direct to the PA spine on transfer but its definitely negotiable at the point of transfer dependent on seniority and experience. FJ and QFI?... you'll be holding all the cards I'm sure!

Thanks for the info. I have always thought that this was a very good plan - for those who wanted to pursue it. I know that I would have opted for it had it been available during my time in the RCAF/CAF.

Gentlemen:

Thanks very much for the prompt replies. This definitely alleviates any concerns I had as to whether or not it was even possible, and certainly helps a great deal in my future career planning. It's much appreciated. Looking forward to my remaining time with the RCAF and hopefully one day I'll be across the pond flying for the real Queen's Airforce ;)

Pope - I'll be sure to say hi to the boys up here. Pikey Just retired a few weeks ago and Nik Nak is the other RAF exchange up here. Not sure if you know them but I'm sure some of the other IP's that have been on SQN for a while will know you.

Cheers,

RCAF FB

I know them all!

BV

Nomad1023
 

F16 Guy
 

Thanks for the answer BV. I'm not quite ready by Brexit, but am considering my options. Unfurtunatly we don't have an exchange program with the Brits any more. That stopped for some reason 7 or 8 years ago.