ARMY PILOT TRAINING HELP
 

Hi all

I am an NCO looking to become a SNCO AAC pilot.

Does anybody on here know how the army pilots course is structured? I am told that you do 2 weeks survival trg, then go to RAF barkston heath for 13 weeks flying the grob, 2 weeks leave, then DHFS shawbury for 13 weeks basic rotary and 11 weeks advanced, then back to middle wallop to do your conversion to type. Is this correct? Or is there periods of ground school also to attend?

Also if there is anybody who has done the course, whats it like for getting home at weekends? only reason I ask is as I have kids, and I would like to know how often I would be allowed home to see them. I will have to be unaccompanied for the 1st year.

Finally, how intense is the theory. A few of the officers in my regiment have been knocking my confidence to go for it, they think I dont have enough experience of navigation and radio operating etc. (Maybe even suggesting I am not clever enough :}). I presume this will all be taught on the course?

Cheers

Have you tried the ARRSE AAC forum?

Aviation

Proceed with caution ;)

There are a few current aircrew on Arrse, and a far larger number who are not. There are one or two threads worth reading before you jump in with questions, the answers to which may have already been provided. There are one or two playground bullies who enjoy nothing more than taunting the junior members.

I wouldn't worry about the opinions of your colleagues; as has been posted, unless they've passed the APC, they have little in the way of knowledge to help you. You may also find that your unit puts obstacles in your path.

Best of luck. It's the most fun you can have with your pants on. :ok: I've PM'd you with a POC on Arrse.

yeah, cheers iv tried the arrse forums. Theres a lot of out of date stuff on there. No point even asking a question on there, as most the time you are given a sarcastic comment.

I thought as much. They are probably just jealous as they have passed the upper age limit :E

Just to add two penneth. Have the officers who tried to discourage you been to the AAC and failed by any chance?:) Get the Radio Ops in your own unit to give you some tuition before you go and brush up on your map reading, navigation is a subject that is taught, you aren't expected to have a deep knowledge at this stage. Might help if you refreshed the right angled triangle trigonometry stuff but you don't need any thing more advanced than secondary school level when starting out, they will teach you the rest.

May not be the same now but a long time ago if you stated that you wanted to volunteer for pilot training then your own unit were not allowed to withold or delay your application, diginagain is more up to date than I am though.

This article gives an over view

Army Pilots Course - British Army Website

IN FOCUS: British Army fights to influence helicopter training choices

You will get time to be with your family albeit sporadically but any flying training course is intense, you will find your own balance.

I worked recently with an ex 1 para Tom who now flies the Typhoon. Go for your dream and as others say, ignore those that try and put you off, encourage those who have their own dreams.

Good luck.

Cheers for your help all. Im going to go for it, stick my paperwork in for the selection on monday. Hopefully ill do good, I can only try. Id best dig out some maths books :sad:. My bosses cant really stop me from putting the paperwork in, they can just give me a weak reccomendation.

Were they to do that without being pilots themselves they would just be showing their ignorance or small mindedness. You know them - you decide

Since you are a serving NCO I'll give you these three "gems"

1. Never trust a word of what an Officer tells you, go and find out for yourself.

2. An Officer telling you you're not good enough with a map is past laughable, let's just leave it at that... :rolleyes:

3. If you can talk you can communicate by radio. :ok:

Now, make sure you spell everything right on that app... Good luck...

Gazzad

Give yourself a bit of a head start and perhaps get some flying experience under your belt. These clubs aren't far from you and it will show your seniors that you are motivated. I would also check out the OASC Pprune thread as you will probably get very recent advice on the aptitude tests and what to expect.


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Gazzad,

You're correct when you say that your parent unit cannot stop your application but that will only get you as far as selection. Not much you can do about the medical but try to find out as much as you can about the AAC and the army in general, you will be probed on the interview and during the selection tests as to your knowledge about how the army works.

I came from the infantry and had a lot of help from some of my Bn with publications that could expand my overall knowledge of the army.

As has been said before, don't take too much notice of the naysayers, it's probably down to lack of drive and pure jealousy.

Have a go! The worst that can happen is that you will still be doing the job you're doing now and it might just change your whole life.

Good luck.

Just bought a book, on my kindle, Dressed to Kill, written by Charlotte madison, an army Officer who went throught the training courses to become an Apache pilot, well worth a read.

They can also 'mislay' your paperwork, as has happened to applicants in the past. Give it a go, but don't be afraid to pester the system in the furtherance of your ambition.

Possibly not, as my experience dates back to the 1980s, but I do have a very good handle on those on Arrse who are current.

Gazzad

Those officers are unwittingly doing you a favour. You should now have even more determination to get on the course and pass.

Many years ago I had to get an officer's approval to start selection for a then little-known organisation. He allowed me to go, but said I would fail. I didn't. ;)

As an NCO you should already know that one of the British Army's most dangerous assets is an officer with a map. They really should leave the technical stuff to their chaps.

Two points:

Someone I know was a SSgt and wanted to go for a commission. Obstacles were put in his way so he decided to switch to the RAF. They told him he couldn't as . . .

He applied, got accepted, got commissioned and 11 years later is a Lt Col equivalent. Sweeter he has even been in command of ruperts that were his previous bosses.

Secondly brush up on your mental arithmetic. Do as many time/distance problems as you can. Car and helicopter speeds are not too different so do them as you drive around.

What were you on, Whirlwinds or Belvederes? :E

Cheers all for the advice.

Ill stick the paperwork in on monday. Ill get practicing with the maths. Im not too bad at the speed distance time questions, the fuel calculation questions are throwing me more

eg. You travel 130 NM. How much fuel will you need if you burn 12 lbs per hour, and are travelling at 78 kts?

Answer= 20 lbs.


I can do them, they just take me longer.

Its a poor do you cant take a pen and paper in the oasc exams.

The only reason Army helicopters fly at 120 Kts is because there's a fighting chance the pilot can divide by 60 twice (if he uses his big watch of course) and so deliver a rough ETA.

Mate,
I have the same handle on arrse and think my contributions have only been sarcastic where a rapier wit demanded it. Try again, people to look for are Lord Flasheart, Mighty Gem and Porridge Gun.

How are we reading that question?

Possible answers;
a. None, I am already here.
b. Depends how much further you have to travel :E
c. 20 lbs + start up, take off and landing fuel :ok: