BTEC in Aviation Studies
 

Hey All,

I left the air cadets a few years back and never got the opportunity to do a BTEC in Aviation Studies! I've been trying to find out if you can undertake this vocational qualification without being in the ATC?

Do you know if external exam centres would be able to offer this BTEC? I'll be honest and say all I really want to do it for is to make me look more motivated towards a career in aviation, and to add another bullet point to my CV.

Lewis :ok:

P.S. I took several air experience flights with the ATC totalling just under 1 hour of flying time. My instructor said that this hour could be logged in my PPL logbook. Is this true? It would be very slightly beneficial from an hour building experience side...

Came across this:

Craven College - BTEC NATIONAL IN AVIATION OPERATIONS

Depends if the air experience flights were with qualified flying instructors or not. All but one of my own AEF's were with ex RAF pilots who were never instructors and in the VRT for some fun flying. Only had an instructor once and I logged that.

Unless you can find out if the chaps were indeed instructors, I wouldnt bother. Might be worth sending an email to your CO to see if he can find out for you. It's hardly worth having dodgy entries in your logbook though for the sake of one extra hours dual.

Could always log as supernumary though. I used to do this as a passenger on flights with my dad before I could afford to start flying myself. Made me feel a little better :}

I've been told that AEF flights can't be counted towards your hours, hence them being called air *experience* flights. They have no structure as such, you can do whatever you want in these flights, providing the pilot lets you. They are basically there to give you an idea of flying and hopefully persuade you to join the RAF.

I remember when I started flight training I told the instructor that I had a number of hours flying with the AEF at Leuchars and Cranwell, he was pleased to know that I had some hours under my belt but when we actually got in the air we realised that what I was taught wasn't proper flight training, i.e it had no real structure to it because it was experience not flight training.

I felt really embarresed at the time, but we just start from the basics and worked our way up.

So my tip would be, if you do mention it ensure you say it was experience and tell him what you were taught, most of my flying was aerobatics! :\

If you made it to senior cadet you should still be eligible for the BTEC even if you have left the corps providing your exam grades are still available or if you still have your senior cadet certificate. Get in touch with your old sqn and ask about it =)

If you have no certificates, if I recall correctly, your (at the time) Wing HQ should keep some form of archive of the "blue card" (your exam/projects record.)

The current training officer (no doubt via the WAdO) of your previous wing would be the best place to start in my opinion.