Been in HM Forces?
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Been in HM Forces?
After some serious research, I'm convinced the Army could be the best career move for Heli training.
Is Sandhurst the way forward ? I'm about to apply for officer entry. Can anyone comment on the pros+cons of army life and cadetship.
Cheers.
Is Sandhurst the way forward ? I'm about to apply for officer entry. Can anyone comment on the pros+cons of army life and cadetship.
Cheers.
Guest
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You don't mention your age, schooling background etc. But in taking it read, that you are Medically & Scholastically in the ball park. You will have to aim directly at the goal:- that is being a Helicopter pilot. Target the Service that gives you the best sporting chance of attaining that goal. All the Armed Forces can get you there, and with excellent training.
But the Royal Navy is a primary Direct route. You have a much greater chance of applying as a Direct entrant Aircrew candidate and if successful in passing the pilot aptitude test, medical and Interview board, you will be in to train as a pilot, 90% as a Helicopter pilot, where you end up is your choice.
The RAF have much the same criteria, but they want Fast Jet pilots first and aim to fill that area first with Multi/Rotary second.
The Army has very limited Direct entrant Officer intake into the Air Corp. (The NCO route is much too hit and miss, but if all else fails it is a worthy undertaking.). Joining Sandhurst as an Officer in another Corp apart from the AAC, will not guarantee that you will make the grade as a pilot especially as the stricter Medical/Aptitude criteria await your down the line and if you fail that you will need a quick career choice to get back to Aviation.
The Royal Marines = Same as the Army only they are tougher.
Good luck, whichever Service route you take you will have a great experience.(The private option is an expensive option, unless you gain sponsership). Keep the goal in sight, don't be talked into taking anything else.
Flown Navy
Dug Army
Eaten Crabette
But the Royal Navy is a primary Direct route. You have a much greater chance of applying as a Direct entrant Aircrew candidate and if successful in passing the pilot aptitude test, medical and Interview board, you will be in to train as a pilot, 90% as a Helicopter pilot, where you end up is your choice.
The RAF have much the same criteria, but they want Fast Jet pilots first and aim to fill that area first with Multi/Rotary second.
The Army has very limited Direct entrant Officer intake into the Air Corp. (The NCO route is much too hit and miss, but if all else fails it is a worthy undertaking.). Joining Sandhurst as an Officer in another Corp apart from the AAC, will not guarantee that you will make the grade as a pilot especially as the stricter Medical/Aptitude criteria await your down the line and if you fail that you will need a quick career choice to get back to Aviation.
The Royal Marines = Same as the Army only they are tougher.
Good luck, whichever Service route you take you will have a great experience.(The private option is an expensive option, unless you gain sponsership). Keep the goal in sight, don't be talked into taking anything else.
Flown Navy
Dug Army
Eaten Crabette
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The philosophies of the services are quite different as NRDK says.
In the Army you are first and foremost a Pongo. You must expect to live in holes full of liquid mud on Salisbury Plain (or worse) and might eventually get picked for aircrew if you make enough noise about it- thereby upsetting your Regimental superiors who will always view you as a deviant maverick from then on to the detriment of your future career as a Pongo.
In the Crabs if you mention helicopters you are branded as a deviant - if not delinquent - from the start. Remember, in the RAF the only people wh fly Helos are those losers who not only fail to pass Fast Jet courses, but subsequently fail the rescrub onto the Transport fleet too. Methinks this is not a realistic approach to selecting Helo pilots, but as they say, you can always tell a Crab, but you cant tell him much.
The Navy hires delinquent Helo pilots in their own right in a specialization that recognises the importance of the job as the ships primary weapons system in many cases. They get trained in the same system as the others and so (thanks to the common training at Shawbury) where the output is of a very uniform and high quality. Id like to see some of the fast jet pilots try this.
The difference is where you will be best appreciated, and I dont need to tell you where you will have the best fun.
With respectful apologies to our light blue and brown colleagues. We are all a bit partisan about this, of course! But the bottom line is wherever you go you will gain so much from a few years in the Forces you will never look back, no matter what career you retire with.
Just go for it, it is the best fun, the best companionship, the best experience and the most useful life-school there is bar none. The losers are those who don't!
[This message has been edited by piston broke (edited 28 July 2000).]
In the Army you are first and foremost a Pongo. You must expect to live in holes full of liquid mud on Salisbury Plain (or worse) and might eventually get picked for aircrew if you make enough noise about it- thereby upsetting your Regimental superiors who will always view you as a deviant maverick from then on to the detriment of your future career as a Pongo.
In the Crabs if you mention helicopters you are branded as a deviant - if not delinquent - from the start. Remember, in the RAF the only people wh fly Helos are those losers who not only fail to pass Fast Jet courses, but subsequently fail the rescrub onto the Transport fleet too. Methinks this is not a realistic approach to selecting Helo pilots, but as they say, you can always tell a Crab, but you cant tell him much.
The Navy hires delinquent Helo pilots in their own right in a specialization that recognises the importance of the job as the ships primary weapons system in many cases. They get trained in the same system as the others and so (thanks to the common training at Shawbury) where the output is of a very uniform and high quality. Id like to see some of the fast jet pilots try this.
The difference is where you will be best appreciated, and I dont need to tell you where you will have the best fun.
With respectful apologies to our light blue and brown colleagues. We are all a bit partisan about this, of course! But the bottom line is wherever you go you will gain so much from a few years in the Forces you will never look back, no matter what career you retire with.
Just go for it, it is the best fun, the best companionship, the best experience and the most useful life-school there is bar none. The losers are those who don't!
[This message has been edited by piston broke (edited 28 July 2000).]
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With regards to the Army, you can fly as either an officer or as an NCO.
As an officer you would apply to join the Army Air Corps during your training at Sandhurst. Should the AAC accept you, and you can pass the aircrew selection/medical, then you would attend the Army pilots course. However, should you fail the course, the AAC has no further use for you and you would have to leave the Army or transfer to another Regiment. Alternativly you could join another Regiment initially, and then apply for pilot training after a year or so. That way if you fail, you have a job to go back to. The downside of that route is that some Regiments consider it as bad form to want to leave them to do something else.
To fly as an NCO, you join as a private soldier either direct to the AAC or as above, to another Regiment. Having reached the rank of Corporal, then you can apply to be a pilot. Should you join the AAC and fail, then unlike the officer, you still have a job to go back to.
The officer route requires the necessary qualifications for Sandhurst as well as the ability to fly. The NCO route doesn't require any formal quals. As long as you can pass the aptitude tests and the medical then you can have ago. Officers tend to fly less than the NCOs after the first couple of years as more of their time gets taken up with desk jobs and ground tours. As an NCO you could get 10 - 15 years of flying. So you pays your money and takes your choice.
Whatever you choose, good luck and enjoy it.
[This message has been edited by MightyGem (edited 29 July 2000).]
As an officer you would apply to join the Army Air Corps during your training at Sandhurst. Should the AAC accept you, and you can pass the aircrew selection/medical, then you would attend the Army pilots course. However, should you fail the course, the AAC has no further use for you and you would have to leave the Army or transfer to another Regiment. Alternativly you could join another Regiment initially, and then apply for pilot training after a year or so. That way if you fail, you have a job to go back to. The downside of that route is that some Regiments consider it as bad form to want to leave them to do something else.
To fly as an NCO, you join as a private soldier either direct to the AAC or as above, to another Regiment. Having reached the rank of Corporal, then you can apply to be a pilot. Should you join the AAC and fail, then unlike the officer, you still have a job to go back to.
The officer route requires the necessary qualifications for Sandhurst as well as the ability to fly. The NCO route doesn't require any formal quals. As long as you can pass the aptitude tests and the medical then you can have ago. Officers tend to fly less than the NCOs after the first couple of years as more of their time gets taken up with desk jobs and ground tours. As an NCO you could get 10 - 15 years of flying. So you pays your money and takes your choice.
Whatever you choose, good luck and enjoy it.
[This message has been edited by MightyGem (edited 29 July 2000).]
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Good to see that PB isn't talking crap as usual!
Ignore his comments that the RAF helo guys are third raters. Perhaps he would like to add flesh to the bones on that one.
The selection process is the same as in the navy. If you're good enough for FJ you'll go if there's a slot. If not you'll be looked at individually and fitted into whichever peg is the most appropriate.
In the RAF helo force, you will do many more varied things, in more modern aircraft with better support. (our game is flying aircraft, not sailing so that's were the money goes)
HPT
Ignore his comments that the RAF helo guys are third raters. Perhaps he would like to add flesh to the bones on that one.
The selection process is the same as in the navy. If you're good enough for FJ you'll go if there's a slot. If not you'll be looked at individually and fitted into whichever peg is the most appropriate.
In the RAF helo force, you will do many more varied things, in more modern aircraft with better support. (our game is flying aircraft, not sailing so that's were the money goes)
HPT
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Jonboy.
What do you want to achieve? If you want to scream around being a hooligan and hiding behind trees or waves then the forces is the place to go, however if you want ultimatley to end up in the commercial sector then why not approach one of the offshore companies for CPL/H sponsorship.
It's a bit limited at the moment but worth a try none the less. You'll do more flying and the training is as good although with a different emphasis. The flying is every bit as demanding albeit in different areas.
If you want to live in a muddy puddle or a tin can then the military is the place to go but if you want to fly helicopters commercialy in the long term then why not start the way you mean to go on.
What do you want to achieve? If you want to scream around being a hooligan and hiding behind trees or waves then the forces is the place to go, however if you want ultimatley to end up in the commercial sector then why not approach one of the offshore companies for CPL/H sponsorship.
It's a bit limited at the moment but worth a try none the less. You'll do more flying and the training is as good although with a different emphasis. The flying is every bit as demanding albeit in different areas.
If you want to live in a muddy puddle or a tin can then the military is the place to go but if you want to fly helicopters commercialy in the long term then why not start the way you mean to go on.
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RAF Helo pilots losers?
I don't actually think so - at a rough count there's 3 or 4 4-star Air marshals, 4 0r 5 2-stars (including the Commander of the JHC) and boxes of 1-stars and gp capts who are helo pilots.
Probably more than the other 2 services put together.....
But seriously Jonboy - military is the way to go, and probably in some shade of blue. So goforit and best of luck.
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tee-head
I don't actually think so - at a rough count there's 3 or 4 4-star Air marshals, 4 0r 5 2-stars (including the Commander of the JHC) and boxes of 1-stars and gp capts who are helo pilots.
Probably more than the other 2 services put together.....
But seriously Jonboy - military is the way to go, and probably in some shade of blue. So goforit and best of luck.
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tee-head
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Hey hey
thanks for all the replies....yet again the path is confused and complicated. I am 27yrs so as far as I know RAF and Navy are out the proverbable....? For the one in the know who reckons its better to "start as you meanto go on": I'd prefer to be PAID rather than PAY. Apart from that, thanks for all the feedback. Its refreshing to know there are people out there who seem to care and take the time to reply to gromet wannabes like myself!! I'll let y'all know what happens.
Cheers Jonboy
thanks for all the replies....yet again the path is confused and complicated. I am 27yrs so as far as I know RAF and Navy are out the proverbable....? For the one in the know who reckons its better to "start as you meanto go on": I'd prefer to be PAID rather than PAY. Apart from that, thanks for all the feedback. Its refreshing to know there are people out there who seem to care and take the time to reply to gromet wannabes like myself!! I'll let y'all know what happens.
Cheers Jonboy
