RAF Requirements

[MadduckUK]

Well everyone has their dream jobs and if that job is a fast jet pilot then its a fast jet pilot

99Flake thanks very much for that information. It was very helpful. Well i emailed RAF but i have got a failed notice sent back so it didnt send

so you cant have your dream, and rather than the next best thing you go of and be an investment banker?

[neonplanet40]

Well i think tis mroe that he wouldnt be interested in any other role. he said if he doesnt get in that he will go on and do aeronautical engineering.

If it was me and i couldnt get the job i wanted then i wouldnt settle for something different as i would not have the same motivation.

Neon

[99Flake]

If it was me and i couldnt get the job i wanted then i wouldnt settle for something different as i would not have the same motivation.

Neon

Exactly how I felt, especially as you get so deflated and demoralized. It felt like such kick in the balls that the idea of anything else was unthinkable, I just wanted to do something different by then. Stupid mistake made in a hurry due to anger and confusion.

I would personally send him off to the nearest careers office, speak to someone in the know. He will learn far more that way and it looks good as he made the effort.

[neonplanet40]

Yea thats what he is doing. He just asked me to check the net first. His exams finish in a week then he is going down to see whats what.

Ty for your help guys

was much appreciated as always!

Neon

[GeorgeTuk]

I think thats the aim of the latest adverts, there is much more to the RAF than meets the eyes.

Most pilots are 'selected' by way of being at certain universities and studying related subjects but that is not the case for everyone. Also I think they tell most people straight away they will no be pilots to avoid getting the hopes up, its a very highly skilled job that requires alot of theory like maths and physics.

Being a fighter pilot or not at all is a waste of talent, I mean look at other the other roles that are equally as interesting...Nimrod Pilot for anti-submarine stuff. Or a Bombardier Sentinel R1. Or a Hercules.

[YorkieBen]

It's not height that's the problem!

It's the length of your thigh bone. My housemate at uni wanted to fly apache helicopters and couldn't because if he had to eject it would have taken his kneecaps off... ew.

He's out in Iraq at the mo though, so I can't ask till he's back

tigg someone's got their wires crossed...

you cant eject out of an apache helicopter due to the rotors in the way.... (unless its a recent development)

my mate is flying helis in the RAF at the moment (chinooks I think?) and loving it, as he said when he gets out he can go straight into the commercial helicopter market.

[Zak33]

Fast jets......go gettem

Height restrictions are only relevent after they're strapped allsorts of stuff you to you to see if your heart is strong AND steady enough.

I know two lads who were rejected for irregualr heart beats, G force being a major issue.

But if he's that tall, he knows what low oxygen levels are like so he's one up already.

Seriosly though...lots of jet pilots are under 6 foot because thats a lot of blood to keep in your head in a tight turn.

But....thats about 5 years away....he's gotta be one smart cookie and very very keen. Very.

I think only being a Vet is harder to make it into, intelligence wise (not a combat vet....)

[Gerrard]

If I see a pilot at work tonight I'll ask him. I work with a few quite tall pilots, but then I'm only 5'10", so they might only be 6'! As Tig correctly said, it's also the length of your femur that's also important for the reasons stated (although not on an apache...). I am not 100% certain, but I don't think you can decide on what type of pilot you want to be until you have completed part of your course, at which point there may be no backing out for a few years. Was certainly true for the aircrew I trained with. Some wanted to be mini-gunners on Chinnooks, but wouldn't find out until after they had done their trade training, and could end up sat in an AWACS instead!

As has been said before, go into the AFCO and see what's what. Depsite saying they urgently needing pilots on the website, competition is extremely stiff, and with the amount of applicants/positions, they can actually be very picky. Obviously, if you have had asthma or hayfever, then you will not be eligable.

That's another thing, when you leave the RAF, being a heli or multi-engined transporter pilot may well lend to a better career prospect. But then, when you've earnt that much and have the pension they do, it might not matter!

[tiggerai]

tigg someone's got their wires crossed...

you cant eject out of an apache helicopter due to the rotors in the way.... (unless its a recent development)

my mate is flying helis in the RAF at the moment (chinooks I think?) and loving it, as he said when he gets out he can go straight into the commercial helicopter market.

Can we tell I'm still ill this week... DUH ME!

That was definitely the reason my Housemate couldn't fly anyway... maybe it was apaches he wanted to fly and i was getting very confused. He's a Comms officer now and loving it.

[Whiternoise]

you cant eject out of an apache helicopter due to the rotors in the way.... (unless its a recent development)

Don't you eject sideways or something?

I'm fairly sure there was a chopper somewhere that blew the rotors before ejecting the pilots.

[RavenNight]

Yeah the rotors have detonators so they fly off and you eject up like on a fighter.

[Gerrard]

Don't you eject sideways or something?

I'm fairly sure there was a chopper somewhere that blew the rotors before ejecting the pilots.

The Russians did experiment with sideway ejections, but found too many broken necks resulted! However, I believe their "Alligator", contra-rotating helicopter does indeed have explosive cartridges that blow the blades off before ejecting. I would guess having a similiar system on a standard Sikorsky helicopters would result in a extreme tailspin caused by the still-attached anti-torque rotor.

Anyway, I'm afraid I couldn't get hold of a pilot tonight as I was stuck 15 feet up changing a tail light when they came in. Chances are they wouldn't have known/remembered the requirements.

[Moby-Dick]

dont some of the big old planes have downward facing ejection seats ? ( not a great idea if you are doing anything low level though ... )

[Gerrard]

The F104 Starfighter initially had a downward ejection system. I believe this was because they couldn't ensure the pilot would clear the fin if fired upwards. Later, the improvements in AAES meant it was possible to eject a pilot upwards quick enough and safe enough to clear the fin.

[YorkieBen]

Don't you eject sideways or something?

I'm fairly sure there was a chopper somewhere that blew the rotors before ejecting the pilots.

the only one I believe is a ruskie helicopter, a kamov something. The apache cant eject pilots


anyway, he'd have a job getting trained - due to budgetary pressures we are training alot less pilots

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...08/nraf108.xml

[Whiternoise]

Ejecting down would be a bugger if your chute opened right under the plane though