Classic British Flight Sim

Robin wrote:I have been looking into the Army Air Corps for a bit and am quite tempted!

Army Air Corps? Is it that desperate?

You mean is the Army Air Corps that desperate that they will have me??!

On a serious note, I messed around at school and still fancy hanging out of helicopters. This may enable me to do that still. Maybe.

How's things with you anyway Tom?

Robin, there has always been a rivalry between the RAF support helicopter fleet and the AAC. In the 80's we had to keep clear of the AAC pan next door, so we did not blow away their smaller aircraft we called 'toys'. Nowadays with the AH-64 things are a little different.

As far as I know, unless you are one of the very few who could get a direct entry into the AAC as an officer (A levels or a degree), you will not be able to be more than an 'aircraft hand' as an other rank. You will be able to apply for aircrew after a year or so, but the competition is very, very tough. You could end up as an army 'mudplugger' which does not look like too much fun if you want to fly.

We had a Puma crewman who actually transfered to the AAC to train as a pilot, the drawback was, he would have to go into the army as a Private and remain that way until a Pilot training slot was available (about a year). However, I think it was a wise choice, he retired as a Major!

In the RAF, getting into helicopters is a matter of luck, you cannot join any branch or trade that you know will see you 'mucking about' on helicopters. The Navy is possibly the best bet there, they are almost out of fixed wing aircraft, so the chances are better.

Careers chat over :kissu:

No Robin, i'm saying the AAC is a last resort for you! Aim high first, then head down to the bottom...Police Observer

Calypsos is right about the different routes. I don't think I personally would ever go for pilot in the forces with the work I'm doing now. I might do it in the civvy world and get my private license.

As for work at the mo, tis all good. Enjoyed some gunnery in south Wales today, got my dates for Iraq (Which in a selfish fashion, I'm VERY excited about!) and just enjoying getting to know the crews.

Here's to another 8 1/2 (Maybe 18 1/2) years of flying

Good luck with Iraq Tom, I do not envy any of you guys anymore. Seems like only yesterday we were advising you on what to say at your selection board :roll:

As to the 8.5 years are you still enjoying time promotion, or is it case of competing for vacant F/S and Master AC slots nowadays?

In the 70's and 80's it was FS after 6 years substansive Sgt and MALM after another 8 to 10 years. It make a big difference with the pension if you can reach WO rank at 22 years. I knew an old salt who was one of the very first AQM's in the RAF, he had been flying as an acting Sgt (no flying badge) for 5 years on Hastings and Brits, the day they made the trade of AQM a proper trade, he went from substansive Cpl (in the suppy trade) to FS aircrew in a day and MAQM a month after that, I think even the WW2 bomber crews could not beat that quick promotion. I also hear the commisioning is no longer on the cards for ALM and AE members of the 'half wing' club. Do you have LM (crewmen/women) leaders still or has that gone out of the window too?

I hope you have also moved on from the dear old GMPG with your gunnery, we used to blast away with those at airshows (using blanks I hasten to add), it sounded (and smelt) great from the aircarft, however we learnt that it could not be heard from the audience on the ground, due to the overall noise coming from the aircraft!

I hope you have also moved on from the dear old GMPG with your gunnery, we used to blast away with those at airshows (using blanks I hasten to add), it sounded (and smelt) great from the aircarft, however we learnt that it could not be heard from the audience on the ground, due to the overall noise coming from the aircraft!

Get yourself an M3M, 1000RPM of .50 cal makes all kinds of noise. More if you can get the HE rounds!

In the 70's and 80's it was FS after 6 years substansive Sgt and MALM after another 8 to 10 years. It make a big difference with the pension if you can reach WO rank at 22 years.

Interesting read Trev, when at Scampton in the 70's there was a flight sergeant air traffic controller, he had served as a pilot in the fifties and still wore his flying brevet (wings).


Good luck for Iraq Tom, keep safe.

Nigel.

calypsos wrote:As to the 8.5 years are you still enjoying time promotion, or is it case of competing for vacant F/S and Master AC slots nowadays?

All about empty posts now, usually do a stint as an acting flight or master and then hopefully prove yourself to be good enough to take on the rank.

I also hear the commisioning is no longer on the cards for ALM and AE members of the 'half wing' club. Do you have LM (crewmen/women) leaders still or has that gone out of the window too?

No commissioning for senior nco aircrew for the time being, the man who was badgering to bring it back had to...leave

Crewman (Its crewman, not crewlady! You need to see Anchorman to get that quote ;-) ) leaders still exsist, just not really in the title form anymore, but we know who they are

I hope you have also moved on from the dear old GMPG with your gunnery

Nope, the STOPPAGE! machine is still fresh and good!

As a serving police officer and working on a police helicopter I find this quite alarming that a police force should look to replacing officers with people off the street.
I hear you call.."jobs for the boys" and all that, yep your dead right. I wont go into plastic police officers i.e. CPSO's and the like, so they get bobbies on the beat for half the price .. but pay cheap buy twice comes to mind... No offence meant to anyone who is a CPSO .
But I have in my control police officers who may be on a dangerous high speed pursuit, they may be searching for a voilent offender in gardens, they may be looking for the old lady who has wandered off in the cold winters evening from home confused and lost.
They turn to us to help them, they rely on our years of experience as a police officer to help them avoid danger and comebacks, the rely on us to give them top cover and arrange urgent help should the need arise.
They know that when we give them instructions its not out of a training manual, read a few weeks before but from the heart and head of an experienced officer who has been in their position and done the same job.
If the army were to suddenly state come and join us we are looking for civil pilots for the Appache, the RAF asks for joe blogs to come off the street and fly the Tornado, but hey don't worry you will get a 3 week training course then have all this high tech stuff to use!!! Imagine the outcry.
Oh and they offer such high wages!!! sorry but they are going down the old route as always ... Soon there will be no bobbies left, but then again the Home secretary will have no oppostion to her piddley pay offers!
Oh and by the way.. I work 12 hour shifts with no recognised lunch break, a job comes in I go. I don't moan as thats the way it is we are there to help and assist part of the job, Police Staff..well they HAVE to have their lunch break by union rules, so that means at least once in every shift the chopper cant play as its dinner time!
Sorry for the moan but I get real p*ssed off by these things . :@

Thats wierd Tony....We in the London Ambulance Service are getting the same thing at the moment....

We have Paramedics and Emergency Medical technicians (EMT's) and now we are getting ESW's...

Emergency Support Workers to drive our ambulances with no training in life saving skills....At half the wages....

Will lives be lost.....we will have to wait and see....gets my goat on issues like this....all about cost cutting....

Tony