I want to be a Jet Pilot in the RAAF (1 Viewer)

[robyatt]

As the title suggests, I want to be a jet pilot in the air force, I'm currently in year 11 and go to Fort Street HS. I have some questions though:
1. Is it hard to become a Jet Pilot? (I heard it was very hard and the Air Force is very selective of their pilots)
2. Will i need to have done Cadets or something else prior to joining

 

[corzacollymore]

Do you wear glasses?

 

[Kittikhun]

All I know about being a jet pilot is from hearsay, so don't take what I have to say as established facts.

1). Yes, extremely difficult. You will be flying planes that cost millions of dollars to buy and maintain, so they will be selective. You will need to be of the highest medical fitness to deal with the stresses of flying a plane that can impart a lot of G force, intelligent, disciplined, adaptable, honest, and extremely motivated.
2). I don't think so, but it would help if you did in order to make yourself stand out from the hundreds or even thousands of other applicants that apply each year.

 

[Squar3root]

All I know about being a jet pilot is from hearsay, so don't take what I have to say as established facts.

1). Yes, extremely difficult. You will be flying planes that cost millions of dollars to buy and maintain, so they will be selective. You will need to be of the highest medical fitness to deal with the stresses of flying a plane that can impart a lot of G force, intelligent, disciplined, adaptable, honest, and extremely motivated.
2). I don't think so, but it would help if you did in order to make yourself stand out from the hundreds or even thousands of other applicants that apply each year.

are you reasonably sure. A friend of mine doing aviation at UNSW already has a job lined up in the RAAF and he's not that special

 

[Kittikhun]

Quite sure. He probably has been accepted to become a pilot, so that means he could fly any plane in the RAAF according his results during training. Or he could have been accepted to become an officer in the RAAF with no function as a pilot. But yeah, becoming a jet fighter pilot is extremely difficult and selective, especially in regards to medical fitness in order to handle those extreme g-forces when necessary.

 

[Crown14]

G'day mate,

I was/am much the same as you. Wanted to become an Air Force pilot for ages. Still an option. Anyway, From your position, the next step is to apply for ADFA where they will pay for you to study a university degree while training you to become an Air Force Pilot. Now to the bloke who said its very selective because you're flying planes which cost a lot to maintain and buy, think you're being a little naive, he is right that there is a fair bit of work you have to do for you to achieve your goal, but whether you become an Air Force Pilot or not is completely down to how motivated you are. The Government is very happy to aid with this motivation by offering $40'000 every year you study, in the exchange for the amount of years you study for + 1 more, so if you study at uni for 4 years, you have a compulsory service of 5 years.

Hope this Helps!!

 

[D94]

G'day mate,

I was/am much the same as you. Wanted to become an Air Force pilot for ages. Still an option. Anyway, From your position, the next step is to apply for ADFA where they will pay for you to study a university degree while training you to become an Air Force Pilot. Now to the bloke who said its very selective because you're flying planes which cost a lot to maintain and buy, think you're being a little naive, he is right that there is a fair bit of work you have to do for you to achieve your goal, but whether you become an Air Force Pilot or not is completely down to how motivated you are. The Government is very happy to aid with this motivation by offering $40'000 every year you study, in the exchange for the amount of years you study for + 1 more, so if you study at uni for 4 years, you have a compulsory service of 5 years.

Hope this Helps!!

To some extent. A Pilot is an officer, and therefore a leader. Someone can be greatly motivated, but still be a poor leader. Whether the RAAF still wants them to be a pilot is their judgement, but they may find it hard to command the respect of their subordinates.

 

[Kittikhun]

G'day mate,

I was/am much the same as you. Wanted to become an Air Force pilot for ages. Still an option. Anyway, From your position, the next step is to apply for ADFA where they will pay for you to study a university degree while training you to become an Air Force Pilot. Now to the bloke who said its very selective because you're flying planes which cost a lot to maintain and buy, think you're being a little naive, he is right that there is a fair bit of work you have to do for you to achieve your goal, but whether you become an Air Force Pilot or not is completely down to how motivated you are. The Government is very happy to aid with this motivation by offering $40'000 every year you study, in the exchange for the amount of years you study for + 1 more, so if you study at uni for 4 years, you have a compulsory service of 5 years.

Hope this Helps!!

I don't mean to be a dick, but a few points:
-Australia only has 40-50 fighter jets, and there are probably hundreds and thousands of other applicants each year applying for those few spots to become a fighter pilot. Even if you do get in the RAAF, you're going to go through extensive medical and pilot tests to qualify you as a jet fighter pilot before you actually fly a fighter jet plane. You may even be deemed unsuitable due to a small medical issue--my year advisor at high school was refused during the application stage because he broke his forearm or something when he was little. Apparently, this means he could not handle the G-forces when flying the F111 or F18.
-The turnover rate is quite high. It costs $50 000 an hour just to pay for the fuel of an F18 Super hornet to keep it up in the air, so you're only going to fly around 4 hours each week, so some pilots leave the RAAF to join the commercial airline pilot industry once their ROSO is finished instead of staying on.
-the ROSO is actually around 14 years if get accepted as a jet pilot, I think, not 5. 5 years is only for those roles which have a high turnover rate and don't cost a lot in terms of training, such as in Transport or in Logistics.
-I do agree, however, that ADFA would be the best pathway to take if you wish to become a fighter pilot. Apply for it in year 11, and if you do get accepted, study aeronautical engineering, and you should then become a very competitive candidate for fighter jet pilot training.

Now, I'm not saying you should give up, don't. Take that risk and go for it, you never know, you might actually get it. All I'm saying is that you're going to have to work really hard now on to try to become a jet fighter pilot. Do things to make you stand out. Get excellent marks at school, do sport, volunteer, undertake pilot training if possible (I assure you, there will be other motivated candidates who have plenty of flying hours experience competing with you), learn as much as you can about the RAAF, and try not to get yourself physically or mentally hurt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DZ061GVExs

All the best.

 

[EpaX]

Hey guys, just on the topic of piloting, I need some feedback:
I'm a year 12 student want to be a commercial pilot but I don't want to do the B Aviation (Flying) course at UNSW because:

1. The course is specifically for pilot training, so there may not be as many job prospects for me after Uni in the event that I can't find a job as a pilot
2. The ATAR requirement for the course is only around 80, and I'm expecting an ATAR of 98+
3. I'm a cadet of an aviation organisation and have already gained ~10 hours flight experience (with fee rates at half the price of normal flying schools)

What I'm planning to do instead is do the B Engineering (Aeronautical) course at UNSW or USyd (ATAR 91) instead as a backup course, whilst also continuing flying training with cadets. I could get my CPL from training with cadets, and meanwhile the Engineering degree would provide me with further skills and knowledge in the aviation field that could help me as a pilot; it would also provide a good opportunity for me to become an aeronautical engineer in the event that I can't find a job as a pilot.

So what do you guys think?

 

[cub3root]

Hey guys, just on the topic of piloting, I need some feedback:
I'm a year 12 student want to be a commercial pilot but I don't want to do the B Aviation (Flying) course at UNSW because:

1. The course is specifically for pilot training, so there may not be as many job prospects for me after Uni in the event that I can't find a job as a pilot
2. The ATAR requirement for the course is only around 80, and I'm expecting an ATAR of 98+
3. I'm a cadet of an aviation organisation and have already gained ~10 hours flight experience (with fee rates at half the price of normal flying schools)

What I'm planning to do instead is do the B Engineering (Aeronautical) course at UNSW or USyd (ATAR 91) instead as a backup course, whilst also continuing flying training with cadets. I could get my CPL from training with cadets, and meanwhile the Engineering degree would provide me with further skills and knowledge in the aviation field that could help me as a pilot; it would also provide a good opportunity for me to become an aeronautical engineer in the event that I can't find a job as a pilot.

So what do you guys think?

aero enigneers still have trouble finding jobs relating to aero

 

[theodore0307]

If you do physics it will boost your chance of becoming one

 

[avhead]

I've just gotten off a high recommendation from Flight Screening, feel free to PM me for some info.