Transferring from AAC to RAF?

[ryanp16]

Sorry if this isn't in the right place.

Right, just wondering about something. Would be hypothetically possible to transfer
as a pilot from the Army Air Corp to the RAF flying helicopters?

Also wondering, would it be possible to transfer to the RAF and become a fast-jet pilot even if one was
over the general recruitment age?


​Thanks!

 

[FOMz]

Sorry if this isn't in the right place.

Right, just wondering about something. Would be hypothetically possible to transfer
as a pilot from the Army Air Corp to the RAF flying helicopters?

Also wondering, would it be possible to transfer to the RAF and become a fast-jet pilot even if one was
over the general recruitment age?


​Thanks!

If you were a commisioned AAC pilot, you may be able to transfer your commision, and I believe you will still have to go through CFS. I know of an ex-AAC guy who is now a C130 pilot. If you were an NCO pilot though... different kettle of fish completely. You would need to go through OASC, IOT then CFS....

 

[ryanp16]

For the sake of this argument we'll assume commissioned officer pilot.

Was your friend over the age limit of 26 to apply directly as an airman?

 

[Warwick Hunt]

There are some possible barriers to your defection from Teeny-weeny Airways to us, namely:

1) Your age - Pilots aren't being recruited at the moment, well not in the short term anyway. As you are probably aware, the cut-off age for Pilot is to be in training by the time you're 26. As has already been alluded to, there are ex-AAC flyers now in the RAF. However, this would have been pre-SDSR. A few years ago, the RAF may have taken a punt on you as you already have experience (the RAF raise the entry age limit to 31 for NCA to become Pilots as they have flying experience). Nowadays, with recruiting into the RAF being very buoyant - once the door opens for Pilots again, they will more than likely be inundated again - they may not be so willing to open the door for you. This is happening with some of the ground branches where the amount of serving airmen and transferees into those branches is limited (or cut off completely) as Branch Sponsors know they won't get a full career out of them.

2) The Army themselves - It has never been easy for soldiers to transfer to us in the past. RCMOs have been known to be very unwilling to let their men come over in the past and have been a major barrier to the transfer system. It's not impossible and has been done plenty of times but it is not easy. Even in these times when the Army are looking to get rid of people, are you in a branch that they are looking at retaining people in (I haven't seen the redundancy quotas for the Army)? If so, that will also add to the difficulties.

The best thing you can do is at least apply. Call the RAF recruiting hotline (the number is on the website) and speak to the operatives who will anser your questions, especially WRT availability of the Pilot branch. Assuming your RCMO allows a transfer and the RAF will waive your age, you will have to go through OASC again (the aptitude scores for AAC aren't as high as they are for the RAF as we select all Pilots as having the ability to be FJ, whereas the AAC score is based on the ability to fly RW only (FYI, also the same score for RAF NCA)). After that will be IOT for 32 weeks, followed by flying training.

Good luck.