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Is 26 to old to join the AAC?

Nah, go for it dude! The Air Corps has lost enough decent men at this stage to resist taking on the elderly. Just don't be suprised if you get renamed 'Grandad' on your transfer/enlistment. Crack on and enjoy rebulks and crossbulks. It's a great smell and the chicks dig it.
 
So out of date I'm almost afraid to post.

However, to get out of an unwelcome posting, I volunteered for pilot training. To everyone's surprise I was accepted and went off to Wallop. I was 28 years and 9 months of age. (Oh! too old; You'll never get through; 29 is the top year for failing; wah! wah! wah!). This was from the aviators presumably exercising their leadership skills and enhancing my confidence. A civilian clerk weighed in as he 'marched' me into my quarter. "Don't order too much coal", the unpleasant bastard advised.

Never forgotten that!

They tried every which way to fail me. On 'review' at every stage. Given all the most awful instructors (I could name them) and had the good ones taken away to 'help' other so-called strugglers. One of these instructors used to teach me whilst holding his f'ing dog in his arms!! (He is, sadly, now dead, the instructor that is - died in a collision twixt two helicoptors).
I passed out and annoyed the AAC by flying for the next eleven years without an accident!

Couldn't stand it after eleven years and left to join a proper regiment!
If you really want to - do it, and never, ever, even think of giving in!
 
Someone has to do the groundie job so let's not put applicants off but o needed more and left after 10 years of being 'nothing'. The army set me up but I regret not being a para. If ur a pilot then the AAC rocks. I failed my pilot selection and it was then that I knew I had no future in the corps. With two new sons now, I'd rather they packed shelves at Argos than joined the Army Air Corps.
 
I think all Groundies join up with the dream of being pilots, that soon gets stamped on! Never met such a divided Corps. Go join the RAF on SAR, its still helicopters!
 
I think all Groundies join up with the dream of being pilots, that soon gets stamped on! Never met such a divided Corps. Go join the RAF on SAR, its still helicopters!


If you want to underachieve then yep join the RAF as a SARboy-******.

Divided Corps? As in Aircrew v Groundcrew? In my experience its not the case (most of the time). If it is the case then it will be down to the lack of NCO pilot recruitment the AAC seems to have been doing for the past few years. Result is lots of DE officers not having the errr 'calming' influence of SNCOs ;-)

Generally speaking, the Corps is far less divided than the crabs of the navy.
 
I think all Groundies join up with the dream of being pilots, that soon gets stamped on! Never met such a divided Corps. Go join the RAF on SAR, its still helicopters!


Utter shite

There is more encouragement to go pilot than ever now.

As for "go RAF on SAR" why? Brilliant role but the RAF have been trying to bin it recently.

Are you SAR? Are you RAF? Unqualified advice I feel......


Send some time around an SH Squadron if you want to see an Aircrew Groundcrew devide
 
I doubt the op is going to read this anymore at 3 posts over 4 years ago. But for anyone else who might be interested, the beauty of AAC is that you can become a pilot without needing a commission. RAF, you have to be commission IIRC. Unless I am misinformed/full of shite let me know.

But the matter at hand was the op wanted to do it from soldier (i'm guessing due to lack of qualification). Would be interesting to see if he went for it or is still working in offices though...
 
oops! Here is my 4th post in 4 years......... i dont normally leave any posts at all. Guess this thread is just lucky! As for the AAC divide my 12 years in the Army 4 of which have been attached to the AAC, I CAN compare them to other units in the Army and can see the way that the divide is. Maybe that qualifies me to offer my opinion and advice to someone who is asking for it, maybe it doesn't! but you are getting it anyway!

Aircrew hate everyone and have enough arrogance that everyone hates them back.

The groundies hate the Techs because of their ability to have breakfast and pull their rank out of the cornflakes box.
The Techs think the groundies are thick ******* who didnt try hard enough at school, anyone left doesn't like tech's cos their main conversation is Warhammer. Everyone then hates all those who are attached as they know that they can get out of the ridiulous circus that is the Air Corps!

Hmmmm not particularly objective.

A snap shot of a specific unit during a specific time frame. Everyone can play the 'Good and Bad' unit game.

The whole of the Corps isnt like that, as we all know, units will change over time and personalities within those units will influence how the unit is to work in.

Annie98 - were you stuck in the Wattisham Triangle?
 
After 20 years of service with the Corps then I think I can give a accurate shot on the AAC.

It's no different to any other Army Regiment at present. G11 is on the money times change and the Army changes with time. I have seen a lot of changes during my time.

As for getting along, well you can sit in the boat and go with the flow... and it may be slow progress but if you want to get along a little quicker then some effort is required!

As with anything - give it a shot...what have you got to lose? Or else you will sit there in the future saying to yourself "I wonder what would of happened if I'd"......

2 years to push......Out to you.
 
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