Sign On: No Reputable Overseas Degree, So No General Rank?

slayercsa SG

Hi. I asking this question on behalf of a friend.

My friend right now is a poly diploma holder, with a slot reserve for him in the local unis. He pass the first few stages of the pilot test, and is currently awaitng for enlistment before going overseas for training to become a qualified pilot.

As a RSAF pilot, what will be his pinnacle rank? He want to become a BG, but as far as I know, you need to be SAFSO scholar in order to become at least a colonel (do correct me if I am wrong here). His poly results are not excellent, hence he is not able to clinch it. As a result, is there any other possible path to become a BG? How about a scholarship after his uni studies?

Else, what will be his rank progression like if he dont have a scholarship?

likeyou SG

If I have a son like yr friend, I will encourage my son to take up/sign up. A good opportunity to be a elite pilot.

tarutaru SG

Pilots are rare and if you are a fighter pilot even more rare so if u can qualify why not?

slayercsa SG

hmm... i dont think pilot and fighter pilot matters?

going to be a col/bg requires you to show your thinking and management skills, so ur flying skills not an accurate testimonial. So I guess the type of pilot u are dont matter much?

Ye. He pursuing his aim to be a pilot, but he's kinda disappointed cause he wish to be a BG, or at least a colonel. His results are decent, but not elite. So just trying to find out for him if farmer can become bg not..

tarutaru SG

hmm... i dont think pilot and fighter pilot matters?

going to be a col/bg requires you to show your thinking and management skills, so ur flying skills not an accurate testimonial. So I guess the type of pilot u are dont matter much?

If u are not a scholar, u must be so good in everything to be a BG.......a pilot can go all the way to MAJ at least most of them maybe even LTC or COL

Fcukpap SG

simply, if u r the SON of A PUBLIC DIGNITARY....NO PROBLEM LA

ditzy SG

BG no need to know how to fly planes, most importantly, they need to know how to manage people and resources. If a BG cannot do management, he can fly the death star and no one would give a shit.

Fatum SG

small boy .....

first get enlisted, then pass your BMT, then get your kit kat bars, then your wings ......

if you can do all that without langa-ing, then you start worrying about how many crabs or stars you can get eh .....

Fcukpap SG

simply, if u r the SON of A PUBLIC DIGNITARY....NO PROBLEM LA

TooFree SG

Study hard for your university.

dechang SG

think so much for what..

maybe he won't even b able to pass through 3 months bmt..

DRC SG

Wait for him to pass his flight school first in Australia . Which have a super high failling rate of 87%

Assume he can get his training wings he will go to 3 areas

1) Fighter pilot ( best of the best)

2) Aircraft transport pilot

3) helicopter pilot

Even during his air unit stint he might not get his wings cos there are many things that the trainer look out for and he might get grounded.

My advise before looking at rank, get your wings first.

Hint : flying your training aircaft 10cm too near your wing man can cos you to get kick out of flying school. Refusing any order also get kick out

stellazio SG

only 1 general in the airforce isn't a pilot if im not wrong..and that is Comd Adoc.

but then again to be a general you gotta be a scholar..

most farmers usually get up to LTC or super super rarely Colonel in the airforce..

sir_peanuts SG

i read before that in the whole SAF there are about 40 generals, and it's too many for a force of this size. given there are 3 or 4 SAFOS every year, there should be at least twice as many SAFOS around at any one time (in service). with a higher CEP policy dictates that they be given the chance first.

i would say realistically, very very hard. you have to be superhuman to attain it.

insidestory SG

There are tons of farmers in the whole of the civil service, not just the SAF with local degrees. So your friend doesn't quite have any command of differentiation. Like someone aptly said, you can fly the death star and won't get past COL rank if you are deemed not intelligent enough. Management of the armed forces goes way beyond the technical skills possessed by technical vocations like MOs and pilots.

This is the reason the estab for chief medical corp is just BG, and I don't think every single one of the past chiefs of air force were pilots. Soooo..getting to be a pilot doesn't bring one close to becoming BG. There are tons of pilots compared to the number of people with calibre high enough to be earmarked for general. Most of the pilots do retire at MAJ or LTC, and this is quite independent of their qualifications if they are good pilots. There are diploma holder pilots who are LTC and local uni farmer pilots who leave as MAJ.

The pilots who are farmers do earn quite well for their level of intellect because Air force pilots still earn far more than most jobs in the private sector with the same level of qualifications and calibre. This is a fact.

So tell your friend not to have such pompous dreams. If (and that's a big IF) he manages to go through the entire selection process which no one can be sure of, as someone has said earlier, he is only at the beginning of the road, and face a >70% probability of getting axed along the way.

I personally know about 5 guys who were axed by the pilot training and went off feeling very sore and bitter against the SAF. Till today they are still telling everyone how they're doing so well as sales men and property agents despite getting axed by the pilot programme. They're carrying a lot of baggage, I always advise them to seek counselling. I hope your friend doesn't go that way if he does get axed. Back to your friend, I'm sure many people in Timbuktu also wish they could become the President of the United States.

Btw, there is no difference between a farmer who went the poly route or JC route to university, so tell your friend NOT TO EVER feel inferior to a JC grad farmer who went to local university. In fact, there is hardly even any difference between a local university farmer (whether from JC or poly) and a poly grad with no degree.