Most Info Loaded: RSAF Pilot / WSO Applicants' Tips & Tricks

last SG · 2008-02-24T02:42:57+00:00

Why do you want to be a wso in a UAV? Wrong choice, like Kopi said, SIA.

del_co SG

If you are willing to spend 2 years for your Air Grading Course, Basic Wings and Advanced Wings and henceforth become a pilot, then go ahead and sign-on.

It's a 10 year contract btw.

The thing is, the drop-out rate is very high, especially in Air Grading Course. If you feel that dropping out is still okay, then you have no real passion in the job since you would have done anything to continue flying.Oh, did they tell you about the 10-day Jungle Survival Training for aircrew?

In any case, being a pilot is glamorous, being a fighter pilot is even more so. However, how many fighters are there to fly? In fact, some prefer fixed wing transport as they can crossover to SIA more easily.

As for signing on, please do consider it carefully especially prior to entering BMT or even OCS. This concerns 10 years of your future. Make sure that you weigh the pros and cons first.

Unlike you, I am a sign-on regular in the RSAF who just finished the Service Term of his Officer Cadet Course. And oh, I am not flying but those words above are just some of the concerns of my pilot trainee friends.

Good luck deciding. Take your time to decide if you want to be in the uniformed services. Use your common sense and senses to make the decision. Wish that you make an informed one.

so if i feel that dropping out is not ok i shldnt attempt it? you don't make cow sense. sir, where is all that "to lead, to excel and to overcome" spirit? i have considered it, and i've concluded i wldnt go cut my wrists and end my life. haha! and just like you i do haf frens who have gone thru that path, but unlike you, they aren't trainees. im pretty clear how shitty it is, even the waiting time can eat you up. btw if the RSAF suck so bad, then why did you sign on? and oh you can be sure i'd make an informed and common-sensed decision, my family members are in the force.

in every vocation, there are concerns. how old are you? do you think i am one of those kids who suddenly out of nowhere wanna be a "top gun cum tom cruise
pilot? i thank you for your good advice. but just to let you know, i'm 22 years old and i took a good 5 years since my yfc days to decide if i really want to pursue a career in the rsaf. i've heard shitty stories from yfc seniors to mates abt trainee life, so pls tell me if you really still think i buy that glamour shit? im sick and tired of ppl telling me to give it up, think hard...like c'mon, i'm 22. i've thought hard and long enough. i've bloody seriously thought for 5 hard years. did my goddamned homework. even when i dropped out of jc and i still thought about it...i've waited an extra 3 years compared to my syfc mates. they've completed their AJT in France/Canada. and where am i? a tekong-bound pre-enlistee. great! i noe the risks, and i noe the shit. and the commander of the flying training school has made sure of that. so thank you very much gentlemen. =)

sorry for being pretty uncouth, but enough is really enough. thank you.

Twincat SG

why did you drop out of jc?

del_co SG

why did you drop out of jc?

jc just wasn't for me.

walsly SG

del_co > chill man, no need to get so worked up

kopiosatu SG

hahaha, like that want to work in SAF?

del_co SG

sry man. was in a bad mood. and kopiosatu, thanks. you've got a point. perhaps i wun be able to take life in SAF. but then again, even in commercial world...there will always be ppl who wld chew you up. so then again, its not much of a difference. from wad i noe from family n frens, the only difference is tt u cant escape and quit the job in the SAF while u can do tt in the private sector. true? u know, you shld really tell me wad the hell is so bad wif the SAF compared to the private sector. you guys are always saying private sector is better and that i'd only noe why when i go army. surely you guys can tell me why.

Twincat SG

Ha ha, for a start...you do things that you don't like that have no significant many times day after day after day, and bend your principals like nothing on earth...

You are super multi-roled. you become a technician, care-giver, planner, teacher, typist, PR, technical advisor, target board, sniper, driver if have licence, errand boy, historian, story teller, tour guild, IT specialist, photographer, video-editor.

Just go ahead and ask kopio, he will be glad to fill you with the grim of life as a reg.

The reason why i ask why you quit JC, how would you know signing on is for you then?

kopiosatu SG

Ha ha, for a start...you do things that you don't like that have no significant many times day after day after day, and bend your principals like nothing on earth...

Just go ahead and ask kopio, he will be glad to fill you with the grim of life as a reg.

The reason why i ask why you quit JC, how would you know signing on is for you then?

tamade, like you cannot fill him in like that. lol~

del_co, in the commercial world... u work as a pilot, u are a pilot. i'm a technician, i should just be a technician.

in the military, u are a pilot, presenter, prostitute, sai kang warrior, wayang performer, AV club projector repair boy, yada yada yada... you really spent lots of time doing everything else which is "beneficial" to the organisation but when you look at it you'll be thinking "what the f*ck, its a waste of time". it is the organisation's way of saving money, instead of spending money on employing more people to handle the minor stuff. yet they like to give alot of money to the lazy worthless shitheads sitting way up on top.

there are pilots with only diplomas and what do they do? ground run... steady lah, fly a little bit but ground run alot. ground run don't clock anything, no extra money, just to see if the aircraft is serviceable or spoilt and to clock perspiration time under the sun.

too many pilots, too little time to fly, too little airspace

and if u wanna quit the job, u CAN'T! that makes u even more pissed knowing that you have to go through the entire shit and you can't do anything about it.

so to sum it all up for you

1) you're not paid to do your primary job, you're paid to do many jobs and your performance is based on those insignificant jobs.

2) you can't quit when you realise you hate the place, which is as early as the day you start military life OR when you start your unit life.

honestly, training life is the best.

del_co SG

hey guys, thanks very much. yeah, the saf pays you one dollar and make you do 5 dollar job. oh well...sighs. i'm in quite a difficult position.

Twincat SG

kopiosatu

wahaha you are more vocal mah...more ever you are closer to pilot so more relevant exp...i giving up talking about hw it feels like inside liao, so depressing...

walsly SG

del_co> don't worry man, give it a serious thought. you still got like a few wks more to your enlistment right? better than me loh, i next thurs going in liao... ji tao steammm

16/f/lonely SG

del_co> don't worry man, give it a serious thought. you still got like a few wks more to your enlistment right? better than me loh, i next thurs going in liao... ji tao steammm

BMT was fun......

del_co SG

i going in 1 week after u go in lor. u school wad? anyway, i decided liao. shitty also no choice. i cant just give up. if my relatives can..den i better can. cannot let my dad down. however none of them in the airforce. they are either in the army or navy.

walsly SG

i bmtc school 1, you leh? aiya since you made up your mind alrdy just go for it. good luck !

cheeze SG

i think before you sign on you should already have found out what airforce life is like, which you have already heard.

some may think its good, same may be so jaded they think its bad. either way, nobody is going to point a gun to you head and force you to sign up. if you sign on the dotted line, you acknowledge that you want to be part of this so called 'good' or 'screwed up' organisation, depending on who you talk to. of course if you get your promotions on time, you don't get punished, condemned or whatever or do anything wrong u'll find that the place is 'good', however if you fall on the other side of the fence you might end up feeling alot of resentment. but military organisations are like that, whether it is in singapore or the rest of the world. they have one thing in common- they lack forgiveness should anything go wrong.

anyway the drop out rate is high simply because if you can't handle the jet, you better not be flying lest you end up killing yourself doing so,or worst case killing others as well. so take it with a pinch of salt, if you try and you fail, it may not be so bad after all. there may be better things to do with your life.

imagine you have a 10 yr contract, and u start having ill feelings 1 yr into the contract, you have another 9 painful years to go! and its basically a slap in your own face for signing the contract because u've already heard the pros and cons.

why dont' just make the best of it and enjoy yrself while working and then leave after 10 years. the grass may be greener elsewhere.

honestly speaking, the organisation may be far from ideal but there's ways and means to improve it, but it has to start from somewhere too right. and a jaded serviceman doesn't help the situation.

btw, i doubt' we have too many pilots. in fact i think there is lack of it thus the level of overwork.

dont' forget we're expanding our capabilities and missions, we need more people to spread the pain around. haha

del_co SG

alas a non-biased POV. yeah that's my exact sentiments. you're a pilot trainee now right?

cheeze SG

nope. not a pilot trainee any longer.

i'm one of those overworked guys you are discussing about.

del_co SG

nope. not a pilot trainee any longer.

i'm one of those overworked guys you are discussing about.

i see. i'm still waiting for medical results and i've got to qualify for OCS first before i even get to smell the contract, much less touch on the dotted line. i understand that the medical results are frigging long. 2 months on an average, and i've yet to complete bmt. so i guess i'd be using the bmt i haf to do the thinking.

cheeze SG

well i don't know how long the process takes nowadays but be patient.

u still got the bmt period to take time off to do your medical or interview or whatever.

so use the chances to 'slack'.

n when the recruitment officer comes to give talk, just go approach them and tell them ur situation cos thats what i did last time.

i did my medical and compass test during jc yr 2.. only left interview which they scheduled the following week following the approach i made to them.

kopiosatu SG

ah yes, but u also have to state that they like to punish and pick on the dumbest things.

jaded servicemen won't help because they screwed up that serviceman from the beginning. i went in, wanting to be in the military... but now it turns out with the 3G wayang, the pay doesn't justify my work.

ask my colleagues... all of them signed on, wanting to prove themselves... now, everyone is jaded. i have a senior who wanted to conver to be an officer, was siao on. now he totally switches off and in the past you would never hear "air force sux" come out of his mouth. he's even prepared to pay money to break his bond.

i don't mind pilots coming in. but i think there are not much experienced technicians left... besides, they are starting to commercialise, soon everything will be prepared by ST Aero uncles... got war or any humanitarian effort, ho sey liao.

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