Few Questions.

Hello RR,

Just passed my RT on Wednesday to join the RN as an officer in the FAA so I've got my sift interview coming up soon. What I really want to join as is a Sea King Mk 4 pilot. So, here are my questions:-

• From reading the RN website, it appears that each of the four 'Junglie' NASs play different roles. So really would just like conformation that this is the case (sorry if this seems to be a really stupid question!). And if this is the case, do you have any say on what NAS you join? (846 NAS seems the most appealing from reading the RN website).
• Due to wanting to join one of the squadrons supporting the RM Commandos, does this mean that I will have to have an in-depth understanding of the Corps for my sift interview? When I was spoken to about the sift interview by someone at the AFCO I wasn't told to learn anything about the RM but just wondered if I may be asked questions about them when I express my interest in joining a 'Junglie' NAS.
• Will I need to know as much about the Lynx and the Merlin as I do about the Sea King if I say in the interview that that is what I am most interested in piloting?
• And finally, is anything else I will need to know other than about the ships of the fleet and their names/types/roles/etc?

Thanks in advance for any feedback I get =) .

James.

 

James, first off Good luck with the interview as to your questions...

The 4 Junglie Squadrons are used in the following ways:

845 / 846 are the 2 mainstay SK4 Sqns that provide medium lift to 3 CDO Bde, along with various other taskings.

847 (Lynx Mk7/9 )are primarily used in the Light Role, roles are surveillance, limited pax move and other bits and bobs. No Anti tank since they took TOW away..quite a lot of RM Pilots.

848 are the Training Sqn where you will be taught all you need to know about Front line work, they also have other tasks that are seperate from the training side.

I've been away from VL for a while so things may have changed..

 

• 
  
  Yeah, learn as much as you can about ALL the aircraft the RN fly, you might not get streamed for junglie, and you might not even get the chance to be streamed at all if you fluff the sift interview due to lack of knowledge!

 

Blimey! A set of intelligent, well thought out, questions from a Newbie.

Good luck James.

SF

 

James

At the moment 845 and 846 have very similar tasking and that is to support the ground troops in Afghanistan. A friend of mine is a pilot with 845 and is due to go out there for a second time in Feb 09. Although he wanted to be a Sk4 pilot he didnt have much say in the matter as nearly all new pilots are streamed that way anyway at the moment as that is the area of greatest need. You get no say in squadon but as I said 845 and 846 are pretty much the same anyway and after a tour with 845 you get sent to 846! One thing he was asked at the AIB was to explain the principles of rotary wing flight - ie you need to know about the collective and cyclic controls and what they do and how they interact with the tail rotor. As for knowledge of the Corps I suggest you need to know the circumstances under which you might be involved in getting Royal ashore - which ships you might do this from etc and some idea of the capability of the landing force.


I would suggest that all you need to know about the Lynx and the Merlin is their role and some idea of their capability and a rough idea of where thay are deployed. Remember it is you the person that really counts in these interviews and your POTENTIAL not how much info you've managed to stuff into your brain!

You asked the best set of questions I've ever seen from a newbie - please dont hestitate to ask anything else that springs to mind.

Best wishes

CTF

 

James, get a book called Special Forces Pilot by Richard Hutchings.

It will give you a pilots view of what life on the front line in war is all about. (Warts and all as they say).

Richard Hutching was a RM pilot attached to 846, (SK4's), during the Falklands conflict.

 

You could also try "Armed Action" written by a serving RN Pilot who was with 847 during Op Telic.

 

Timex, you're fully up to date there. And can highly recommend Armed Action. Fcuking bril.

 

Hey again.
Thanks for all the feedback people, it has been really useful. And Waspie and timex, I'll have a look at Amazon now for those two titles, thanks for the recomendations!

One more questions as well though. Do you go into 848 after having completed all of your rotary wing training or are you put straight into 848 upon joining and learn the lot with them?

James.

 

You learn to fly helicopters on the Squirrel with the RAF at Shawbury in Shropshire.

You then learn to fly the Sk4 with 848 at Yeovilton, and then you are awarded your "Wings" (V important as this gets you flying pay - you dont get any until this point)!! then you are appointed to an operational squadron 845 or 846. Then you go off to Afghanistan!! You do get other things to do -deploy to Norway - deploy to HMS OCEAN etc etc!!!

Please dont hesitate to ask anything else you want to know.

Kind Regards

CTF

 

Thanks, CTF - just what I needed to know. =) .

 

Note that in order to serve with 847, you need to be 'lidded', however this is not the case with 845 or 846.

 

Hi James,
just a couple of potential gotchas and it might be worth having answers ready.
1. If unsuccessful at Pilot grading would you be interested in being an Observer.?
2. If completely unsuccessful in aviation would you be interested in being a Fish'ed?
3. Would you try the CRABS if unsuccessful with the RN? The answer to 3 is "of course not, i'd rather be a stoker on the Isle of Wight Ferry".

'appy landings

SNLR

also, if on Amazon get the book "Soldier"by Gen Mike Jackson, it gives great background on contemporary and recent past Ops but from a Strategic POV, bear in mind that the people asking questions may well be more familiar with say Kosovo and NAS Banana than Afghan Ops

 

Sorry mate, you don't need a green lid anymore (only the Booties have them), a few of the guys who have served with 3 BAS / 847 did do the course but it is up to the individual if he wants to apply for it.

 

Really? Fair enough, I will bow to superior knowledge. How long ago did that change? When I was going through training that was the case. All guys on Junglie squadrons still have to do some 5 week course though do they not? Basic tactics, survival etc.?

 

It changed quite a while ago, we used to expect RN / Army guys coming to the Sqn to at least attempt the course. Sadly after a few Pilots were injured (and the fact we lost them to CTC for quite a while) it became voluntary.

The RN guys have to complete a course at VL before going front line which is much as you described.

 

Roger, understood.