Question on pilot training

[Liamjames]

HEy guys

I assume most of these ppl are real pilots so i need to ask somehitng

Do u need maths to become a pilot and does flight simulator 2004 help with training?

If there are any Australian pilots on using this site then get back to me also.

Cheers

[Craig.]

howdy liam
in answer to your questions, do you need maths? that depends, if your looking for a job with an airline it certainly would help, as almost all of them do require it, if your just looking to fly for fun then as long as you know basic math then you will be ok. can 2004 help, yep it can, alot of us on here started out with flight sim, before we took our intro lessons, and once we did we realised its alot easier to fly when you have had some time in flight sim,

[Harrier]

over here you definately need maths, a science subject and englis language along with at least another another 7 GCSE's with 3-4 A levels to even be considered (all at A grades too) so yes you definately need them, as im not going to get all A grades ive optioned for the royal navy, which is slightly different but they dont get as many pilots.
plus they have the harriers, and are soon going to be getting te JSF's!  ;)

[Craig.]

you do know that the harrier will be gone from the navy in the next few years dont you. its a huge loss and will leave them without a viable plane for almost 5 years, why not go for the RAF?? they will have it for quite a while yet, and you'll also have the option for tornados jags and the new eurofighter.

[Harrier]

Yeah the navy and the RAF are replacing the harrier GR7's with GR9's then after that in under a decade there getting the new Lockheed or boeing Joint strike fighter. virtually the same concept but goes supersonic speeds.  :)

[Harrier]

Oh sorry, i havent optioned for te RAF because when i went to the career office on thursday the woman said 10 A grade GCSE's and i know im not going to get 10 A's im assuming ill get about 11 GCSE's but all A-C's with a B in maths, but when i went to the navy desk they said it doesnt matter what grades youve got inbetween A and C aslong as youve got them, so thats how i decided.

[Craig.]

that was unusual about the RAF, they were more than happy to accept me with only 5 A-C's as long as i also got at least two A grade A-levels, i am guessing they are so backlogged with pilot applications, they need to slow it down some how. good luck with whatever route may get you there:) if there wasnt a high chance of moving to the States or Canada by the begining of next year i prob would have gone RAF for the harrier, its a brilliant plane, which in my opinion really should be kept around and upgraded instead of completley removed from service.

[Harrier]

Thanks, were you in the air force?
i didnt know you got to pick what plane you fly either, i would probably go for the eurofighter or a tornado though just for speed.  ;)

[Craig.]

why????
hell half the stuff i go on is quite old. ihave been out of college for a while so your prob more upto date than i am:)
i am speculating when it comes to the requirements as i dont honestly know the exact details and going form past experiance,

EDIT: hell i am missing things. poor craig being confused:)
no i havent been in any of the armed forces, had my dad have had his way i would be flying fast jets now, but luckaly he didnt and i left college to "find myself":)
as for picking, i believe if you score above a certain amount you get to put a list of planes in order of which you wish to fly. they will then try to accomadate that.
personally i would prob put my list as Harrier, tornado, jaguar then eurofighter. mainly because like you i love the harrier and its a unique plane. the tornado is an amazingly powerful plane and they let you have fun with it at low level. the jaguar, because this is a plane that they often fly at extremelly high speeds less than 50 feet from the ground. eurofighter may be advanced but its also new, the chances the Airforce will allow you to have full fun with it is small as its a new toy and a very expensive one at that:)

[Harrier]

why wouldnt i pick the harrier?
well just speed generally, it can only go 500 knots, i dont quite know about the GR9's yet though.

[C]

Harrier and CraigL (and Liam)

RAF Pilot Entry minima:

5 GCSEs A-C
2 A-Levels (passes - technically E or above, but unlikely, a degree would help if your A-levels included mainly D's and E's)

The RAF are always looking to recruit pilots, as they like to be able to be choosey about who flies their aeroplanes (Stunning A-levels don't necessarily mean you'll make a good pilot).

Oh, and maths (especially mental arithmatic) is very, very useful when you're flying (nav, time, fuel calculations etc)...

Cheers

Charlie

[Harrier]

yeah there the proper qualifoactions but they wont eve look at you if you havet got 10 GCSE's and 3-4 A-levels.
yeah my uncle ws back seat flyingin the last fight ofthe vulca in this country too, just thought id say.

[C]

Oh dear, better see the boss, looks like I'm going to be out of a job then...

Seroiusly, I know people (Officers) in the RAF who have lot (relatively speaking) less than 10 GCSE's and 4 A-levels, as I said it's not all about academics...

Oh, and you don't necessarily get to choose what you fly, although you may be given a chance to have a preferance before streaming or after advanced training...

Cheers

Charlie

[Harrier]

yeah thats fair enoughm im just repeating what the woman at the AFCO(armed forces careers office) old me.  ;)

[Harrier]

ill delete or edit this now