anybody been part of the RAF or currently in the RAF?

our lasses dad was

just wondering because I am thinking of giving it ago and having a look into it. Do you know if he enjoyed it etc?

My brother is and enjoys life

Does he get to travel about a lot or is he based over here?

If you want to go in technical role the entry exam is a bit of a toughie unless you have a little knowledge of mech/elec basics. If you get lower points you will only qualify for steward, cook etc.

Is it a one time test or can you resit?

He loved it mate. I will say this tho. he was in the original Iraq war and has never been the same since....so its up to you young man. If i could i would join the navy

I have been told about this. The navy has been mentioned to me by a man i know and i guess it could be an option

Depends what you want out of life.

Out of all 3 forces I would always advise people to consider the RAF first.

The Navy is ok other than the fact that you have to go to sea and spend most of your life holed up on a ship.

The army is ok other than the fact they treat junior ranks like dirt and there is a comparatively good chance of coming back in a box or minus your legs.

The RAF on the other hand are more of a 'technical service'. This means smart working dress, decent accomodation and good food. Oh and they also seem to have a decent number of fit girls in their ranks too.

Aside from aircrew the only people who tend to serve outside the wire are force protection (RAF Reg + RAFP) and intel. So aside from the odd mortaring you have no fuzzy wuzzies to worry about.

Another massive benefit about the RAF is you can get extended well into your fifties which means a longer career; in the Army you do 22 years and that is about it.

I say go for it and choose a technical trade, that way when you get out you will have skills that are relevant in civvy street.

as bad as it sounds its the safer option lol. not that i am a wuss i just have a maritime background so it is more applicable to me

Thank you very much for the reply, I haven't read too much into it but i have some brochures to read through first

You can't resit for 6 months iirc.

i did 4years in the raf fire service! spot on it was! pay was average! but the life expirence i got was 2nd to none! got to travel to different places around the world. do it!

There are so many different options though to choose from in the RAF.

Really it has nearly always been my experience that the WRAFs almost a to a woman batted for the home team.



Fuzzy wuzzies .............. oh dear me that





Today they seem to kicking them out earlier to stop them getting the pension. The do not train to the same level now either too many people my age working for contractors fixing military gear.

I agree there, but I also see the flip side of the coin, the civilian contractor with no previous mil experience who is drafted into RauXAF, given 3 stripes and sent on tour, all because they are so short of people out in Afghan.

Travels a fair bit. Iraq mainly but been vegas, canada etc etc

Anyone considering joining the forces needs to consider the change in theatre of operations in the last 20 or so years, it is now much more likely that you will spend a great deal of your career directly in harms way. As the Middle East, Far East, China and India become much more powerful it is likely you will serve in some capacity, and usually against non government forces and insurgents as opposed to any actual war with any real objective.

I think that mainly applies to the army. Join the RAF in any other capacity than aircrew or force protection and it depends if you define sitting behind a desk at Bastion as 'harms way'.

I also can't remember any time since the Falklands that anyone in the Navy (other than RM) was placed in harms way, aside from Faye and her mate who got captured by the Iranians.



Potential political statemet but I see your point.

When I joined the army the RAF always looked like easy street compared to the other services. Training wasn't as strict in terms of bull( I was on a shared training camp & observed this daily) and you didn't get beasted at all by the looks of things.

If you are intelligent you & get a good score on your test you may be offered any trade you want. It helps to have good GCSE's passes & dont have extreme political views as the RAF dont want THAT type of person. IF you are offered an interview after your test make sure to prepare yourself for some Q & A's

After training & you get your posting it depends on what you are looking for, it can be as mundane or as exciting as you make it.
Saying that you can get a well paid job and plenty of totty should you wish to indulge yourself.
The likelihood of you seeing much danger (In the RAF) will be low especially compared to been an infantryman in the army.
There are forces websites were you can read what it is really like.
Gd luck

Get enrolled fella, best time you will ever have! You will get life experience most people could only dream of, mates for life and a fair few notches on the old belt!

Yea, go on arrse. If that doesn't put you off joining the army nothing will

I joined the navy at the age of 17 as a radar/weapons operator back in 1998 and did 5 years, i had a great time and went to some great places and made some great friends.

It is hard work and involves some long hours but the p155 ups more then make up for it.

If i was going to advise anyone on joining the forces i would point them towrds the navy for the simple fact that even though you probably will end up in the gulf you wont be in the heat of the action like you would in the army or raf. And the fact the navy seem to go more places then any of the other two forces these days.

Thanks for the advice it has been really useful. Im guessing it's all the same exams and tests etc no matter which force you go in for?