Anyone know how long from application to fitness test (RAF Gunner)?

[ASecretLemonadeDrinker]

DH is busy working so can't get to the AFCO, and I don't want to roll up with baby and a 2 yo

Anyway, DH is nearly fit enough (but took 2 weeks off) and wants to sign up when he is fit enough, but I say do it now as it could take a while before fitness test (which I recon he could do now anyway as it's treadmill and not outside like he's been doing with his trainer). Anyone have a rough idea of timescales?
Thanks

Think it could be changeable tbh, and depend on the number of applicants/availability of staff.

I would say that it is highly unlikley to be application in one day, and then fitness test the same/next day! I would imagine there is some vetting of the applications that goes on before the fitness test stage, and that would take a little while.

turns out it doesn't matter, he can't apply for gunner as he is down for RAF police (guess because of the high volume of applicants). He is fit enough for that so it's the waiting game now to see when it's next open. He rang the reserves and they are open for reserve police so waiting for the forms to land on the doorstep

He has loads of time. People apply and THEN start fitness training, so if he's at the standard before applying, excellent.

So he'll be a Snowdrop eh? He'll go straight to Acting Cpl after training and he'll be arresting Rock Apes left, right and centre in no time (but no one in my flight please, I like my fellas to stay the right side of the law......ish )

Hope it goes alright for your husband, send him my best.

Ha, yes, snowdrop indeed...I tried to talk him out of it I think he will end up transferring to Gunner in the end, I told him he is going to feel abit of a wally sat in the guardhouse supping tea a while the real soilders are coming back through. He is still towing the party line "we are important too " though, bless 'im. [pulls no punches]

That's alright, I hold no grudges against the RAFP, they do a job that needs doing. He'll find the only people who truely resent them are the guys who had to spend a night in the cells because they were drunk and disorderly.

In-service transfers are available, but sometimes to quite difficult to have put through. Normally branches/trades ask for a minimum service time before you can ask to be transferred, unfortunately I don't have these times to hand so I couldn't say how long it was.

And we're not soldiers in the Regiment, we're either airmen or officers thank you very much Soldiers are the Army, which we most certainly aren't :P

I tend to call all ground troops soldiers DH knows the transfer time, I have forgotten.

Everytime I research RAFP they don't seem to be shown in the best light

Unfortunatly after some piss ripped out of gentle goading, DH went to a recruitment stand at an airshow and asked "what's the deal with RAFP, no one seems to like them..." (knew some of the people from the AFCO) to which the lady replied "I am RAFP...." Whooops!

Don't worry about the correct terminology, Mr. Cameron visited us once and called us all soldiers, watching the faces fall on all the men was absolutely priceless!

No one had the guts to correct him so he went on his merry way none the wiser

Yeah I won't lie, RAFP don't have the reputations, but your husband will find that if he conducts himself professionally but also shows a human side to himself while going about his business, he'll gain ounces of respect from all who he meets. As officers we're held with the responsibility of stamping out any negativity towards any other branch and I enforce that to all of my men.

Most of the disrespect is not on face value, people won't like Snowdrops because they think that's how they're supposed to feel, but in fact they don't truely hate anyone in the RAFP and if they were to meet any, would treat them perfectly fine.

Just think though, it could be a lot, lot worse. He could be a f*ing pilot, now that would be bad "Hello, did you know I'm a Typhoon pilot?"

Oooo, what's wrong with Pilots? [out of the loop]

His RAF police reserve stuff has come (RAFP not open), he's at work so waiting up so we can fill it in before bed

I think he'll be OK, he's not a jobsworth if you know what I mean... you know, inferiority complex or anything :)

Oh man I'm tired, warbling on. Jumping from egoat to student room to MN...

Surely you'll know from being on egoat that pilot's stereotypically have the biggest egos in the service? There's a few jokes about them milling around the place, but I can only remember one I'm afraid:

How do you know if a Harrier pilot is in the room? - He's told you.

Subtle, yet to the point :P

It's all just banter really, look at us we're called Rock Apes because our knuckles drag along the ground and we grunt at each other

I could never handle all the old and bold types on egoat so generally I steer clear of it...

I suppose the Red Arrows Pilots are off the scale?

I haven't joined e-goat, just mooching around recruitment and the SDSR parts, and hoping some of the lingo rubs off on me... I'm still at the stage of "why is it a goat?"

Red Arrows pilots? One must kiss their hand of course if you're ever blessed with meeting one!

Who is the bottom of the pecking order?

And while I'm at it, what are ramp tramps & line swines...? :)

Erm, dunno and dunno Sorry, it tends to be airmen who make up all the names for people...I'll ask one of the SNCOs tomorrow!

Bottom of the pecking order? Well there isn't one really, you just naturally don't like anyone outside of your own branch/trade

If there was a pecking order though, it'd either be RAFP or Regiment at the bottom....purely because we're just misunderstood

I will hazard a guess at:

ramp tramp- air loadmaster

line swine- 'linies' eg the engineering line made up if a variety of engineers of different specialisation. ( Avionics, electrics, propulsion, weapons etc.)

I am neither an engineer, or a loadmaster so am merely putting 2 and 2 together.

ramp tramps are movers.

be nice to them or they will piss in your luggage.

and sorry, but the red arrows are yesssssssterdays news. the typhoon display team are the new men in black. literally.

except they are all about 12, and call me ma'am. such a waste.

Luckily, nobody calls me ma'am. I've had 'mate', but never ma'am. I guess that's a good thing...

I've never seen the Typhoon display, I missed all the airshows this year because I was doing important things like....erm.....drinking tea in a rainy field and occasionally shouting at a recruit.

oh, i've never seen the display lol, too busy trying to herd cats passengers.

i only get to chat up lunch with them once they are done signing autographs. but it always make me laugh to say 'so, what do you do?' and maintain an air of faint boredom at the reply, with maybe even a slight moue of disappointment that it's not something really exciting...

aircrew baiting, my favourite sport.

I bet you could hear the egos deflating a mile off!

Ah ha, thanks. I am sure I'll find more words I won't know on my travels. :)