what are the perks/high lights of your job? Why did you choose AAC over RAF or FAA? What are your low lights? Thank you.

Hi there,

Thank you so much for your question and sorry that it's taken me a bit of time to get back to you.

It's great to hear that you're in the cadets - do you ever get to go into RAF Shawbury and have a look around? When I was training there I remember they sometimes gave cadets a trip in one of the helicopters as a bit of an insight for you.

In terms of your questions, I would say that I chose AAC because I was already in the Reserves whilst I was at University. I had an interest in the Army rather than flying initially and so I was always minded toward joining them. Once I decided I wanted to fly, it was a natural progression to look into the AAC. I also knew that if I failed the pilots' course at any point, then I would be happy to do a different job within the Army.

Highlights for me are being able to do a job that is a little bit different. It's a long time in training but there is satisfaction at every level as you progress. I really enjoy the environment I work in - there are strict rules in place with regards to flight safety as you would expect, but the day to day camaraderie and the wide variety of expertise that I work with is very enjoyable. It's also great to be able to offer a unique skill to the wider Army and Military in general.

Lowlights are probably the length of the pilots course. It feels like you are on it forever but actually this is the same for both the RAF and FAA too. Every flight is an assessment so it can be really disheartening when you feel like you're just being debriefed on all your faults every day! It's good to know this when applying though so that you can manage your expectations. I would also say that, even once you're fully qualified, the tests never stop! You have to demonstrate your knowledge and skill on a regular basis and there's always something more that you can learn. The pilots' course prepares you well for this.

I hope that's answered some of your questions. Please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

Take care,
Maddie