Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Air Corps Cadet Commissioning

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #31
    Originally posted by Auldsod View Post
    Age limit going down to 26 from 2019.
    That will help to a certain degree.

    I still believe that there should be two age limits for graduates and non-graduates, with the latter having a lower limit circa 23/24.

    Similarly in the army, you can potentially have 26/27 year olds non-graduates joining who then ship off to college for 3/4 years after commissioning so you are left with an officer who is of little use to a unit or for overseas until they are 30+ while they piss away years of college doing arts in USAC.

    Comment


    • #32
      It used to be the case that the cadet pilot age limit was 26 and the degree holder candidate age limit was 29. These days, more candidates are degree holders in advance of joining than ever before. Maybe there is a need for age flexibility, at the discretion of the OC.

      Comment


      • #33
        Originally posted by GoneToTheCanner View Post
        It used to be the case that the cadet pilot age limit was 26 and the degree holder candidate age limit was 29. These days, more candidates are degree holders in advance of joining than ever before. Maybe there is a need for age flexibility, at the discretion of the OC.
        I think 25 is a more than fair limit for both graduates and non graduates.

        Assuming most people leave school at the age of 18, someone who proceeds to college could quite comfortably go on to complete a level 8 and or level 9 with a year abroad or working mixed in between without difficulty.

        Of course there is also the prospect of mandatory retirement for those older candidates if a promotion backlog manifests itself.

        Comment


        • #34
          Originally posted by Chuck View Post
          I think 25 is a more than fair limit for both graduates and non graduates.

          Assuming most people leave school at the age of 18, someone who proceeds to college could quite comfortably go on to complete a level 8 and or level 9 with a year abroad or working mixed in between without difficulty.

          Of course there is also the prospect of mandatory retirement for those older candidates if a promotion backlog manifests itself.
          A level 9 degree and a year abroad most candidates at 22/23. I could be still tight enough considering it takes some cadets 2/3 competitions to actually get in.

          Comment


          • #35
            I’d say 25 is high enough:

            Average person is 18 doing the LC, if they repeat the LC, take a year out, do a 4 year degree, they are still young enough to apply (considering they can apply all the way through that time)

            Equally someone who joins the PDF as a recruit at 18, could serve 5+ years and then gain a cadetship

            Comment


            • #36
              Originally posted by DeV View Post
              I’d say 25 is high enough:

              Average person is 18 doing the LC, if they repeat the LC, take a year out, do a 4 year degree, they are still young enough to apply (considering they can apply all the way through that time)

              Equally someone who joins the PDF as a recruit at 18, could serve 5+ years and then gain a cadetship
              I agree that it's plenty time but you can leave yourself tight if you take an extra year or two travelling etc! A large proportion of cadet classes have been made up of 26/27 year olds who just got in under the age limit!

              Comment


              • #37
                Originally posted by Auldsod View Post
                I agree that it's plenty time but you can leave yourself tight if you take an extra year or two travelling etc! A large proportion of cadet classes have been made up of 26/27 year olds who just got in under the age limit!
                and do you think thats a good thing?

                do you really think that people who need to retake their LC, then travel/do something else for 3 years, then go to uni are going to be the best Young Officers you can find?

                Lt's at 28, Captains at 32/33, Commandants at 40?

                do you think that the recent cadet classes full of 26/27yo's have been the best, most qualified (in the wider definition) young officers that are available, or are they people who have flitted from pillar-to-post, not really succeeding at anything and seeing the DF as a bolt-hole?

                if you recruit YO's at 21/22 you'll get at least a decade of hard, physically demanding service out of them before the start to want to settle down, do fewer overseas tours, less weekends etc.. if however you recruit them at 25/26/27, you'll be lucky to get five years out of some of them before its time for marriage, kids and soft postings at DFHQ or civvie street.

                Comment


                • #38
                  The last number of posts show a very myopic view of things

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Originally posted by ropebag View Post
                    and do you think thats a good thing?

                    do you really think that people who need to retake their LC, then travel/do something else for 3 years, then go to uni are going to be the best Young Officers you can find?

                    Lt's at 28, Captains at 32/33, Commandants at 40?

                    do you think that the recent cadet classes full of 26/27yo's have been the best, most qualified (in the wider definition) young officers that are available, or are they people who have flitted from pillar-to-post, not really succeeding at anything and seeing the DF as a bolt-hole?

                    if you recruit YO's at 21/22 you'll get at least a decade of hard, physically demanding service out of them before the start to want to settle down, do fewer overseas tours, less weekends etc.. if however you recruit them at 25/26/27, you'll be lucky to get five years out of some of them before its time for marriage, kids and soft postings at DFHQ or civvie street.
                    I didn't comment on whether it was a good thing or not. I was just replying to Dev's comment that coming in at 25 allows plenty of time for those who repeat leaving, go to college, travel, etc. There aren't as many free years there as you'd think.

                    There are those who decide on a career in DF later in their 20s. Not everyone is chomping at the bit join as a cadet all through their teens and go in as soon as possible. You could be losing out on a talented pool of potential officers by keeping the age limits too low.

                    I agree with you that there needs to be a substantial number of officers who join at a younger age so as to be able to make the most of a full career and their twenties in service. We must remember however that not everyone who joins is or will want to stay in for a full career or move past Captain. Those who join at 22 are as likely to leave before they hit 30 as older joining cadets.

                    Again, my comments weren't referring to my opinion on the perfect joining age for officers but the actual joining mechanics for those who take the more long winded route...
                    Last edited by Auldsod; 13 November 2018, 17:20.

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Someone coming in at say 25, has a bit more sense/life experience/maturity in their being than a 21 yr old, fresh out of the nest. A mix of ages is the best option for a class. As for actual age, it is not uncommon in air forces to start limiting fast jet time and flying slots as pilots age, so some of them operate an age limit of 45 years for fast jets and, for those who stay in, to go up the food chain often requires a serious reduction in flying time, to the point that senior officers are often limited to the minimum to maintain currency and then, not even in the combat types. So, when young guys starting off have a few years in, they realise that the flying end will fade away and the command end will take over and this is one of the reasons why they leave, because they know that in a civvy flying career, they can fly until 60, easily.

                      Comment

                      Working...
                      X