What drove you to join the RAF?

[Rich_P]

Go on folks, say here what it was that drove you to join the RAF. Was it family? Life experiences and wanting to relive them? Passion for new experiences? Media influence?

 

[enginesuck]

For me it was the sudden realisation that i was going to turn into one of the lads in the pub and after ****ing up my 6th form in the pub i didnt have the A levels that i needed to go to uni, and after working in a factory chopping lettuce and putting labels on fruit, i thought fcuk it ill become a squaddie, ( very nearly joined the royal artillery) The Raf was next door, they were nicer and made me a brew so they won!

 

[laboratoryqueen]

me dad's car drove me.


Okay so I then chose not to join up and to follow the civvy route to get my qualifications and training, blooming lucky too seeing as I got up the duff shortly after

 

[True Blue Jack]

I was treading water after dropping out of my A-levels when a mate told me he wanted to join the RAF and asked if I could give him some moral support on his first visit to the CIO (showing my age!). He was so thick he failed the aptitude test for everything. I wasn't doing anything else with my life so I decided to see how far it went - 3 months later I was on the train to Swinderbutlins.

 

[Captain Slog]

Well back in 1969 in Northumberland, prior to it be made a national park, when I left college I was left with the option of the following:

1. A farmer (providing I had a farm to start with).
2. A fisherman (providing I had a trawler to start with).
3. Working n the local Co-op.

As I had spent my younger years living next to RAF Acklington which initial was a Night Fighter base and then was converted to a Training Unit, I always had a keen interest in aircraft.

When I joined up, I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to work on aircraft, especially as the pass mark to be an MT Diver was 30% higher.

 

[I Look Like Kevin Costner]

Why I joined up

Why I joined up

Born in 66, first memories were of Apollo.

Be an Astronuat!! slight problem of nationality.......

Lived near Stanstead, got interested in aircraft instead....

Wanted to fly so became a "Spacey"... Realized that I would never have the attributes to fly fast jets (an accurate assumption), but had an enginnering background in the family (Grandfather and father were tool makers).

Took the things at school to get what I wanted... RAF Engineering..

Civil Manufacturing was taking a beating under Maggie.... didn't matter as I joined up as a techie........

Big mistake???? Switching to single trade when I had passed the entrance test for A/P.... B***ly CIO's

 

[monobrow]

Strangely enough........

Also from near Stansted....

Watched many planes as a kid in awe.....

Decided as a kid my future would involve planes (although in them days it was flying them)

Joined at 18, never looked back.

 

[Scaley brat]

I always planned to follow in Dad's footsteps, but when a sergeant (Dad) tells you you have an attitude problem and your going to lose your long hair, you look at the options. Civvy appo + long hair ! DT_Xtremez_30:
still after the apprenticeship I thought of joining as a DE DT_Xtremez_35:

 

[vim_fuego]

Go on folks, say here what it was that drove you to join the RAF. Was it family? Life experiences and wanting to relive them? Passion for new experiences? Media influence?

What drove you to ask this question Rich P? How could you relive something you couldn't possibly live in civvy street before joining? This does whiff vaguely of a journo type question...

 

[laboratoryqueen]

I always planned to follow in Dad's footsteps, but when a sergeant (Dad) tells you you have an attitude problem and your going to lose your long hair, you look at the options. Civvy appo + long hair ! DT_Xtremez_30:
still after the apprenticeship I thought of joining as a DE DT_Xtremez_35:

That's the one reason my first option was the RAF, I had a Cpl, a Sgt and a Flt Lt to follow, but they all had bigger feet than me so the shoes didn't fit, oh well never mind

 

[Rich_P]

What drove you to ask this question Rich P? How could you relive something you couldn't possibly live in civvy street before joining? This does whiff vaguely of a journo type question...

Because I was curious as to why people wanted to join the RAF. When I said relive something, I'm talking about things like comradery that you get (or at least used to) in things like the Air Training Corps. I'm sorry if it sounded like a journo type question, it's a genuine curiosity of mine and it looks like having to do all those journo like essays in English at school are coming to bite me back. DT_Xtremez_42:

 

[the_boy_wizard]

I joined up after deciding i didnt want to leave high school, only to have to go to college or uni. And besides.............there was no other work in my home town.
Getting out of the family home was a plus too!

 

[Scaley brat]

That's the one reason my first option was the RAF, I had a Cpl, a Sgt and a Flt Lt to follow, but they all had bigger feet than me so the shoes didn't fit, oh well never mind

Two steps to their one probably didn't help either DT_Xtremez_15:

 

[MAINJAFAD]

Born in 66, first memories were of Apollo.

Be an Astronaut!! slight problem of nationality.......

Being ILLKC twin brother, SNAP.

Lived near Stanstead, got interested in aircraft instead.......

Same here, though I kept the interest in rocketry, plus got interested in electronics.

Wanted to fly so became a "Spacey"... Realised that I would never have the attributes to fly fast jets (an accurate assumption), but had an engineering background in the family (Grandfather and father were tool makers).

The other Grandfather happened to work for Hawker Siddley Dynamics on the Blue Streak IRBM/Europa Launch vehicle project (not on the technical side however), got a chance to see the last two being built at Stevenage as a kid, (Little did I know that 25 years later I’d be working on the old Blue Streak test stands at Spadeadam with slightly smaller rocket launchers)

Took the things at school to get what I wanted... RAF Engineering.

Likewise, though after total cocking up metal work at School, decided that electronics was more to my liking.

Civil Manufacturing was taking a beating under Maggie.... didn't matter as I joined up as a techie........

Pay was p1sh as well, I got a pay rise when I joined up.

Big mistake???? Switching to single trade when I had passed the entrance test for A/P.... B***ly CIO's

Don’t lie, you scraped some of them and were told that your chances of getting in were not that good.

Though unlike ILLKC, I failed some of the FS (appo) exams and got offered DE instead. Then got told the trade was closed and would I like to go for something else. L Tech AR and AC were closed as well, so went for JADAF as it would give chance to work on a big rocket and do electronics as well (which was my first tour and I loved the job), plus got me into the service quickly. Good thing really, as I reckon I would have most likely failed DE training at Cosford (barely got though Locking, though a lot of guys there were getting chopped at the time). On the other hand, Got me into computers in a big way and I learnt a lot of stuff in that field that will be very useful in the outside world.

 

[I Look Like Kevin Costner]

Don’t lie, you scraped some of them and were told that your chances of getting in were not that good.

Though unlike ILLKC, I failed some of the FS (appo) exams and got offered DE instead.

Scaped = PASSED!!!DT_Xtremez_31: DT_Xtremez_31:

 

[Defender of the universe]

Wanted to gain a better future and travel the world, also to possibly obtain job security.
Well managed to see a lot of the world but the other two have been put on hold by the Blairites.

 

[MAINJAFAD]

Scaped = PASSED!!!DT_Xtremez_31: DT_Xtremez_31:

Remember where I was when you were told in the test debrief, like in the same fooking room.

 

[I Look Like Kevin Costner]

Remember where I was when you were told in the test debrief, like in the same fooking room.

I could, You couldn't!!!!

 

[Boarderlyne]

Had several relatives in the Forces, a grand total of 18 out of 40 in my generation! Jobs were rubbish around my local area and didn't fancy the rest of my life being a factory bitch. Loved the stories of visiting far-off places and getting paid for it. Didn't fancy life in the trenches and had seen how cramped things were in the Navy (plus not a bummer! DT_Xtremez_28: ) on the ships so went blue suit and never looked back. However, Options for Change et al kinda fEcked up the promotion aspects! DT_Xtremez_34:

 

[R_Squared]

Lying on my mates sofa, with my worldly possessions in a bag at the end after having lost my Job, flat and girlfriend in pretty sharp order, I saw the Ad on the telly.
With absolutely nothing better to do, I sauntered down to the AFCO and signed up.
Inspirational stuff I know, maybe they'll make a film of it.