Hi. Have been reading this thread with much interest and a little disbelief at some of the comments made.
Firstly, it would seem that, if the RAF were to please EVERYONE, they would need about 50 different forms of the RAFFT. Some like running, some like cycling, some like shuttles, some like straight runs etc etc....
Surely, servicepersons are forgetting that,
a) We are in the ARMED FORCES, since when do we as serviceperson's get to pick and choose what we want ??
b) We absolutely need our fitness levels at a high standard, so that we can do our jobs properly in hot places (as well as everywhere else).
c) The RAFFT is not a difficult test, if you are having problems passing it (and presuming you have no medical chit), then you are not maintain your fitness levels, and are therefore a liability to yourself and your fellow serviceperson's, especially when on Operational Deployments.
d) Fitness tests are NOTHING NEW !! They have been around for as long as ANYONE has been in the RAF. We have had long enough to know what they involve and what we have to do to pass it. Yes they are a little harder these days, but that’s because our operational commitments have changed.
This subject is a bug bearer of mine, but I’m not going to start slagging everyone who can’t pass it. I have my opinion on the real shirkers, and I feel strongly about the extra burden they place on the guys and girls who keep themselves fit and ready to do their job in Op's.
The reality is that, some people are just plain lazy. And no matter how many 50 minute slots they get in a working week to get down the gym, THEY WILL NOT GO and get themselves fit. It has taken a massive overhaul of the RAFFT, to motivate these people into getting fit (ie. if you don’t get fit, you’re out !!), (can't get much more motivation than that).
I am a little peeved at hearing the age long excuse that, if I’m fit to do my job, I should be left alone. That's cobblers!!
The RAF is more and more being employed as a soldier first, tradesman second, especially on Op's. (Perimeter fence guard duties, tower guard duties, top cover on convoys, etc etc). Anyone who thinks that by being unfit they can carry out these duties in 120 degree heat and still maintain their concentration and operational effectiveness is very mistaken. Not to mention what I previously said, they can become a liability.
When I was in Iraq in 2004 (before anyone starts, I have been away twice since then), the amount of unfit people I saw, who were sent back to the UK, simply because they couldn’t handle the heat, was a scandal. Think about every single serviceperson who was bought forward at short notice, to take over those slots. How is that fair on their family and friends, that they get messed about because someone can’t be bothered to get fit enough for operations??
Finally, the RAFFT is here and it’s here to stay. I for one am glad that, there is now a way of getting these lazy people out of the RAF. I think that the current legislation is both supportive towards the serviceperson whilst being stringent enough to have the "teeth" to kick the dead wood out.
May I suggest a nice comfy office job for those who cannot pass the RAFFT. A job where your inability to maintain a BASIC level of fitness, is not going to put any of your colleagues in mortal danger.