New RAFFT regime?

[applecruncher]

Word is that from June it's once a year for green and once every two years for light blue. Not been in work to see it, but seems credible.

 

[MontyPlumbs]

I can see this post fine, are the general membership having difficulties?

MP

 

[4everAD]

Well that'll have diddly squat effect here where the Army insist we take the RAFFT every 6 months no matter what standard you pass it at.

 

[muttywhitedog]

Then turn up, walk one shuttle and walk away. Your competency on JPA will still be valid for another 6 months, and if they tried to discipline you, a quick screen shot taken on the morning of your test would show that you were not due formal testing for another 6 months, and therefore this was an unofficial test.

 

[4everAD]

Then turn up, walk one shuttle and walk away. Your competency on JPA will still be valid for another 6 months, and if they tried to discipline you, a quick screen shot taken on the morning of your test would show that you were not due formal testing for another 6 months, and therefore this was an unofficial test.

Indeed you could do that but as you probably know the Army don't like clever clogs who point out the flaws in their orders and you'll definitely be on their crap list. As an aside wemare also getting grief about doing a minimum of 2 PTI led fitness sessions a week with people being maa'd for not doing them (or missing one). What's happening in the "real" RAF ref pt sessions are people being maa'd for not doing them?

 

[Norman the Storeman]

Word is that from June it's once a year for green and once every two years for light blue. Not been in work to see it, but seems credible.

Less admin for mirror techs too.

 

[Max Reheat]

The cynic in me says it's a way around retention problems. Less people to boot out with fitness test failures.

 

[Rugby-Jock-Lad]

Indeed you could do that but as you probably know the Army don't like clever clogs who point out the flaws in their orders and you'll definitely be on their crap list. As an aside wemare also getting grief about doing a minimum of 2 PTI led fitness sessions a week with people being maa'd for not doing them (or missing one). What's happening in the "real" RAF ref pt sessions are people being maa'd for not doing them?

I would be asking when am I due to extract myself from this badly run, badly managed shower of H51T??!! :-D! How long do you have left 4Ever?

 

[Cake or Death]

Word is that from June it's once a year for green and once every two years for light blue. Not been in work to see it, but seems credible.

Two of my lads over heard a PTI conversation about this last week. However they also heard one extra little clincher. Although you might have passed, there will be random tests like cdt. The PTI's will summon you to the gym to take a test. It could be anyone, anywhere, anytime there's a test on. If you fail it counts and on remedial!

 

[vim_fuego]

Sounds like a new senior mirror tech has taken up post and in the truest traditions of being a leader in the military they will change something...to be seen to be flexing their autocratic command muscles...

 

[4everAD]

I would be asking when am I due to extract myself from this badly run, badly managed shower of H51T??!! :-D! How long do you have left 4Ever?

Still got a while to push! I honestly can't recommend to anyone working with the Army, it is as bad as you think.

 

[4everAD]

So I was in the Mess last night for Exchange drinks and this morning I've been selected at random to do a fitness test which I may have passed a week before? What happens if in my hungover state I fail???????? Also as, unlike now, I will have no idea of when I may be required to pass a RAFFT I will be spending quite a lot of my working week in the gym, just in case!

 

[Ringo]

Two of my lads over heard a PTI conversation about this last week. However they also heard one extra little clincher. Although you might have passed, there will be random tests like cdt. The PTI's will summon you to the gym to take a test. It could be anyone, anywhere, anytime there's a test on. If you fail it counts and on remedial!

Okay, so I get called to the gym for a 'random' RAFFT.

I get the form that asks me if I'm fit to take the test......and I say 'no'........pulled muscle from playing 5-a-side yesterday.
What happens next ??

This rumour has been around for ages. PTIs would love to have the power to do this.
Bottom line is, it's neither practicable to implement or more relevantly.......it's not required.

CDT is totally different....the necessacity to keep people who have taken drugs out of the RAF is justified.
Regardless of which task they are performing that day, it could be argued that taking a drug test is more important.

Would stopping work on a plane so you can run a few shuttles and do a few press ups really be tolerated ??

I don't think so.

if you bring in a policy, of C-RAFFT....it needs to be stringent and without loopholes allowing people to dodge the call.

I just don't see it happening.

 

[Stevienics]

No one at the top likes it. It's hanging on. Reason: light blues doesn't mean 1 year. It's mostly bollockz as acknowledged

 

[applecruncher]

No random checks

No random checks

No idea why this avenue is still going.

There is no random testing for anyone. From an outgoing, pragmatic 3*, they have identified one of the stressors that they can reduce. It isn't for some gym monkey to get the hump and decide you call you down for a test. Guess what, they will already have thought of the mass failure problem and the harm it will do to Ops. Imagine being in an SBA being called away from an Operational line to do remedial phys. It cannot happen.
The RAF is short of aircrew, engineer and support staff for the newly ordered aircraft. The RAF has to man these platforms with an uplift of a couple of hundred people. So, by my thinking, they need to reshuffle current manpower, reducing certain trades to increase others. P8 will take around 400 with air, ground and support staff. Reducing the workload of certain trades will reduce the numbers required. 30 or more make a difference if they are retraded. I'm sure there's a plan to civilianise them, thousands of youngsters are doing physical trainer courses in unis and colleges right now. Imagine no X factor to pay, no medical or dental, no pensions and no sick pay to be paid by military. The cynic in me sees what could be a potent plan here.
i digress, CDT is with us forever, pass your test and get a retest a week later and fail.....plus the lack of time to train for it and hence train a technique so that the constant stress on the knees and ankles is minimised could well result in mass failures. I train for a month at the exact test to strengthen my knee joints. Mass civil claims for joint injuries? No, I'm afraid PTIs will talk about all sorts of sh1t, but the end result is unless they are physios or ATIs they are likely to be seeking other work within 5 years.

 

[Spearmint]

What's happening in the "real" RAF ref pt sessions are people being maa'd for not doing them?

Pfft, every Sqn I've been on for the last few years just doesn't offer such sessions. It's all off your own back. If you fail then you get the remedial time for the gym along with the stigma from management.

In fact due to commute time plus longer than normal shifts I don't bother taking a PT Kit to work anymore. I simply beat up my punch bag with weights for around 30 mins every other day in my garage, targeting different sets of muscles. Unfortunately, this doesn't help with the poxy fitness test as my knees aren't being aggressively twisted 180' every fecking 20m.............

 

[4everAD]

Pfft, every Sqn I've been on for the last few years just doesn't offer such sessions. It's all off your own back. If you fail then you get the remedial time for the gym along with the stigma from management.

In fact due to commute time plus longer than normal shifts I don't bother taking a PT Kit to work anymore. I simply beat up my punch bag with weights for around 30 mins every other day in my garage, targeting different sets of muscles. Unfortunately, this doesn't help with the poxy fitness test as my knees aren't being aggressively twisted 180' every fecking 20m.............

As I thought, people in the Joint (Army) environment get smashed with MAAs for things the general RAF doesn't give a hoot about, parity of treatment? The trouble is the CO here makes it his policy that you complete 2 sessions every week which by not doing you get MAA'd for disobeying an order from the CO so when the paperwork goes through the system it's not for failure to do PT it's for disobeying an order! Clever really as it could then be argued that it's your fault for disobeying the order not the CO's for having the policy in the first place.

 

[Fu Fu Valve]

Ah the 'Joint Environment'. When i was in Cyprus VASS was under army control - the RSM decided we all needed to attend the 7am PT sessions twice a week. Once it was pointed out we either needed to be in work to look after aircraft or were 'of shift' he didn't like it. He tried to get us in when we were off shift and was told where to go. Eventually we just stopped turning up.
Then we got an email telling us to report to the pool for our 'annual swim test'. My reply didn't go down well, once i pointed out that - I couldn't swim and would i given time off work for swimming lessons before this test, i've never needed to do an annual swim test in 16 years in the service, then pointed him to the bit of the good book where it lists the trades that need to do an annual swim test i was threatened with an MAA for disobeying an order.
That didn't happen and we were left alone after that.
He also didn't like being called mate whenever he blessed us with his presence. DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[Puma]

I hope this is true, that means I only have to fail it annually....

 

[dctyke]

It's always been the rub hasn't it, junior ranks get threatened, honest seniors get on with it whilst some others get completely away with it. You just have to look at some to know there is no way they could pass the test.