PRTC fitness failure - dont let it be you!!!!!

[Inch High DI]

Good Morning, With yet another PRTC looming in front of us, I wanted to post here and warn everyone that we are seeing a massive increase in the number of fitness failures on PRTC. If you do not achieve the required standards in either the Multi Stage Fitness Test (MSFT), Press Ups or Sit Ups for your age group and gender then YOU WILL NOT CONTINUE WITH YOUR APPLICATION TO JOIN THE ROYAL AIR FORCE. I have recently witnessed up to 30% of a course fail the fitness test in one way or another, due to the simple fact that they did not prepare themselves physically and mentally for it. The test is not hard; it demonstrates that you have a pulse! YOU NEED to make sure you can do the MSFT, if you have never done one before you can download it from the RAF Website and practice it in a field. YOU NEED to be able to do sit ups and press ups to the required standard in the correct form, again there are pictorial images on the RAF Website. e.g., sit ups; your elbows must touch the top of your knees, not to the side, not half way up the leg, but touch the top of the knee, if they don’t, they won’t count. I am fed up with seeing people in tears after failing the fitness test and saying that they tried their hardest and did train, when they couldn't even do one press up!! People, if you want to join the Royal Air Force, you need to be fit. So prepare before you arrive, if YOU DON'T, YOU WON'T be staying on the course and YOU WON'T be joining up.FAIL TO PREPARE, PREPARE TO FAIL!

 

[Billy Whizz]

Maybe they should post that warning on the RAF Recruitment Website and on a poster at the AFCO's!

Amazing how 30% of potential recruits are wasting so few sought after positions!

 

[HotspurIDO]

How do the PRTC standards compare to the RAFFT standards?

 

[Bitch with a stick]

How do the PRTC standards compare to the RAFFT standards?

The PRTC Standards are the full RAFFT (100% of everything)

 

[HotspurIDO]

The PRTC Standards are the full RAFFT (100% of everything)

Thats good. Thanks.

 

[techie_tubby]

Maybe they should post that warning on the RAF Recruitment Website and on a poster at the AFCO's!

Amazing how 30% of potential recruits are wasting so few sought after positions!

Hopefully means that this opens up 30% more places for people who are willing to work for it.

 

[84scouse]

...exactly techie_tubby, you hit the nail on the head..


How can people turn up and not even be able to do a single press up??? Even my Nan could probably manage one or two!! It's not like the recruiters don't tell you what to expect.. not to mention the pamphlets, and the website, and this forum!! Talk about frustrating!

 

[vim_fuego]

This, I assume, is being fed back to the AFCO's with a stern 'stop wasting our time with under-motivated people' type warning...How many man-hours to process these people through the AFCO just for them to turn up obviously clueless as to the levels or importance of their test?

 

[Inch High DI]

To be fair guys, its not the recuirters, they are sending us good quality recruits, its the recruits themselves not preping properly.....I must have had over 100 recruiters visit PRTC and they all say that from the minute they walk through the door they are told over and over and over about fitness.......its just the youth of today expecting something for nothing.......they will tell the recruiters that they have been doing fitness.....they pass their Pre-joining fitness test with Fitness First, which is a joke, then they turn up with us and fail.....the idea of this post is to give them a heads up....but probably wasting my time, but you have to do what you can. Dont blame the recruiters, our AFCO guys are doing a great job.

This, I assume, is being fed back to the AFCO's with a stern 'stop wasting our time with under-motivated people' type warning...How many man-hours to process these people through the AFCO just for them to turn up obviously clueless as to the levels or importance of their test?

 

[techie_tubby]

What is the pre joining fitness test? If it's at a local gym then I presume its just a mile and a half on a treadmill? Surely it would make sense to maybe get them to their local RAF unit for an actual fitness test?

 

[Realist78]

To be fair guys, its not the recuirters, they are sending us good quality recruits, its the recruits themselves not preping properly.....I must have had over 100 recruiters visit PRTC and they all say that from the minute they walk through the door they are told over and over and over about fitness.......its just the youth of today expecting something for nothing.......they will tell the recruiters that they have been doing fitness.....they pass their Pre-joining fitness test with Fitness First, which is a joke, then they turn up with us and fail.....the idea of this post is to give them a heads up....but probably wasting my time, but you have to do what you can. Dont blame the recruiters, our AFCO guys are doing a great job.

Maybe the potential recruits should be told in a sterner and more explicit language what all this means as it seems that simply repeating the line about fitness in a polite way isn't working for a significant number.

 

[Inch High DI]

What is the pre joining fitness test? If it's at a local gym then I presume its just a mile and a half on a treadmill? Surely it would make sense to maybe get them to their local RAF unit for an actual fitness test?

Your right Techie_tubby......mile and half on a treadmill, sit ups and press ups, all checked by civvies who charge us a fortune for the pleasure. Common sense doesnt work in the RAF, christ on a bike, what a blinding idea to get the RAF to carry out their own fitness assessments, after all, put a treadmill in the AFCO and get the NCO's (who have been promoted for a reason) supervise and check the standards, after all they have completed the tests for years, not like they wont have any idea what to do.
But that would be too easy and wouldnt cost enough money........

 

[KingGuin]

Master KG is off to Pre Gunner selection in a couple of weeks (oh the shame!). He was well briefed by the AFCO staff and knows that he will be expected to exceed the PRTC standards to stand a chance of selection. Although I wrote a training programme for him he is motivated enough to get off his ar*e and train, train and train some more. I have clerks the same age whom I have to drag to the gym whereas I have to drag him out of the gym and rest. Its quite simple you either want it or you dont!

 

[Amnesia]

I would just like to contribute to this post.
I've recently started a rather lengthy topic on my recent completion of Halton... I went into quite a bit of detail and have highlighted the fact that you should TURN UP FIT...
We have many on our course who got the initial required 70% of the RAFFT to continue with training (on Day 01 or 02 I believe) and had the attitude that "the RAF will get me fit".

This just is not acceptable and is a total waste of the RAFs time.

Am I right in saying that there are talks in place that if you don't pass your RAFFT on Day 01/02 you will be sent home? I certainly hope so.

The test is not hard, the only part I could possibly think is 'difficult' is the bleep test - just because of the nature repeated stop/start shuttle runs which some may not have been exposed too before, but this is still not an excuse for not bothering to download and try the MSFT at home.

Anyway... enough from me. The original post makes the point enough.

 

[LilStill]

It's simple laziness. I spoke to a good few of those 30% (presuming it was the last PRTC, which was quite a high failure rate as I recall) failures while I was having fresh air time, and their attitude stank. One mentioned he'd thought it was impossible to fail if you got as far as PRTC. Another said he'd slacked on fitness because he's a smoker. Seeing as I'm a smoker, and have been through PRTC and 4 weeks of RTS without issue, my reply would have made a navvy blush! Laziness, pure and simple - wanting everything on a platter instead of putting in the effort.

 

[PSFbeatch]

This, I assume, is being fed back to the AFCO's with a stern 'stop wasting our time with under-motivated people' type warning...How many man-hours to process these people through the AFCO just for them to turn up obviously clueless as to the levels or importance of their test?

They have to go through a Pre Joining fitness test before they get to PRTC at Halton. Having witnessed PRTC recently, and seeing that some people couldn't even do 1 press up, it begs the question, what are Fitness First, who are contracted to undertake the PJFT... doing? Genuine injury is fair enough, but believe me these people get grilled on their fitness.

 

[PSFbeatch]

Your right Techie_tubby......mile and half on a treadmill, sit ups and press ups, all checked by civvies who charge us a fortune for the pleasure. Common sense doesnt work in the RAF, christ on a bike, what a blinding idea to get the RAF to carry out their own fitness assessments, after all, put a treadmill in the AFCO and get the NCO's (who have been promoted for a reason) supervise and check the standards, after all they have completed the tests for years, not like they wont have any idea what to do.
But that would be too easy and wouldnt cost enough money........

... agreed. Common sense does not work in the RAF.

 

[PSFbeatch]

Master KG is off to Pre Gunner selection in a couple of weeks (oh the shame!). He was well briefed by the AFCO staff and knows that he will be expected to exceed the PRTC standards to stand a chance of selection. Although I wrote a training programme for him he is motivated enough to get off his ar*e and train, train and train some more. I have clerks the same age whom I have to drag to the gym whereas I have to drag him out of the gym and rest. Its quite simple you either want it or you dont!

Since working in an AFCO, I have a new found respect for Gnrs. If they can get them selves through PGSC and TGC.... all respect to them. Not only that but some of the ones that have come through are hitting high scores at AST so they aren't the special bunch I once thought they were. All credit to Master KG, hope he gets through

 

[KingGuin]

All credit to Master KG, hope he gets through

Thanks mate, the local Rockery have arranged to take him tabbing round the Perry track next week just to make sure his boots are broken in for the course. Fingers crossed!

 

[Joe_90]

The local RAF Unit can be over a hundred miles away, for a 30 minute test. The RAF would have to provide transport and food for these potential recruits. That is an immediate cost that they don't want to pay, paying Fitness First is a way making themselves feel like they've cooked the books. I do know of at least one OC of an AFCO who sent two rather baby faced NCO's to undertake the test, one to deliberately fail it and one to pass. The reports from the NCO's wasn't good and this was passed on to Cranwell, Fitness First still have the contract some years on. Typical RAF really.