No current affairs in AIB!

[skoot]

Anyone else recently sat the AIB? The first thing we were told when we arrived was that current affairs is no longer a part of the AIB interview. Only two weeks before I went down my ACLO was still telling me how important it was that I learned current affairs so it's obviously a fairly new thing. I wonder if I can claim my money back for my subscription to The Week!
Anyway I just though I would post in case anyone is going down soon.

[Guest]

really? aint heard of that, would be nice - current/past affairs bores the hell out of me!

[skoot]

Neither had I until I arrived at the AIB. I think the AIB has been restructured to try and find out more about you as a person and a leader rather than what you know. Your intelligence can probably be assessed by your previous exam results. Almost all the questions in my interview were based on things I had done in my life. I was asked to point out some ships on the wall but that was it in terms of naval knowledge.

[Guest]

Yeh, how did you like Sultan? Whereabout's did you stay while you were doing the AIB? I was there for a couple of month's - had a load of fun there, I was gonna pay a visit to the AIB and ask a couple of Q's before I left, but I'm more focused on the Air Force now, however the RN is my second option for pilot, should I not get into the RAF.

[skoot]

Yeh, how did you like Sultan? Whereabout's did you stay while you were doing the AIB? I was there for a couple of month's - had a load of fun there, I was gonna pay a visit to the AIB and ask a couple of Q's before I left, but I'm more focused on the Air Force now, however the RN is my second option for pilot, should I not get into the RAF.

Didn't see much of it when I was there. Just stayed in little cabins on the site.

Do you think its easier to get in to the Navy as a pilot? I would have thought it would be the same. I have done OASC and the AIB and they are pretty much identical. The pilot aptitude tests for the Navy and RAF are both done at Cranwell so I would imagine if you fail to get into the RAF you would most likely fail to get into the Navy too. I may be wrong though.

[Guest]

Cabins? You mean 4 / 15 man messes? Oh - were they next to the little football pitch? Yes they are the same, for the AAC you have to go to Cranwell too but you don't have to attain as high a result in you're aptitude tests. How did you get on at Cranwell, first / second time ?

Mark.

[skoot]

Cabins? You mean 4 / 15 man messes? Oh - were they next to the little football pitch? Yes they are the same, for the AAC you have to go to Cranwell too but you don't have to attain as high a result in you're aptitude tests. How did you get on at Cranwell, first / second time ?

Mark.

The AIB has its own accomodation. They were single cabins. Seems strange that the Navy require a lower aptitude than RAF pilots when they are flying the same aircraft. Only went to OASC once. Failed when I was 17, passed AIB a few weeks ago.

[Guest]

No, the standards are the same for the RN and RAF, however, the RN doesnt have any fixed wing aircraft at the minute with the Sea Harrier FA2 going out of service, so it's all rotory wing aircraft, and nobody wants to fly the Merlin till they actually get one to stay in the air! The AAC is the Army Air Corps, and candidates for the AAC don't need to attain the same level of aptitude whilst at Cranwell for the OASC, they have a differant system in the AAC, which means they decide later if a candidate is good enough for pilot.

Mark.