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Received the RAF Fitness guide through the post yesterday thanks to a Reserve Unit.

Dear oh dear.

Its

Press ups 13 (reserves do 11)
Sit-ups 35 (Reserves do twenty-eight)
Bleep Test level 9.1 (8.8 for reserves)

Thats just for males aged 17-24

Females do bleep test to level 6! I wasn't running till about 8/9! They also only do 10 press ups and 25 sit-ups. I know females are not naturally as athletic as males but that just patronising!

i know plenty of females capable of far more than double that!

i know fitness isn't key part of RAF capability but I believe its part and parcel with being professional.

The test is conducted at the end of recruit training at RAF Halton. I wold assume th regulars do it when they join.

Shocking!

Thats all ?

Makes you wonder how un fit tha bloke is on the advert 'no one will push you harder' if that what he has to do.

I remember when i sta the aptitude tests 10 navy recruits worrying about the required 15 or so push ups and the 'grueling' 16 weeks.

Prehaps this gruelling fittness regime is the reason for the RAFs lack of fast jet pilots .

RAF Fitness, Oxymoron anybody?

Royal Air force, is an oxymoron itself. They are suppose to have aircraft and pilots, yet they have very little of either. Prehaps they are becoming the Royal Facsimile Service.
Thorugh Hardship to the fax.

I actually wanted to join the RAF as a pilot but thanks to eyesight regs I couldnt'. Got into the UAS but left as it was piss poor.

Of course my eyesight is fine for marines, after all my glasses are far more likely to fall off or get damaged in a helicopter with helmet in place than when I'm running around the field, river crosings etc and giving the enemy the good news.

most of em are bawbags anyway.

K24

It's all double standards. But I suppose standards have to start and finish somewhere on an arbitrary line. I understand Douglas Bader could manage the push ups but failed the "touch your toes without bending your knees" test.

He just happened to have this knack of flying planes and shooting down the enemy.

Kev, apparently the RAF have declared the reason for banning pilots from wearing glasses is to prevent reflection when being filmed for Panorama and BBC24. The directors hate having to cut film ruined by glare from Specs R Us specials.

What happens if your over 24
Is it 4 press ups and a stand up instead of a sit up?

After a certain age they ditch any running tests and instead you do cycling!

You are joking I pressume

No I wasn't taking the piss.

25-29 year olds

Male

8.1 bleep test (reg) 7.8 reserves
12 press ups (reg) 10 reserves
31 sit-ups (reg) 26 reserves

I'm sorry but what is the poit in having a fitness test that consists of do 10 press ups?

female 25-29

5.06 bleep test (reg) 4.7 reserves (That isn't even jogging, I got 15.1 and mates got >15.3)

9 press ups (reg) 7 reserves
22 sit-ups (reg) 20 reserves

I'd like to point out that females do a different press-up, fair enough but then why have lower numbers as well?

also the bleep test, why test people to 5/6? you could crawl it.

Any 65+ folk think they could do that?

Surely a female or 2 willing to point out that that is patronising to all ladies?

If you got to level 15.1 on the bleep test then your in the wrong profession you should be donning a red cape and saving the planet...Ive been to 10 and my stomach turned and I decorated the pavement...
As for them fitness standards, they can be nothing more than a gesture, what exactly are they testing with them? The fact you can do them whilst pi***ng yourself laughing at it....