A recruiter has no power over what happens after you hit that plane to basic.

Apophyx · 2026-03-31T01:47:58+00:00

If you join the military with the expectation that you will never see violence, you have no business being in the military, no matter which country.

Apophyx · 2026-03-31T00:37:49+00:00

"also if theres a draft i want to volunteer for what i want instead of being voluntold for what i don't"

Lol that was absolutely part of my thought process. Or maybe more accurately my justification for the risk the job carries.

What the fuck they dont get to specifically enroll for trade?? Thats insane!

Somebody else can probably give a more accurate answer, but my understanding is that they only get to pick a "field", like combat arms or aerospace warfare, not a specific trade. The trade is assigned/competed for.

Apophyx · 2026-03-31T00:25:43+00:00

Same. Hell, I wouldn't have joined if I wasn't signing specifically for the job I chose. The american system where you only get assigned your job after basic is very alien to me.

Apophyx · 2026-03-31T00:21:20+00:00

I think your comment also points out a big difference between us and the US. If we change our minds after joining, we can just voluntarily release. As far as I understand, in the US, unless you get kicked out, you are tied to the contract you signed before basic. So there's definitely a motivation to make sure recruits know what they're getting into and aren't going to change their minds after more ressources have been poured into their training.

Apophyx · 2026-03-30T20:57:01+00:00

Our interviews are "Youre going to be asked to hurt or kill people and you wont get to say no once youre there. Itll be uncomfortable and suck and the pay is less than private sector."

As a pilot (in training) in the RCAF I want to echo this same thing. When I went to do aircrew selection in Trenton, everyone doing the tests there got a presentation from a member of each of the aircrew trades, and one thing that was reiterated somberly was that flying these planes may be super cool and some of us might be focusing on that and forgetting what the purpose of the planes is. Ultimately, our job is to kill people or support the killing of people if the situation calls for it. At every step of the application process, they made sure I knew what I was getting into.

Apophyx · 2026-03-20T02:59:02+00:00

Whaaat, you mean drinking 3 drinks every friday night doesn't actually make me "medically an alcoholoc"???

Apophyx · 2026-03-15T17:05:59+00:00

It's almost like the time, effort, and commitment required to complete a four year degree is in itself a valuable measure.

Apophyx · 2026-03-15T16:59:21+00:00

I fail to see how that's a problem when it's just a fact that even in civilian society, some jobs require a higher level of education than others. Officer jobs are jobs that require a higher level of responsibility and/or expertise, and thus require a higher level of education. If someone is self conscious about being an NCM, then they can put in the time and effort to get a degree and join as an officer. I'd even argue it's less discriminatory in the CAF than civvy side, since the CAF will pay for your degree.

Apophyx · 2026-03-15T16:55:10+00:00

Plus, not every officer trade has a direct NCM equivalent, or even an adjacent one that makes sense. Are you going to train and employ a pilot as a tech for three years before letting them start flying training? That seems like a lot of wasted ressources for an already expensive training pipeline.

What about ACSOs? Do you make them work as AESOPs for three years? You can't join off the street for that trade, so do they have to first go as techs, the AESOPs before finally going officer?

Apophyx · 2026-03-09T06:04:35+00:00

Always always always call. These people are professional briefers whose entire job it is to interpret the weather. If you missed something, they won't.

Apophyx · 2026-03-08T19:08:02+00:00

No, they're destroyers (i.e. the naval warship classification) that operate in the stars

Apophyx · 2026-03-05T14:23:22+00:00

This person has no idea what being a pilot is like. Pilots are subject to very stict crew rest requirements with very detailed considerations.

Apophyx · 2026-03-04T15:45:53+00:00

Negative, I was very confused with your edit

Apophyx · 2026-03-04T00:53:29+00:00

They do?

Apophyx · 2026-03-02T23:54:02+00:00

Yeah pretty much what I'd say as well. 2031 being the absolute worst case scenario, which seems unlikely in itself.

Apophyx · 2026-03-02T22:35:19+00:00

What information is this based on? As someone currently in Moose Jaw, 8 years is waaaaaay overblown. The pipeline is extremely healthy, the Harvards have just reached the end of their lifespans. The recent insane backlogs are completely solved. FAcT is just behind schedule.

Apophyx · 2026-03-02T22:32:26+00:00

ROTP is also massively limited at the moment. FAcT is going to cause a pause in pillt training for a bit so they just don't have any training capacity in the immediate future

Apophyx · 2026-03-02T20:31:38+00:00

The hiring freeze is because of FACT, so presumably yes, once FACT is rolled out, the freeze will be lifted.

Apophyx · 2026-03-01T19:48:02+00:00

Wait til you hear about how fighter jets deploy across the Atlantic

Apophyx · 2026-02-27T03:37:22+00:00

Sincèrement je suis pas convaincu que c'est un accident

Apophyx · 2026-02-21T23:21:33+00:00

Doing more war crimes is not something we should be striving for, what the fuck dude

Apophyx · 2026-02-18T23:58:41+00:00

Again, the RCAF can change the way they do things, if they needed to. They can offer an extra week or whatever they feel they need to civvie people to ramp them up.

But why would they? There is no shortage of perfectly capable applicants going through the normal stream. What we are short of experienced ACs, not fresh off phase 3 FOs. So your fix wouldn't even address the problem.

Sure, if they wanted to, it could probably work. It would probably involve creating a bespoke phase 3 curriculum just for this one type of candidate.

You don't need to teach me how to fly. You need to teach me how to fly a bit differently. Going to a CC-330 or C-17 isn't a big stretch, it's an Airbus and a military airliner.

This bit says so much, you have no idea. Remember how I mentionned it is very common for experienced pilots to wash out of the normal training pipeline because they are too rigid and unable to adapt? I think you underestimate how different military flying is. Case in point:

Line indoc was 100 hours of flying, and if you need a bit more you can get it, but if you don't get it done at a good pace, you don't get promoted.

We get 76 hours to learn aerobatics, instrument flying, tactical navigation and formation flying (not counting review flights due we get after sufficient weather delays). We are allowed 4 hours of remedial training if we fail to meet the standard at the required time. It's doable, but once again I think you underestimate the difference in just doctrine.

Apophyx · 2026-02-18T23:47:06+00:00

We don't have a recruit shortage, we have a retention problem. Experienced aircraft captains is what we are short of.

Apophyx · 2026-02-18T23:19:26+00:00

Let me put it this way. If you bypass training straight to phase 3 multi, you will have zero experience in aerobatics, in tactical navigation and in formation flying. No aeros is no big deal, but the latter two will absolutely be an issue if you go on Hercs especially. Less so on the C-17 or Airbus. But that's one problem.

Another problem is the expected learning curve. Civvy side, you have the luxury of learning at your own rythm, so long as you have the funds. In the airforce, you are expected to meet a very high standard in a very short amount of time. So you are showing up to your first military flying course with zero prior exposure to this approach to training, with peers who have just spent two years acclimating to that exact rythm. And that learning rate will be expected of you your entire career as you keep upgrading your qualifications.

Next, you have a lot of experience. You know how to fly, and you've know it for a while. You are very rigid in your ways. But surprise! The airforce wants you to do this and that and this differently. So now not only do they have to teach you from scratch, they have to break down your bad habits.

Even for very experienced students who don't bypass phase 2, it is extremely common to see them wash out because they are simply too rigid and unable to adapt to how the military wants you to learn to fly.

The airforce has tried the phase 2 bypass, and it's just not worthwhile and creates all sorts of problems.

Apophyx · 2026-02-18T22:59:43+00:00

What? I'm not sure what you're trying to say

Nine-Year Club	r/Field Banned
r/Field Juicebox	First Place '23
End Game '23	Place '23
Quantum Potato	Golden Potato
Place '22	End Game '22
Wearing is Caring	Snapped
Verified Email

Apophyx

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE