RAF Eyesight question....

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Reply 20

BackDoorEntry

Oh ok, this sounds good. Thanks.

Reply 21

BackDoorEntry

ProStacker

The AFCO are not opticians. They might perform a basic test, such as reading from a chart, but they cannot give specific measurements. That is for opticians, not recruiters.

What about when you get to OASC, surely if you got your optician to fill in slightly incorrect information, it will get noticed at the medical tests at oasc?

Reply 22

ProStacker

I doubt whether you could get an optician to lie for you - they are professionals in their own right. If you tried, you would deserve to get found out and booted. If there was any doubt about your vision, it would be discovered and, when the lie discovered, a discharge would be swift.

Reply 23

Drewski

What are you asking? "If I lie won't I get caught?" Yes, of course you will at some point.

The point is the RAF won't test your eyesight until OASC - and noone else has a say in the matter or anything worthwhile to tell you until you get there. So if you're in any doubt go to the AFCO and apply. It's not hard...

Reply 24

BackDoorEntry

Drewski

Im applying next September, and my vision is apparently on the border of acceptable. I've rung up the AFCO and they said nothing more they can do until I apply for scholarship

Reply 25

ProStacker

Best you stop asking stupid questions now then.

Reply 26

BackDoorEntry

ProStacker

Best you stop asking stupid questions now then.

Stupid? Barely. I just thought all medicals were done thoroughly at OASC and eyesight issues wouldn't pop up until then.

Get yourself some manners, how's about that.

Reply 27

Aaaaaaaargh!

BackDoorEntry

Get yourself some manners, how's about that.

There's a well known acronym in the forces,

Respect
Integrity
Service
Excellence

It's considered bad form to not follow any of these four criteria. So, when you directly disrespect a serving RAF officer, you ain't doing yourself any favours.

Perhaps you didn't know PS is currently serving in the RAF, but even if he wasn't, there's no need for comments of that nature.

There's an R in RISE for a reason. I wish you good luck in your scholarship application.

Reply 28

Schleigg

*facepalm* to page 2 of this thread in general. If we all get down off our high horses for a second we can deal with the problem objectively and help out some future applicants as well as BDE.

If you're borderline failing and are tempted to have someone do you a favour to get you in, this will almost certainly be a temporary solution. Most people who apply can empathise with not wanting to deal with rejection due to circumstances beyond their control but that's life.

Go and apply and the worst that will happen is you will be PMU and you can move on knowing there is nothing you can do; had you taken your "other solution" you'd have been discovered on your part 2 medical or further down the line during training or yearly checks. If you are on the good side of the line then everything is hunky dory!

Bottom line is that OASC is there to select people, not TSR. You can only get a 100% authoritative answer from one place, and it's not the Armed Forces sub-forum! :top:

To Aaaaaaaargh! quoting RISE at people: It's all very well saying how BDE is "disrespecting" a serving RAF Officer, but people should have to earn respect, not automatically be given it (especially by people they have no control over) just because they hold a commission. (No offence intended to ProStacker, fine figure of an Officer!)

Reply 29

ProStacker

BDE - you have been a member of TRS for 11 months. That gives you more than enough time to work out that a certain amount of honesty and integrity are sought in all of those joining the Armed Forces. You should have picked up that those seeking a commission should be able to demonstrate those traits even more as they are looking for the additional responsibility of such a role. Many posts talk of such things.
Asking questions about the viability of faking opticians reports and where that might be picked up in the application process could be seen as naive from someone new to the process. Given your 800 posts and 11 months here, I put you beyond naive. Manners? Dry your eyes, princess. You won't get a hug in the real world if the bad man isn't nice to you.

Reply 30

BackDoorEntry

As someone said on the previous page, (he 'paid' the optician and sent off the form to AFCO and got the list of roles he was eligble for), it really did sound like he paid the optician to write up a good report.

All i was questioning was whether that would work, because it sounded like it worked for him.

Don't judge me as a person by looking at my forum status please.

- To Aaaargh: the only thing is, Im not in the RAF, I'm at home, eating breakfast. So please don't tell me that.

Reply 31

ProStacker

My bad. I have since looked at your previous posts on TSR and most of them are, well, not too career-orientated.
Don't worry about what others seem to be doing - you came to the wrong conclusion from someone elses post. Concentrate on your own game - you only compete against yourself on all aspects.

Reply 32

Cumbrian Lad

But i just went to the Opticians to get an eye test and just paid 'em to fill in the RAF eyes sight form.

Ah yer, it does sound a bit like that.

Obviously i didn't pay my optician enough. Because i wasn't eligible for any Aircrew careers!

Reply 33

anony_miss

CurlyBen

If you want to be a pilot and RAF isn't possible try the Fleet Air Arm. I was told the other day (by a pilot, not and AFCO, so it's worth checking) that they will allow you to join with a prescription of -0.25.
I know how it feels to some extent - I've wanted to be a pilot since I was about 10 but my prescription is about -2.50 :frown:

Actually, the RAF's standards have just been brought in line with FAA, and, AFAIK it's true that you are now allowed to have slightly less than 20/20 vision.
However, if you want to find out sooner rather than later whether your eyesight will be good enough, I would also say apply to FAA, (perhaps concurrently with the RAF if you'd rather fly with them).
I applied to both, and the first thing the Navy did was to send me along to a local opticians to get my eyes thouroughly tested. Now, I'm no optician, so I couldn't guarantee that passing one passes you the other, but it should give you an indication. As far as I could tell, the eyesight tests were very similar.

Reply 34

anony_miss

stuckontheground

Yes the requirements were lowered at the begining of the summer holidays on many of the eyesite requirements.

Although OASC were only informed about it (and the age limit increase) this October!

Reply 35

CurlyBen

anony_miss

Although OASC were only informed about it (and the age limit increase) this October!

Which age limit increase is that?

Reply 36

anony_miss

CurlyBen

Which age limit increase is that?

The increase to 26 from 24 to bring it in line with the FAA. A limit of 26 means starting training, i.e. starting IOT before your 26th birthday, at least if it's worked the way of the previous limit of 24, and I believe it is.