Recommended reading for IOT

lifepak

I have tried to phone the library at Cranwell but according to the MOD switchboard there is no library! Has anyone been sent a reading list yet and if so would they be willing to share it with the rest of us? Thank you in anticipation etc etc... :smile:

Hi Lifepak - I'll pm you the number for the IOT front desk as soon as I find it.

Reply 2

Raptor

Reading list

Essential:

The Right of the Line, John Terraine
First Light, G Wellum
High Commanders of the Royal Air Force, A H Probert
AP 3003 - A Brief History of the RAF
RAF Aircraft and Weapons

Highly Recommended:

The Aerospace Revolution, Tony Mason (AVM)

Recommended:

The Battle for the Falklands, Max hastings and Simon Jenkins
Thunder and Lightning: RAF in the Gulf, Charles Allen

Then Recommended Journals:

Air Force Monthly, Janes, RAF Mag, Flight etc

Reply 3

lifepak

OP

Thanks Raptor and Gemma! Have just finished First Light and started The Battle for the Falklands. High Commanders of the RAF sounds like good bedtime reading!?!? :smile:

Reply 4

Blue_Wolf75

Raptor

Reading list

Essential:

The Right of the Line, John Terraine
First Light, G Wellum
High Commanders of the Royal Air Force, A H Probert
AP 3003 - A Brief History of the RAF
RAF Aircraft and Weapons

Highly Recommended:

The Aerospace Revolution, Tony Mason (AVM)

Recommended:

The Battle for the Falklands, Max hastings and Simon Jenkins
Thunder and Lightning: RAF in the Gulf, Charles Allen

Then Recommended Journals:

Air Force Monthly, Janes, RAF Mag, Flight etc

The Right of Line you will be lucky to get through 4 pages without falling asleep,

I Highly Recommend First Light it's a cracking book on one mans experience as a spitfire pilot in WW2,

Commanders of the RAF I have but haven't read,

AP 3003 I found useful (well it should have been, half the OS staff wrote most of it),

RAF Aircraft and weapons is a must

The Aerospace Revolution is out of print and out of date, I recommend getting Air Power 21 instead, it's a bit dry but gives a good insight into current thinking.

Reply 5

GR4pilot

You can get Air POwer 21 and the Areospace revolution as a duo pack from Amazon - be warned though I ordered a set about 4 months ago, and cencelled it 2 months agao when they sent me yeat another email saying they'd be anoth 6 weeks.

Reply 6

REME-Bod

1

I spoke to the librarian at Cranwell today. Of the books on the reading list, he is flexible about lending them out but they are in limited supply. Apparently there are quite a few courses that require the same titles, not just IOT courses, so some titles are in high demand.

If you want them for a short term loan, then by all means contact him and he'll decide what can be loaned on individual merits.

I'd suggest that you get his number through your AFCO - He's the Asst Librarian, College Hall Library - Tim Pearce. Your AFCO should be able to pull his number from the Defence Intranet with that information, that's how I did it.

He's quite happy to take calls but I'm loathe to publish his number on here in case he gets a deluge of requests. I think it'd be a breach of trust to do so.

HTH

Reply 7

reggie_boy

I was also told to try Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis. It is WW1 and includes the formation of the RAF. It is a bit dry in places but a reasonable read. First Light was fantastic, also very good was AP3003. I have also read Fighter Boys by Patrick Bishop, but I dont know if this was of any use to me (just a good read). The rest of the books on the list (as GR4 has found out) seem to take forever to get delivered from amazon and the staff at Waterstones look at you as though you are mad if you request anything other than an autobiography. I tried to get Sky Wards: A History of the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service and you would have thought that I had just eaten the shop assistants cat from the look on her face.

Reply 8

LouE3D

Don't know if this is any help but have spoken to my local library about getting specific books (just in general, not through OASC yet!) and they said to me that basically if the title is in publication then they can order it in for you for short term loan (around 3 weeks) for a fee of about 60p - so, useful if you're struggling to find something and are a bit limited on funds. It also costs nothing to join and there opening hors will include evenings and weekends.

Reply 9

reggie_boy

The local library. To be honest never thought of that (and I take my little boy every week Doh!) Good thinking LouE3D.

Reply 10

LouE3D

It's not just a hat rack... brain in there somewhere... I hope!

Reply 11

Raptor

Reading list

Essential: *snip*

"Essential"'s an odd choice of word I think. I didn't do any reading before IOT, and I don't know anyone who had.

If I was starting now, I'd read AP3003, and the AP on air power (the number of which I forget).

Actually, I remember a bloke reading Clauswitz etc and failing OS massively; OS works best with good old-fashioned cramming from crib sheets etc.

Get AP3003 and a copy of British Air Power Doctrine if you can; they'll help with OS. First Light's a very good read, and a lot of flying training hasn't really changed much, but again not essential.

All the time you would spend reading, spend it getting fit instead! Then use your leisure time to read a nice book you like :wink:

Reply 12

Wzz - great advice but there's just the little matter of the test at the beginning of IOT - hence why everone's so concerned about the reading. Did they have that on your IOT or is it a new thing?

Reply 13

REME-Bod

1

Essential:

Maybe an odd choice of words, but quoted directly from pre-IOT joining instructions.

And what I really find odd is the fact that in my entire school, college, employment and military career I have never been made to sit a test that I've not been at least briefed on the content. It's a bit like going to work for MacDonalds one day and upon arrival being tested on the intricacies of bovine biology :eek:

Reply 14

GemmaLS

Wzz - great advice but there's just the little matter of the test at the beginning of IOT - hence why everone's so concerned about the reading. Did they have that on your IOT or is it a new thing?

Damn right it's a new thing; I didn't know about it at all. I would be exceptionally surprised if it has anything to do with OS though; the OS staff are excellent, and very good at their subject. There's no way one of the Sqn Ldrs there would let his subject be examined before he's had time to grind the info into you over a dozen or so weeks!

If it does involve OS, I still think AP3003 and Brit Air Power Doctrine are your best bets.

So what's in this test?

--------------

REME-Bod

Maybe an odd choice of words, but quoted directly from pre-IOT joining instructions.

I seem to remember a reading list, which I ended up ignoring an awful lot.

REME-Bod

And what I really find odd is the fact that in my entire school, college, employment and military career I have never been made to sit a test that I've not been at least briefed on the content. It's a bit like going to work for MacDonalds one day and upon arrival being tested on the intricacies of bovine biology :eek:

News to me, as I've just said above. I'll do a bit of investigating at work next week I think...!

Reply 15

Wzz

News to me, as I've just said above. I'll do a bit of investigating at work next week I think...!

Thanks Wzz, will be appreciated

Quote: "On arrival at IOT you will undertake an Operational Studies (OS) arrival test. You are advised to take time to read the following books before your arrival at RAFC Cranwell. By doing so you will develop an insight of Air Power, which will be invaluable when you study the OS element of the course."

The books are listed by Raptor earlier in the thread. The Essential ones are given to you at the fam visit - the others you have to buy if you want to read them.

My main issue is if there's going to be any surprise current affairs issues on the test other than the ones mentions in the listed avation magazines. It'd be nice to know if I have to revise current affairs OASC style, or just read the paper everyday like usual.

Reply 16

I'll have a sniff around. If it's OS based, read AP3003 and the APDoctrine one; they're actually exceptionally informative.

Reply 17

Wzz

I seem to remember a reading list, which I ended up ignoring an awful lot.

lol - maybe that's why they've done this :p:

--------------

Thanks Wzz - will definitely read AP3000 and AP 3003.

Reply 18

It's 3000 is it? I have a copy in a box in the next room but can never be bothered reading it. 3003 on the other hand is quite readable.

And ignoring the reading list hasn't done me any harm :wink:

Reply 19