Got an appointment at the AFCO in Leicester on 19th Feb, just wondered if there are any old RAF guys on here, mainly Logistics-Drivers type people if so could you make yourselves known so I can pick some brains and ask some general questions via pm please. Also if any army boys want to talk me into going the army route feel free to do so 
Cheers in advance
Jon
Best advice you will ever recieve is what I got while going through basic, keep your mouth shut and your ears open, In basic the NCO’s are gods they own your life , dont try to fight that, you wil lose, head down and work hard no matter how stupid you think it is, and a lot is deliberatly stupid. dont try and work out why, just do it.
No matter how well you do something in the first few weeks, it wont be good enough 
live with it,
You will be more tired than you have ever been in your life, but dont think you can be clever and find a easy round a job/task, The NCO’s have seen thousands of recruits, were recruits once themselves and know every trick in the book to get out of doing a job properly and will catch you out.
Basic training is a lie, its not there to “train” you in your job its there to see if you can hang in there, learn some military skills and work with your mates… once you join your unit you will learn your trade. remember in all the UK armed forces - your primary role is to fight, your trade is always second
Good luck from an old squaddie
Best advice you will get is what Rikki says.
also when your in basic training there is reason behind everything they do. You might think they are doing it just to be awkward but they are looking for the weakest link etc.
Only advice i’d say is don’t go the logistics road, there are plenty of other trades in the army/raf that’ll actually let you get a decent job when you come out.
Sound advice there, stay in the middle of the pack, do as your told and dont question anything no matter how silly it may sound. Phase one is split, the first 4 weeks are there to see if you can hack it at this point you can still ‘get out’ after 6 weeks you will have a weekend on leave. 6 weeks onwards do become easier, you can bring a few home comforts (your own bedding etc)
Good luck!
im an ex raf mt driver. feel free to pm me.
I was an Aircraftman with 4624,Movements Squadron,at Brize.Cargo and passengers duty on C17,VC10,Tristar,747 and Hercules aircraft.Left my weapon behind in basic training,you guessed right,it was quickly hidden by the NCOs,dis-assembled in the mud,then i cleaned it for inspection.MT section at Brize,think they did a lot of work to the USAF bases,at Fairford,etc.
That certainly was a strange experience. Sleeping with a rifle. Not the most comfy item to take to bed!! 
garnerlives:
Got an appointment at the AFCO in Leicester on 19th Feb, just wondered if there are any old RAF guys on here, mainly Logistics-Drivers type people if so could you make yourselves known so I can pick some brains and ask some general questions via pm please. Also if any army boys want to talk me into going the army route feel free to do soCheers in advance
Jon
and what is wrong with the Navy (senior service)?
garnerlives:
Got an appointment at the AFCO in Leicester on 19th Feb, just wondered if there are any old RAF guys on here, mainly Logistics-Drivers type people if so could you make yourselves known so I can pick some brains and ask some general questions via pm please. Also if any army boys want to talk me into going the army route feel free to do soCheers in advance
Jon
If you looking to gain all of your licences then the RAF as an MT Driver.
You will get all your licences quicker than a driver in the Army(I know because I was an Instructor at the main Driver Training Base) 
Best of luck whatever you decide
Giblsa:
garnerlives:
Got an appointment at the AFCO in Leicester on 19th Feb, just wondered if there are any old RAF guys on here, mainly Logistics-Drivers type people if so could you make yourselves known so I can pick some brains and ask some general questions via pm please. Also if any army boys want to talk me into going the army route feel free to do soCheers in advance
Jon
and what is wrong with the Navy (senior service)?
nothing but i cant drive a truck on water, and thats what i’d like to do, saying that underwater mine diffuser sounds a wicked job in the navy
I hope you don’t suffer from Eczema, as none of the forces will consider you for at least 3 years.
My son just failed his medical for the Navy, due to a small, and I mean small, patch of dry skin on his finger, which the doc deems to be eczema.
I’m now stuck with one bitterley disappointed teenager, with no job prospects in our area. 
Good Luck.
GarnerLives,
If you are joining the forces to just get your licences then it will be cheaper to do it all yourself rather than joining one of the forces, once you have got past the initial couple of weeks grace for PVR (premature voluntary release) you are stuck in then for at least 4 ½ years, even then you have to give 12 months notice. You can get early release during that 12 months but it is hard to do now. If you want to join the forces because it’s something you want to do then do it, if you can. You will need to be quite fit to join the RAF and Army but not as fit for the navy, this doesn’t mean you don’t need to be fit because you do. I used to tell people that I joined the navy to see the world and it was true, not anymore. You will see the Falkland’s, maybe South America (honky fid or Rio) or the gulf region. If you’re very lucky you might get a states trip across the pond or the a few months out the Far East but these are few and far between now. You will more than likely spend a few months in Iraq (not for much longer) or Afghanistan (very likely) as more and more matelots are going to these regions as ground support as it is more joint forces. You will see more of the world in the navy but the licences won’t be so readily available (unless you go on an aircraft squadron or FSU)
You also have a PM
airforce?, pah!, navy?, pah!. no what you want is an exciting career as a forward observer in the royal artillery… if you like the outdoor life and digging trenches then this is for you, only make sure your map reading is on the ball or you might yourself sharing a trench with 6 155mm HE shells!. 
no mate werent fit enough to join that crowd!, would think them naval guns would make bigger holes than a 155mm…
Like Dave, I’m ex RAFmtd. Feel free to pm
wirralpete:
no mate werent fit enough to join that crowd!, would think them naval guns would make bigger holes than a 155mm…
a 4.5" shell does leave a hell of a hole, they were used in the first few hours of the liberation of Iraq on the peninsula before the booties landed
mind you mate, any artillery paying a visit to your position is not going to be good for you… 
Sean:
That certainly was a strange experience. Sleeping with a rifle. Not the most comfy item to take to bed!!
And bloody scary when you wake up with the muzzle under your chin and the safety off 
I’m ex-Army, so I can’t really comment on the rest, but to add to what Rikki said, the purpose of basic training is to break you so they can remould you as they want you. It’s BS from ‘Week 1, Day 1’.
As an example, we had a big inspection, it was supposed to be all the big wigs coming round, we’d worked on it all weekend, no sleep and the place was sparkly. Came to inspection time and only the NCOs turn up - oh here we go. “Not good enough”, EVERYTHING gets turned upside down, immaculately ironed kit screwed up and and piled in the middle of the room. All the way through, the NCOs were trying (and failing miserably) not to grin like cheshire cats. As they left the room, they told us the big inspection was tomorrow instead. Looking back, it’s hard not to grin like they were, but at the time it felt someone was pulling your heart out through your backside. Another sleepless night, the inspection happened the next day and they barely even looked. “Very good” they say (obviously in on it), when they’d gone, the NCOs said “Not good enough”, and took us out for a nice beasting (sorry, no it wasn’t a beasting, they’re not allowed to do that are they? )
If you can keep your head down and put up with it you’ll be fine, just don’t do what I did, throwing the contents of your locker at the CSM isn’t a good idea. Neither is following it up with the bed I didn’t realise it was possible to march that fast!(Funnily enough they left me alone after that, I think they considered me successfully broken )
Best of luck to you - if you go for it, you’ll be collecting some of the best memories you’ll ever have.