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| How did you go about getting your current job? |
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Each year from December to February, Air Corps cadetships are advertised on National TV and the National Newspapers. Applications for this can be found online or by applying to the Defence Force competitions section.
I applied by sending for an application form and filling it in. The applications are generally due in at the end of Febuaury (the online applications are more popular now). Within one month of applying, I received a letter inviting me for fitness testing at Baldonnel. Details for the fitness test can be found in the Cadetship booklet, which is available online/career days/Defence Force competition section.
On passing my fitness test I was invited to attend a preliminary interview. This was with 3 air corps personnel and took place in Baldonnel also. This was a competency based interview, details of which is in the cadetship booklet. I was successful in the preliminary interview and was then invited to attend for Apptitude testing. This took a full day, and involved a number of apptitude tests including numerical tests, mechanical reasoning and verbal reasoning.
I was notified that I was successful in the apptitude tests and was called to the final interview stage. This includes a final interview, hand-eye co-ordination tests and a psychological evaluation. This also takes a full day and took place in PARC Aviation, Swords, Co.Dublin. It is from this stage that the final Air Corps candidates are chosen.
I was chosen in my year to be one of four cadets to be taken in. (Classes have normally between 5-10 people) I was notified on the day the CAO offers came out of my success in the process and I accepted my place. I was then called for a Medical evaluation at the end of August and started my training at the end of September.
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| Describe a typical day? |
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As a pilot in the Air Corps, a 'days work' is usually very different from day to day. We are required to fly a number of jobs each day with many different customers. Each will present different timings, a new challenge...some rewarding and some more mundane.
Our official working hours are from 9-5 but due to the nature of the job this changes regularly!! Each morning at 9am we have a morning brief. This includes a weather brief, an update of what aircraft are serviceable and a briefing on the days operations.
Each day we would have a number of flying jobs to be completed. These range from Troop transport, air ambulance, VIP transport, surveys, area reconnaissance's, etc. Generally flying crews are assigned to these jobs and are required to liaise with those involved to organise timings/locations/number of passengers, etc.
Once all is organised, the jobs will be completed as requested by the customer. Each job requires the pilots to make difficult weather calls, which can lead to pressurised decisions and some very challenging flying conditions. So each day presents a number of new challenges, pressures, and requires solid decision making. This makes the job very exciting for me!
All jobs that are completed successfully are quite rewarding! It is rare that somebody can get up in the morning and look forward to going to work...
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| What are the main tasks and responsibilities? |
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Our main day to day tasks are to fly the various jobs that are allocated to us. As mentioned before these flying jobs include VIP transport, Air ambulance, troop transport, parachuting drops and numerous reconnaissance's & patrols.
Once out on a flight, we are responsible for the safety of the crew on board and all the passengers which is a big responsibility.
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| What are the main challenges? |
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The first big challenge with becoming a pilot in the Air Corps is the initial 2-3 years of training....bit military and flying training. This is a tough few years and should not be looked on lightly.
Once finished and passed though it is probably one of the most rewarding days of your life!! From day to day, however, flying presents us with numerous challenges to keep us on our toes. No two flights are ever the same...there are so many variables including weather, wind, turbulence, type of job and numbers on board.
Having to make difficult decisions before and during flights is very challenging and needs flight crews to be up to speed and alert at all times.
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| What's cool? |
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- Getting to fly a huge range of missions in a military helicopter everyday..
- Lots of free time for training/sport activities.
- Loads of annual leave.
- A solid and very well paid job
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| What's not so cool? |
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I have thought about this question and have asked a number of my colleagues.... None of us could think of anything that is not 'cool' about our jobs. For me, this is a dream job and I would not change a day of the time spent on the Air Corps so far.
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| What particular skills do you bring to your workplace? |
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Generally everyone in the Air Corps brings something different to the group. When it comes to the flying aspect however, we are all trained in the exact same way and as a result we all operate in the same way across the board.
This is essential. As a result there are no skills in particular that make one better than another.
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