Republic of Singapore Air Force - RSAF Pilot
Singapore Military Air Force Requirements: Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident with a minimum age of 18 years old and a Diploma or full GCE ’A’ Level Certification with passes in English, Mathematics and Physical Science at GCE ’O’ Level. Height - between 1.62m to 1.90m and combat fit (Physical Employment Status PES A or PES B). Eyesight - not more than 500 degrees per eye, correctable to 6/6 vision. Astigmatism - not more than 200 degrees per eye. Normal colour vision and no other eye deficiencies.
All RSAF Pilot Trainees have to sign a 10 years bond (contract) with option to work until 50 years old. Starting salary of about SDG $2,500 for cadets and to about SGD $3,500 upon obtain their Wings. In additional there are Pilot allowance and flying allowance. A pilot (Captain/Major) can receive a monthly salary in excess of SGD $10,000 within 10 years.A senior ranking pilot (LTC) can earn in excess of SGD $15,000 monthly.
1. Selection Process - The selection process comes in 3 stages. The COMPASS (Computerised Aptitude Selection System) test, which is a 5-hour computerized test which tests your aptitude as a potential pilot, e.g. psychomotor skills, multitasking under stress, spatial awareness and decision making. On passing the COMPASS test, they have to sit in front of the Pilot Selection Board, which is an interview with a panel of 3 to 4 RSAF officers, of which one of them would be a pilot, and the main things they’re looking for in you is your interest in being an RSAF pilot and also leadership qualities. Then comes the aeromedical checkup at RSAF Aeromedical Centre, where aviation doctors determine your medical fitness and suitability to operate in an unnatural environment which pilots do.
2. BMT - Training begins at Basic Military Training (BMT). One will have to perform well enough during BMT to qualify for Officer Cadet School (OCS). After BMT, candidates will be posted to the Air Force Training Command (AFTC) to prepare for Air Grading Course (AGC).
3. AGC - It is a 6-week flying course of 15 flights conducted in Tamworth, NSW, Australia.
This phase will assess the candidate’s ability, aptitude and airmanship in handling an aircraft. The aircraft used for this phase is the Pacific Aerospace CT/4B, a two-seat aerobatic aircraft. Singapore Youth Flying Club (SYFC) Private Pilot License (PPL) holders are exempted from this phase.
4. OCS - After passing AGC, trainees are sent to SAFTI MI to attend the OCS. The course consist of a common leadership module (2 weeks) followed by an Air Force Service Term (7 weeks). There is substantial physical and leadership training during the first phase. The Air Force Service Term consists mainly of lectures about RSAF organizational structure and other Air Force related topics. They will then required to go through a 10 day Jungle Survival Training (JST) course in Brunei. The JST involves theory lessons about jungle survival, followed by a 3-day survival test and navigation exercise in the Brunei jungle.
5. AFTC - After completing OCS, trainees return to AFTC for a 3-month long ground-school course. The ground-school covers flying theory and survival training (e.g. G force endurance training and water survival drills).
6. BWC - Following that, trainees proceed to Pearce, Australia for a 10-month Basic Wings Course (BWC).
The school runs five courses a year with approximately 16 students per course. Trainees fly the Pilatus PC-21 aircraft. All the basic knowledge and practical flying skills required as a military pilot are taught at this phase. A trainee will typically fly about 100 hours during this phase. At the end of BWC, pilot trainees are streamed. Depending on their performance and assessed aptitude, they attend either the Fighter Wings Course (FWC), Rotary Wings Course (RWC), or the Transport Wings Course (TWC), to continue their advanced pilot training. For trainees that is selected for FWC, they will stay-on in Pearce for BWC-F (Fighter) course. This will last for another 2 months in Pearce. Outstanding BWC trainees (about 6 trainees a year) have the chance to attend their FWC in Canada under the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program. In NFTC, Hawk 115 is used for fighter lead-in training. At NFTC, the learning curve of RSAF pilots is also accelerated by training alongside their more seasoned and combat-proven counterparts.
7. FWC / RWC / TWC - The FWC is held in Cazaux, France. RWC and TWC are held locally in Singapore.
Trainees who successfully compete the advanced wing phases will finally receive the coveted RSAF Wings after about 3 years of service.
Even though they are recognised as pilots, they are not yet operational. These new pilots are known as OCUs. Squadron tours last about three years. After a first squadron tour, a pilot is qualified as a section lead. Typically, the best pilots go to a program like Top Gun and then return to the squadron as a qualified weapons instructor. Other top pilots take flight instructor training and return to the squadron as a qualified flight instructor. A pilot is expected to complete six years service after OCU before leaving the Air Force.
Facts: Singapore Population Trends 2011 Report showed that Singapore’s total population is 5.18 million. Which comprises of 3.26 million Singapore Citizen, 530,000 permanent residents and 1.39 million non-resident foreigner.
Facts: At present, only about 2,000 of the 20,000 national service enlistees each year meet the RSAF’s physical and other requirements. Annually about 500 applicant were shortlisted for Compass Test, Interview and Medical. From that about 20% or about 100 were selected for the next stage. The attrition rate at AGC is probably about 50% with 50 making the grades and combine with about 30 with PPL. These 80 will go into BWC with probability of 20% attrition rate, a smaller attrition rate for FWC/RWC/TWC. A rough estimate, the system produces about 60 Aviators annually. About 30 pilots are assigned to fighter aircraft with the remaining 30 assigned to transport, aircraft and helicopters.
Facts: It costs quite a bit for the country (cost of instructors, planes, fuel and other consumables) to put a pilot tough three-year training regime (from initial flying training to basic and then advanced training). The RSAF trains to high standards in its training units. A pilot goes to a squadron fully capable.
Updated On: 18.10.15