[quote=VarSity;445413]-{SpoonmaN}-'s post got me thinking about a career I have been looking into myself, however as yet I have not been able to talk to anyone because when I went down to my local careers office the sodding RAF guy (who I was told to talk to) wasnt there
I have been thinking about the forces for a while now, and have actually started a fair amount of training even though its very early stages for me.
One job I am very interested in is Forward Air Control. From what I can work out this is carried out by the RAF Regiments TACP's and the Royal Arty.
What I am looking to find out is:
A) Is this a role that you can join as right off the bat?
Absolutely not!
B) Has anyone here has any experiance working in or with such a role?
Me. It is one of the most important tasks undertaken by the Army Air Corps where you are identified on radio as 'Lingo Dog'.If the stores are not laid on target, guess who gets the blame?
C) Any other info really on what the role involves. I can more or less work out the basics, get on the radio, tell Pilot boy to drop bombs on X Y and Z (more detailed than that I know), but is there more to this role?
One teensy-weensie thing to be kept in mind is the proximity of the enemy, who would like to kill you, so you are close to the FEBA, very low, usually slow and acting like an infanteer utilising all possible means of cover, popping up and skylining yourself as little as possible to aquire/confirm targets (and never re-appearing in the same place twice). Oh, and practice, practice and practice with different types of aircraft with differing warloads. It is demanding work but there is considerable satisfaction when everything works out.