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Exactly a year ago, I had applied for Airforce Common Admission Test or AFCAT-1 2020 which happens in February and is one of the qualifying exams for graduate entry to serve in the Indian Airforce as Officer in various branches such as Flying, Ground Duty, Technical and Administration. I gave the exam as was attracted to way of life in armed forces, my liking for powerful machines, technology, travel, and an observation about myself that I was good at learning and doing things which are more hands-on or have some sort of instrument involed. So, I thought that the Flying Branch (Airplane/Helicopter pilot in the Indian Airforce) could be a perfect fit for me and I wanted to give this career option a try before I became age barred - because for Flying maximum age one can apply is 24 years.
I went on to give the exam and got 221/300 marks. After the exam I was also able to clear the weeklong rigorous selection process (commonly referred as SSB) at 2AFSB Mysore (one of the 4 Airforce Selection Boards in the country) and get recommend for Flying in my very first try!
(As I would get to know from the candidates I met during the process who were giving their 2nd or 3rd try or some were even there for the 5th time, that getting recommended in one go was quite a feat and that too for IAF Flying Branch is even tougher as there are only around 30-35 seats for it twice a year.)
Then after getting recommended at the SSB there was the Medical screening, which is a 2-3 day process which took place at Institute of Aerospace Medicine Bangalore. In this I cleared all the tests – Ultrasound, X-rays, 3D Anthropometry Scans, Surgical, ENT, Hearing test, Dental, Blood Test, etc. but unfortunately in one of the tests for color perception, my eyes could not meet the CP grade which was needed to qualify for the Flying Branch. I was given a chance to appeal wherein I could get this test redone with them at the Command Hospital in Delhi in the next 40 days but as the defect was not completely treatable and even if I got a better grade in this test during the next try, it would at the best be sufficient to get me qualified only for other 3 branches which I mentioned at the start but not Flying - which had been my only real aim. Hence, I did not go ahead with the appeal and had to drop out of the selection process.
The IAF cap and mouse pad I received after getting recommended
But all in all, this entire experience which happened in August - September, amidst the lockdown – when one needed Govt. permissions and -ve Covid report to cross state borders, and with very few options to travel on each route, I traveled from my hometown Amravati to Mysore and back, and then again to Bangalore for medicals and then back home, meeting new people, giving the actual tests at the SSB, the glimpse into the armed forces was exhilarating. And getting so close to something that would have changed the complete course of my life has taught me a lot of important lessons and I want to remember these for life.
Although the complete process was quite long, but it all happened so fast that I sometimes wonder what actually happened during these 2 months. So, I have written down the day wise log of my experience for the 6 days at AFSB Mysore, as something to which I can come back to relive the entire thing. Also, this might be helpful for anyone aspiring to join the Indian Airforce or other Armed Forces in preparing for their SSB.
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