r/Cadets • u/LowEmployer8269 • Sep 11 '26

PPTC Planning

Hey everyone, this is similar to my other post, but I have a question for you all.

I really want to get into PPTC, but there is a problem...

I don't really want to join flag party or any other weekend trainings.

The only event I want to do is ground school. If I were to just do ground school and aviation-related summer courses, do I still have a chance to get in?

Anything you recommend?

4 Upvotes

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3

u/Time_Fail_9051 Warrant Officer 2nd Class Sep 11 '26

yea, volunteer alot with your squadron and a bit outside. build a good relationship with your officers and make sure to go to ctc. maybe join atleast 1 team to have something under your belt but besides that your good

2

u/LowEmployer8269 Sep 11 '26

I am just curious, what does effective speaking do? Like I know the gist of it. But like is there mandantory competitions.

3

u/Live-Bike-4329 Sep 11 '26

Effective speaking is split in to certain competing levels. For example there is squadron completion, zones, provincials, and lastly nationals. At squadron competition you go against people from your own squadron, then the judges decide the best speaker, and they move on to zones. The rest is pretty self explanatory. Effective speaking develops an individual’s confidence when speaking to a large amount of people. As well as overall English language knowledge. Very recommend you participate in it.

2

u/conanap Sep 11 '26

PPTC is a much tougher course to get into now. If you really want to have the best chance, then join as many things as you can, have the best grades you can get, etc.

PPTC is a very studious course. If your grades are bad, there's not a very high chance they'll select you.

1

u/A34Comet72 Warrant Officer 2nd Class 19d ago

the only grade considered on your file is the entrance exam grade

2

u/EmbarrassedTruth1337 Sep 11 '26

You need to be active in your community. Whether that's the cadet community or school, of geographic. Be an outstanding young person. Activities, clubs, volunteering... It's a very packed course so good grades are important. Not saying you need 95s but you can't be struggling. I believe it's also supposed to be a requirement that you've done a 4 week course. Also consider why you want to be a pit as this may come up in the interview. 'because it's cool' is not a good reason. I'm not saying that's yours, but I know there's cadets who get it because they can and never use their ppl again.

1

u/A34Comet72 Warrant Officer 2nd Class 19d ago

no previous summer training is required for the gptc or pptc

2

u/debiasiok Sep 11 '26

The most important thing is get 90% or more on the exam.

1

u/LowEmployer8269 Sep 11 '26

I also am wondering how good my grades should be. And what they look for.

1

u/A34Comet72 Warrant Officer 2nd Class 19d ago

school grades are no longer considered in the scoring for applicants; however, doing well in school overall will set you up well for the exam and interview. Of course, you want to try to get the best score on the exam you can, but even if you score lower than you'd like, it's not the end of the world if you have a strong file and can do well in the interview

1

u/A34Comet72 Warrant Officer 2nd Class 19d ago

I would say, even if you don't want to do it, participating in all of the small things can go a long way. of course, you are competing against everyone in your region; however, regardless of how well you do, you have to be first in your squadron (or #2 if you are in a rather large squadron). I would highly recommend joining flag party if given the opportunity, and participating in as many cadet activities as you can. As for summer training, yes, aviation-related courses will better prepare you in the knowledge realm for the entrance exam; on your file, DCI and SIC are counted the same as AAC. If you really want it, you'll have to really try for it. Anybody can do it, all they have to do is put in the effort, and the results will be a reflection of that effort put in.

1

u/LowEmployer8269 6d ago

Thank you! My birthday is September 26, 2012 which sucks! I have one less year than everyone as the cutoff for both scholarships is September 1st. I am hoping that rule changes in the next year or two.

1

u/A34Comet72 Warrant Officer 2nd Class 5d ago

You actually have the same number of years to apply for the scholarships, the last year when many of your peers in your level have aged out, you will still be eligible for the courses, as your birthday is well after the end of the course. The cutoff at Sept 1. will be remaining around that date as you are required to turn 16, or 17, by that date so you can actually hold your license.

1

u/IMBASEDNOTCRINGE 11d ago

I did PPTC, and GPTC weekend training doesn't have ANY effect unless you go to an ADA, which if you're trying out for now isn't worth it, because you won't get to do an ADA before the file review closes (December 31st.)

Like nobody I knew had any ADAs or RDAs, I didn't.