Real life Top Gun dream derailed by Coronavirus
A 20-year-old student from Camberley had his dream of becoming an RAF pilot disrupted when Covid-19 put the world into lockdown.
Josh Martin-Jones aimed to be flying high by now, yet over a year on from his first test that goal is still on hold.
Josh missed the cut in his pilot test by just one mark in November 2019, meaning he had to wait the standard 12-month re-take time before he could try again.
He said: “I feel there needs to be some revision on this policy as many young applicants must struggle, as I have, to fill the void in their life they expected to be filled with the routine of military life.”
The year-long gap unfortunately coincided with 2020, a year which left the world as well as Josh unsure about how their life would progress.
He described the wait as a ‘stressful period’, due to the ‘number of mixed messages’ he received from those in the recruitment process.
Despite this he explained that his family had been ‘really supportive’ and ‘encouraging’ throughout, even though his mother and grandmother were originally opposed to the idea of him joining the forces.
However, his wait was extended again when Boris Johnson announced another lockdown would begin on November 5, the month of Josh’s retake.
He went on to say: “It felt like someone had pressed pause on my life — after a 12 month wait too, it was a real kick me while I’m down moment.
“But I haven’t let this impact me, I have now started my maths degree with the Open University, whilst working part time in construction.”
He did nevertheless acknowledge that this experience and the ‘tremendous pressure’ gave him a chance to ‘grow up’.
