BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) spent six months at RAF Cosford following trainee Physical Training Instructors (PTIs) on one of the Royal Air Force’s toughest and most demanding courses, in a brand-new programme, Top Flight Fitness.
BFBS Forces News had special access to this intense and demanding training journey, capturing the brutal workouts, military theory lessons, real-world teaching sessions, and relentless physical and mental assessments that push even the fittest to their limits.
From raw recruits straight off civvy street to experienced service personnel, the series reveals what it really takes to become a PTI, and it’s not just about six-packs and speed.
BFBS Forces News reporter Kirstie Chambers joins the course every step of the way, sharing insight into the teamwork, psychology, resilience and sheer determination it takes to earn the coveted PTI badge, she said: “They didn’t just train bodies, they built minds. The women matched the men, the competition drove camaraderie, and the real test? Just keeping up the pace.”
Expect sweat, setbacks and serious inspiration in this must-see look inside the RAF’s most physically demanding training ground.
Top Flight Fitness: What it takes to keep the RAF fighting fit, is available to watch now on BFBS Forces News