Hi, nickanick. I think I can help you out.
I'm an ACSO...or as I prefer, nav (I was trained as a nav, so that's what I call myself) with 13 years in. I spent six years as a Herc nav then specialised as an EWO to fly backseat on the Alpha Jet (EWO is an ACSO specialty, like transport/LRP/MH/SAR, if you're wondering), which I did for four years.
When I went through CFANS, the course was 9 months on paper but took about a year to complete. Flight scheduling, rewrites, lecturer availability etc all cause delays. I started in August and got my wings in July. I heard that the course will be shortened, like bouncer said, as they're removing some things from the basic course and moving them to the appropriate OTU courses.
It's difficult to directly compare the ACSO basic course to the pilot course(s). Neither training path is easy, they're just different. The ACSO basic course deals with a lot of the same basic material, we just don't study as much on aerodynamics and aircraft handling and study more mission planning & direction, and the only stick time is during the 2 week introductory phase in Portage - if they still do that. Though to expand on what bouncer said, some ACSOs are expected to do some piloting once qualified on their aircraft (i.e. EWOs, as the jet has only two seats and no autopilot).
Failure rate is pretty high in both. Selection just gets you in the door because you've shown the aptitude. Your training is where you prove yourself. When I was at CFANS, we had classes of eight, and five graduated on average. I understand the percentages are similar for pilot, but I could be wrong.
From there you go to your OTU course, but that's a story for another thread.
As far as getting into the trade goes, it depends on a number of factors. How many slots there are depends on actual manning versus projected versus minimum required. From there, they allocate some to each entry programme based on a plan that I won't pretend to understand. I entered as a DEO since I already had my degree. When I applied, the recruiters told me it looked good, but advised me that more new applicants were being processed all the time, so if I didn't get called within about a year then it may not happen. I got offered a spot about three months after finishing ACS, so I guess I did okay.
To give you perspective, we have about 500-600 ACSOs according to the last career manager brief. I don't remember how many we lose each year, but I think guys typically stay in for a 20-to-25-year stint, so do the math and that'll give you a rough indication of how many enter. Some leave after obligatory service, some stay in for the full 35 years, some switch trades, but I'd say 20ish years is a good average.
Hope this helps. If anyone has better info, feel free to chime in.
Cheers
