Good afternoon, all
Can anyone tell me how to correctly rank up Acting Pilot Officer no1 uniform? I have a waiver for an activity that would require no1 (and I have purchased a jacket and trousers), but ACP1358 doesn’t seem to cover (nor forbid) it?
Thanks in advance!
When I did it I wore pilot officer braid and nabbed some officer cadet gorgets from the UAS which is what then CACWO told me to do (on the basis that at Cranwell they wear the gorgets with the braid of the rank they’ll commission into). I then had the RWO who came to the event have a go at me in front of the cadets for adding the gorgets (until Dawn told him to shut up as the dress regs don’t really cover it). Best bet would be to contact your WWO (or the senior WO for the event and see what they’d prefer you to do)
As I see it you have 3 options:
Having attended events in No 2 where everyone else is in No 1s I’d probably go with either of the other options!
Just wear No 1 dress.
Reading it, I think they’ve decided they’re wearing 1s to the event - just wondering how to rank it up.
I actually don’t know - @an_APO as you say ACP1358 doesn’t actually cover it. I’d say, if you can get your hands on some gorgets that seems to be in the spirit of the rules, with Plt Off ribbons around the wrists.
If not - you’re a pilot officer, and commissioned as such. I’d say wear that rank, and make sure you’ve got APO slides underneath in case challenged (as, according to the rules, they’re the bit that must always be worn).
(Or, get your hands on a greatcoat and some appropriate slides for that…?)
I’ve seen someone commissioning letter and I’m sure it says you are a pilot officer (known within the corps only as Acting Pilot Officer). Someone in your positions MOD 90 would say Plt Off not A/Plt Off so I would say just go N1s without gorgets ranked as a pilot officer but with the white tab rank slides on your shirt.
If you’re acting in the sense that newly commissioned acting pilot officers are, then it’s exactly the same as being a substantive pilot officer (no white tabs or anything).
If you’re actually not yet commissioned and this is an odd way of the RAFAC branding you, then you wear the rank you graduate with (in this case pilot officer) but have white tabs on the collar (possibly where your RAFAC pins would go, inconveniently).
Edit: I’m relating this to how regular acting pilot officers wear their uniform before and after receiving their commissions.
Which would you say I am as a RAFAC acting pilot officer?
I have no idea, as I don’t know how it works for you guys.
But I think you’d know if you’d graduated from whichever part of Cranwell you now go through, so if you haven’t yet commissioned and been promised/given a scroll, then go to Cranwell stores and grab those little tabs (gorgets or something, can’t quite remember the name).
That’s a big question. Your appointment letter says appointed to a commission from X date. However, the gazette says you’re commissioned from X date plus 1 year (unless OIC is completed later, in which case it’s that date).
The first year or two of CFC commissioned dates it a year after you went into uniform but the most recent gazettes I’ve seen for Plt Off is announcing the commision roughly a year later but back dated to the original letters date.
Id need to check to be honest. I believe it will just be Plt Off No 1s
Sounds like they’ve taken something that should be really simple and RAFAC’d it.
I’m coining that btw, if I’m the first super-stable genius to think of verbing the organisation.
What about just wearing the white band on the hat?
The key difference being, anyone could knock up a white band with some white material and a sweing machine, Gorget patches would be a bit more difficult
I’m pretty sure the white bands are only worn at Cranwell and never anywhere else (even in UASs, the enlisted officer cadets wear them but not APOs).
I have seen them in the wild.
Pair of medical officers. Flight Lieutenant white banded rank slides and hats.
Confused the everliving heck out of me.
Was your saluting arm twitching?
As if he had a headdress on 