Just seen a post with a cadet FS wearing No1s with aircrew insignia. I thought Aircrew slides were only an RAF thing (Not for RAFAC personnel). Flight Staff Cadets have flight staff tapes. This particular FS is said to be involved with Aviation Ground Schools (So, not even a VGS where cadets are flying) - only delivery of ground based training aswell as other STEM topics. I’ve also seen some RAFAC staff sometimes rock these aircrew slides, so just keen to actually know what the regs are on this
Personally, I think this is pointless - but someone has decreed that we can have Sgt, FS, Mstr Aircrew ranks for staff who are merely connected with VGS, AEF, AGS (even in non-flying roles) and unfortunately it does also allow cadets on the same to wear cadet aircrew rank slides. Pointless, costly and doesn’t meet any need other than a shiny new badge. I want RAFAC Regiment Mudguards as I’m an SAAI, RCO and ECO.
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When I first saw these RAFAC aircrew ranks at RIAT, it made perfect sense: as those wearing them also had glider pilot brevets.
That’s as far as I think the logic can carry: pilots are aircrew, but ground instructors are not. Similarly, for FSCs the aircrew ranks should be preserved for those actually qualified to fly with cadets.
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Exactly - they had glider pilot wings. Why the need for a new badge?
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To be completely honest, I don’t even know why the RAF keeps them. ‘During the War’ you had SNCO pilots, air gunners, etc, who didn’t need them.
At some point it got brought in to distinguish direct entry SNCOs: but now we have DE SNCOs who aren’t aircrew. (Not to mention that all RAFAC SNCOs are DE.)
Had this conversation elsewhere.
As someone who did the full RAF trg for 2 brevets (AEOp& pilot), I do not think that we should be issuing “aircrew status” rank slides to cadets.
Aren’t cadets only allowed to wear the FSC tapes when on VGS/AGS duty? Question is how are they on VGS/AGS duty in No1s…
No, that was changed so there was no constant swapping of tapes.
Within the context of this being a thing, I think that was a good decision.
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That makes sense in a way
However No 1s would involve in physically damaging the no 1s to put the eagle on.
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Surely only as much as sewing on any other badge/rank insignia?
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It may not be a flying badge, but quite simply they should not be wearing aircrew insignia. Obtain and read “Electronic Airborne Goldfish by John Clements” and then reflect.
exmpa
Why did the RAF see the need for “Air Crew” rank slides when everyone in a flying role would have flying brevets?
RAFAC is not the RAF the rank slide shows a role and not flying status. In an AIR space an cyber organisation, anything that promotes the AIR in Air Cadets should in my mind be emphasized.
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Possibly as some uniform aspects did not / do not permit wearing of the required brevet?
Nope, it’s a false promotion - the cadets & any CFAV) concerned are not aircrew-qualified.
Appreciate it’s a thread drift but just curious @MikeJenvey - your thoughts on drone pilots wearing brevets?
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Why does that matter? It’s a badge, in a separate organisation. No one is wearing it claiming to be a fast jet pilot.
We equally wear rank from the RAF and aren’t trained in the same way. Should we stop wearing those too? Or we could accept it’s a meaningless badge in a youth organisation…
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Absolutely 100% against it!! Total dilution of the value of the badge.
Why does that matter? So, apart from having to pass the RAF aptitude tests, medical, pass the relevant basic trg, pass the basic & advanced flying trg (& any other elements that are required), why not just give the aircrew rank slides away. Oh, we have.
I earned both brevets, & the right to wear the SNCO aircrew rank slides. Funnily enough, I don’t support RAFAC personnel of any kind wearing them.
Rank alone is a very different situation & has to be seen as a necessity.
To be fair to the drone pilots at least they fly something.
The air cadets flight staff cadets is a different matter. Whole new production run for what 30 cadets a year?
I’m sorry but this is rubbish. You’ve done some courses and training entitling you to wear a particular thing. Well done. No one is denying you earned those, or that they were challenging to do.
You are, however, equating that and the thing you could wear because of it with a badge meaning something else. The 2 do not signify the same thing, and anyone who is attached to the organisation will know that.
Why aren’t you angry that we have junior officers? They wear the same rank as someone who’s done 32 weeks of IOT and could have spent time in active war zones. I wear the same rank as someone who’s done that, but that’s OK seemingly? Or about Warrant Officers? What happens when WO2 comes in and our CWOs are wearing the same badge as them?
People really just need a little reality check here. It’s a small piece of cloth on someone’s shoulders or chest. It does not infer equivalency to the regular service at all.
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and words
We’ve got people with Sqn Ldr and Wg Cmd braid on their shoulders who’ve done a week at Cranwell and would never have passed any of the regular tests to get them there ‘properly’.
What we wear may look the same or similar but does not mean the same thing.
(I just saw @pEp said similar above but with better words 
)
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