Looks like the new RAFAC ‘Silver’ Wings which are awarded for the following
Silver RAFAC Flying Badge awarded for
flying solo in a Gliding Scholarship (GS) or
Air Cadet Pilot Scholarship (ACPS)
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Note that these are placed over the heart, not on the shoulder patch, so a little different not just in design.
I doubt there’ll be any cadets who want publicity photos taken of them being presented with the bronze ‘failure’ wings!
“Congratulations to CDT Bloggs who this weekend failed the GS/ACPS and was presented with their bronze wings by….”
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We had a cadet go to ACPS a couple of years ago and, due to weather, couldn’t fly his solo. He’d get the bronze Wings under the new rules, rather than nothing under the old rules. He would have worn them.
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But under the old rules, he’d most likely have the bronze wings before attending a GS or ACPS!
Wings are handed out too freely these days There’s nothing wrong with PTS, but why not issue little blue aviation badges* for brassards rather than gliding/flying wings. Solo flight (RAFAC or civilian) is quite an achievement for any 16 year old. Wings should be for solo flight only.
*RAFAC branded version of this
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Yeah no thanks.
Honestly I’d just scrap awarding all blue badges.
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Don’t stop there, scrap the brassard.
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first they are too hard to get, particularly with reducing opportunities now “too freely” awarded.
That isn’t to say I agree that “wings” should be awarded after a first flight, but there is a precedent that “flying” is recognised with “wings” and so accept that as long as their is a badge recognising different levels that is the way we do it…
back in the day first flight used to be a A5 certificate, which I suspect 99% of Cadets will have lost or binned by the time they left. Not saying they would have kept the badge, but likely there will be photos of Cadets wearing their badge they’ll be able to look back on and recognise the badges they wore
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After my first I got a little A7 or whatever size insert for my 3822 I think.
…I got one after my second too, because I lost the first one.
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In the new Aviation Progressive Syllabus the Blue and Bronze embellishments are no longer known as ‘wings’ but ‘badges’ and live on the shoulder patch of the jersey. The embellishments for a solo, or completion of ACPNTS are ‘wings’ and sit on the left chest.
There is no more room for any further badges on the brassard. There is precedent for badges to be worn on the shoulder patches as this is where DoE used to live.
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What he said ^
The new system differentiates nicely between solo, and non-solo, flying opportunities.
Don’t we think flying badges are more important than D of E for space on the jumper?
It was simply an entry in my 3822 in my day, no certificates or badges unless you went solo with a Gliding Scholarship or got one of the few Flying Scholarships.
Think that was only 5AEF as I know cadets at other AEFs around the same time didn’t get one.
Always preferred flying at 5 rather than 7 (which was a bit of a tick box sausage factory & how many can we get through).
6 used to be an A6 certificate (fitted inside the ROS book)
As was 9 back in the day
No
Besides DofE is on the Brassard now
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7 AEF used to do it…some of my Cadets came back from camp with a certificate
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Wasn’t it the DofE himself (RIP) who brought about that change? Increasing their visibility when cadets were in short sleeve order due to the Chief saying “Where is their DofE badge?”?
I’m surprised the two winged master race haven’t had the same dilemma! Maybe they don’t have the same leverage! 