Pro: you can walk the other way when you see them coming!
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I canât say I am aware of the Marksman rifles, but the parachustist and band are relatable to the individuals trade much more than it is for the CFAV.
as a CFAV we have no âtradeâ we are all equal in what is expected of us, and gain no specialism unless we choose to go down that route, but are still expected to stick to the basic CFAV duties with the exception of VGS and SATT Staff who clearly do specialise past the norm (and have either a flying badge or a SATT themed TRF)
the other âtradesâ are not bespoke enough that it becomes out raison dâĂȘtre as a CFAV, become all we do. And as M_V_L indicated many of us double, or triple hat - while attending a parade night, completing BADER admin and teaching classification lessons is the norm, many CFAVs go further and do a bit extra by getting involved in First Aid, Shooting or Radio to name a few - but as these are not the only events/topics/subjects that is done hard to distinguish these as âtradesâ which are concentrated on in the same way we seen in the RAF.
A pilot is a pilot
An engineer is an engineer
A nurse is a nurse
while a CFAV is a little bit of everything, best described as âCFAV is a CFAVâ
Not necessarily. Both the parachutist badge and the volunteer bandsman badge could be worn by personnel of any trade. You might have an RAFP Cpl who enjoys music and so is also a voluntary bandsman.
Likewise if a techie opted to complete a service parachuting course theyâd wear the lightbulb.
The marksman badge (the same crossed rifles that we used to award as the RAF Marksman in the old days) is, I believe, awarded for achieving a suitable score on the APWT, or whatever itâs called these days.
But, perhaps we should push the âtradeâ route a bit more though? Much like the SCC do.
Certainly, I think that any Sgt should hold at least one instructor qualification before being eligible for promotion.
Perhaps looking at a more structured set of routes for staff training and progression might encourage a bigger pool of suitably skilled people, a general raising of standards, and - crucially - a greater feeling of achievement for staff.
Thereâd certainly be nothing to stop staff from gaining multiple quals over time and engaging in different disciplines.
I also volunteer with another uniformed service (non cadet) which I chose to do primarily because they offer training and qualification in a field in which Iâm interested and which started as a hobby.
Once Iâve achieved some of the quals in my chosen trade I plan to focus on instructing others in one of the other trades they offer and in which Iâm already experienced.
I must say it feels good to be learning new stuff and getting that feeling of accomplishment which I rarely get from the RAFAC any more after 25 years. Iâve picked up various disciplines over the years⊠DI, WI, Comms, AT. I still enjoy the RAFAC and have no plans to leave; but now Iâve rediscovered the positive feeling of progressing within a hobby that we donât really consider for our staff. Itâs all about âthe cadet experienceâ with little thought to the âstaff experienceâ. Sure, the courses are out there for staff but we donât really have any practical pathway for progression. Itâs just a case of âbecome staff, serve on a Sqn, go and do stuff if you fancy it.â
Maybe a more proactive approach, where staff chose an area of interest and can follow a defined progression might go some way towards improving staff morale.
Keen, interested, staff can only be good for the cadets.
Iâm keenly aware that weâre way off topic now and perhaps this would be good for a split?
Back on the topic of highlighting the status of those that are pilots.
For NCOs serving on VGS the organisation began granting Aircrew rankslides as per the RAF, it would be interesting to understand the decisioning around that in order to better understand the train of thought around CFAV wearing âwingsâ . Given VGS CFAV NCOs also wear the relevant brevet why was this introduced for them?
An aside question - do VGS CFAV NCOs wear aircrew ranks slides before gaining their brevets ?
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Interesting questions.
Iâve got a feeling (but hopefully someone directly involved will come along shortly) that they wear them as soon as they start serving on the VGS.
I suppose itâs to show that theyâre not real âweekday evenings AND weekendsâ CFAVs like the rest of us 
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Pathetic!
Why even allow VGS staff to have wings? They havent been certified by an RAF QSP or inst have they? Nope. Just another more senior RAFAC bod.
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Otherwise known as pride in our qualifications.
The more of which we have btw means the more the cadets can do.
In my time, I saw - literally - hundreds of airmen in different trades wear the badges of other trades, so the same concept could be applied to RAFAC if the political will existed.
For instance:
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RAF Regiment personnel wearing the AACC badge. The Regiment were not formed to be commando trained but it is as the title suggests - open to âAll Armsâ.
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MT Drivers wearing parachute wings. Not their chosen trade but because theyâd served with II Sqn. The wings werenât an absolute necessity for their trade.
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TacComms. Again, wearing parachute wings (and I know for a fact most if not all of them, didnât do pre-para!). Once again, not strictly necessary for their chosen trade.
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PTI. I once saw a PTI who wore his trade badge of crossed swords but who also wore crossed rifles (in greens - yeah - I knowâŠ) because heâd qualified as a WI.
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I personally know an RAF Armourer who is ex-RN submariner and who has full permission to wear his submariners âDolphinsâ in all modes of dress. I very much doubt heâll be repairing weapons underwater any time soon.
When I qualified as a Unit First Aid Instructor and Battlefield First Aid Trainer, I wore the circular oak wreath and Aesculpius (also because of my other medical qualifications). I was a Gunner, not a medical tradesman.
And why exactly, does a SAC(Tech) need to wear three props surrounded by a circle? Could it be because they have a done a course and qualified to a higher standard then a bog-standard SAC?
So for the RAFAC not to follow suit, I feel is a tad out-of-date. As for the current mindset of âyouâre in it for the wrong reasonsâ or âthe regulars will ridicule usâ just suggests to me that those who espouse such views may be just that little bit jealousâŠ
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I know of a RAFAC Sqn Ldr who wears his old TA bomb disposal badge on his 5s. No one has ever blinked an eye at it
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Saw a Rockape FS sporting Chrome US SF Para wings in No3
If youâve earned a formally recognised RAF / Armed forces trade insignia, then Iâm 100% behind CFAVs wearing them. And thatâs from a blunty who didnât get one for his trade because it doesnât exist.
Itâs wearing of cadet quals that I dislike.
They will have been certified by CFS of course, you know the arbiter of all RAF flying and instructional standards.
They get the standard white stripe Sgt tapes when they start on a VGS, which donât have an âaircrewâ version.
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Youâre trying to tell me that each and every VGS instructor has had a check flight from a CFS examiner?
If thatâs the case, the Corps should ask for its money back!
Every two years, itâs like there is a dedicated branch of CFS.
Why, may I ask?
Yeah⊠Gliding branch 
Are B1 and B2 examined by them as well. Every 2 years?
The uber kin master race hath doth spoken.
Unless it flies in day glow orange with no engine a badge you will not recivith.
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Indeed gliding branch, thatâs not an easy role to get into being appointed by Commandant CFS. Fun fact about CFS being that they standardise across all their platforms so well that the examiners swap around a lot on their check visits. Seen check flights by tornado and Apache examiners.
All instructors have CFS check flights every two years itâs mandated by the MAA RAs.
Off topic. But for the value for money we get from VGS. we would get a hell of a lot more gliding sorties per cadet if we scrapped all the VGSs and simply paid the BGA for flights.
All that VA, maintenance, hangarage, training cost, admin etc etc etc
Give that to the BGA, jobs done.