What is your ideal RAFAC Uniform?
Royal Navy Style PCS!
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Walking trousers and a Gillet
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Honestly, the one we have.
No, itās not perfect in every situation, but neither would any replacement (thereās no such thing as āone size fits allā).
What weāve got is smart, can be casual enough for classroom environs - which is still the majority of our activities - and mirrors our parent service, because they wear it too.
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Ideal, or ideal within roughly the resource and supply situation we find ourselves?
I rather like the practicality of the RN PCS uniform as a day-to-day working dress, and think it could be a good fit for the ACO.
However, without any extra budget Iād prefer to chin off the blue, and go to MTP. MTP doesnāt look as smart, but a cadet can still wear it on a rememberence Day parade, in a classroom, on a range and in the sheeting rain on a training area.
For me, the fundamental issues we need to consider are i) practicality/utility, ii) cost/opportunity cost, iii) parental cost/opportunity cost, and iv) stability of supply.
If we went to MTP/PCS we could do bulk buy/piggyback - bigger orders, better price. Weād almost certainly also get more of the sizes we need because that buy would be in with the ACF buy, whereas when weāre looking for small sizes in RAF uniform itās just us. We can then look at using the opportunity cost - whether that is additional uniform stuff like waterproofs or boots, or canoes, or whatever.
If parents donāt have to splash out Ā£50 on MTP they can spend more on boots, or a rucksack, or summer camp.
Yeah, itās not as smart, and yes, it dilutes the Parent service identity - but itās positive in other ways, ways which - for me - are more important.
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I would probably keep the skirt, change the tights for darker ones and change the top half
MTP PCS with a āblueā jumper for barracks wear. Though the crew neck would be better than current v neck.
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Goodness me!
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Ideal uniform for RAFAC.
Simpleā¦ whatever the RAF wear. We are the RAF AC.
Only change I would make would be to fully fund uniform centrally.
So cadets and staff all get issued MTP. Ideally and if money were no object Sqns should be able to order shoes and boots from inventory also.
TBH Iām not sure why we dont provide parade shoes for cadets now. Not that big a cost comparatively and it is a stock item held by stores!
There are whole areas of the syllabus I would sack off to fund the above.
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This does seem like an ideal opportunity for the charitable side of the organizationā¦
I find myself saying ālook at what the Sea Cadet Corps manage to supply with their charity fundraisingā¦ā an awful lot; and here I am again.
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This is the crazy thing about the MTP situation. When chatting about this on the latest ATF course it would cost the RAFAC Ā£8million to find the initial issue for everyone and then subsequently Ā£1million per year for new joiners.
Why not, plenty of Army regiments wear a Regimental jumper.
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Where did those figures come from.
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Doesnāt mean it looks good!
Just because you can doesnāt mean you should!
(The motto of the ATCā¦)
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Actually it looks ok. Certainly the RTR one does.
It does seem a touch on the high sideā¦
Thatās approximately Ā£181 per person in a 44,000 strong organization. Discounting footwear especially (since even the SCC donāt supply boots), I find it hard to believe that a smock, lightweight jacket, and trousers would cost Ā£181.
Iād have thought that actual cost would be under Ā£50 per person.
At a rough guess it might be something like:
Trousers - Ā£12.50
L/W Jacket - Ā£10
Smock - Ā£20-25
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Works out at about Ā£200 per person but that would be closer to a āretailā price than what the MOD pays. Unless it includes boots, which could easily be Ā£50 or more even wholesale.
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I would hate to drop names but a member of staff within the SLT at HQAC.
Worst case cost for smock ānewā via surplus places Ā£60. I paid much much less. Someone somewhere will be able to dig out the stores costs Iām sure