New Air Force Ranks

Adult Staff The Staff Mess
21

Topic is Air Force Ranks, not the cadet training syllabus.

22

Lets adopt the ACF model…it makes so much more sense and isnt just exam bashing
…but lets not go off topic

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23

Wouldn’t need to, but currently the names sort of follow the RAF. Leading, Senior and master = LAC SAC and SAC(M).

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24

Call them 1star, 2star… Will be far easier when we become one big, purple cadet force…

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25

Or we adopt the CCF(RAF) model and go Part 1, Part 2 & advanced proficiency?

26

Nope because it’s independent and use to be called Part 1 & Part 2 proficiency way back in ADCC time.

Air specialist is a bit of a confusing term as Specialist is normally used as specific role/trade (e.g. warfare specialist) and sounds like the person who comes to fix your air conditioning.

Artificer may have been a better option than specialist but they’ve changed from aviator so it may well change again - we will just need to wait & see.

I know the US space force term of “guardian” is a bit naff but I can see that being a term that’s becomes accepted & well regarded in about 50years time or so.

27

We got rid of that with PTS and now have to follow the exam only based classification system. The old one was much better. Required you to do some leadership/AT/other specialist training to advance

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28

Have they changed from Aviator? I thought Aviator had replaced Airman/Airwoman and was going to be used in the same way as Sailor/Soldier.

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29

Ah I thought they changed from Aircraftsman to aviator to air specialist.

That’s makes a bit of sense as an Aviator with the rank of Air Specialist (1st class) in the same way as Solider with the rank of private.

30

‘Guardian’ doesn’t actually show up anywhere near their ranks, they use ‘specialist’.

31

Bump. Please keep it on the OP’s topic of conversation, thanks.

32

Hmmm the whole class 1 thing bears resemblance to the American rank structure. Airman 1st class etc.

33

Any chance of screenies of the IBN

34

Cant have master anymore cos that sounds all colonial and slave tradey (see github renaming itd master branch for the same reason sigh)

35

Someone should tell the RAF website team

36

That’s still technically not wrong.
Ranks come in from July 1st.

So they’re technically correct, which is the best kind of correct.

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37

surprised the news hasn’t reached the sun/mail/express/gb news types? They didn’t like the switch from airmen to aviators so I would’ve expected by now they’d be up in arms over the “wokery” they’d accuse the RAF of…
I’m not a massive fan of these new titles (feel a little too US Space Force and just generally too American for my liking, not to mention renaming the rank of LAC which has been around for over a century…) but I’m more surprised that there hasn’t been any external publication or information confirming this change.
As far as I can tell not even Forces News has noticed… Haven’t seen the IBN to know for sure but if I didn’t know better I’d call Bravo Sierra on this one…

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38

I have, its with OC Wings

39

ah, fair enough then. Just exceedingly surprised the media seems to have taken no notice whatsoever. Not sure what I would go for if I had the choice, but i cant help feeling, at least from a heritage perspective, Aviator, Leading Aviator, Senior Aviator would have been better.
LAC has been around - as i said - since like 1919, at least Leading Aviator would be close to retaining that title for its heritage value. AS2 just feels corporate and American and wrong imo, but that’s just my personal opinion.

40

Some Wing has distributed down to squadrons. It’s happening :man_shrugging:t2:

Not going to effect RAFAC as our ranks/class are gender specific; bet someone proves me wrong :roll_eyes: