Special K’s parting gift to us are the monstrosities of special rank slides with either blue bands or yellow bands to say if someone is a cadet or staff cadet. See the Jul Logs update for pics and mock ups.
Thanks, I hate it.
On the plus side you can now advertise that you’re ex-RAF Reg.
What’s wrong with just ‘Cadet’ and ‘Staff Cadet’?!
I agree with adding ‘Cadet’ to normal rank slides. But it doesn’t need to all be colour coded! And do we really need the separate FSC tapes? We had to consolidate shooting badges because of cost, yet we’re adding separate FSC tapes?!
So we’re no longer doing PTS and just going straight from blue to gold now?
Is it really worth having to kit out every cadet with one or two sets of rank slides?
The colour coding does indeed seem completely unnecessary and will almost certainly increase the cost. For the FS aircrew over-18 slides it also leaves the question begging to be asked: why isn’t the crown gold as well?
The only explanation I can think of is they’ve followed the precedent set by the Australian Air Force Cadets (except they couldn’t use white, as that’s already In use for probationary sgts).
Edit to add: This also means CFS and CWO will be wearing Tudor crowns long before their regular/reserve counterparts.
Just noticed: is this ATC-only, or did they just forget the CCF(RAF) has LCpls?
Nothing at all should have been done years ago ACF and SCC have had it for a long time.
No, it is only there to make the FSC rank slides work, which doesn’t actually show which side of 18 a cadet is. Defeats the point really.
Moot point though, thought the eagle on a rank slide denoted air crew?
Also, while thinking about the whole cadet, staff cadet thing. Now that they do not have the responsibilities of a member of staff do they need to be identified as over 18? Yes, there are times when you need to know but that is generally for administration and organising. The RAF does not differentiate between a 17 year old trainee and and 18 year old trainee. why do we?
seconded. this was suggested in this forum that the ACF model of “Cadet” works fine.
yup
a question perhaps for elsewhere, but i shall tag @AlexCorbin for guidance.
i notice that the Flight Staff rank slides are shown with the bird looking either left or right, which side should these rank slides go, ie with the bird looking in front of , or behind the wearer?
also, OCD point.
why put the U18 Cadet slides above the O18 Cadet slides, but for Flight Staff Cadets swapped it??
They’re worn facing the wearer’s rear, the same as the embroidered eagles on enlisted aviator No. 1 SD jackets.
Edit to add photo:
There’ll be one of each surely? Unless you get a pair of mirror image rank slides
That’s exactly what is portrayed in the document under discussion.
I didn’t clock that. How efficient…
Yeah, between the coloured embroidery and the eagles facing opposite ways, this certainly won’t be the cost-effective option.
Pics for those that don’t have Bader?
Not a clue, i found out after it was published. So i need to learn the crack of it all
So WWOs haven’t had a say on this change then?
I’m amazed that these have passed the RAF uniform steering group, or whatever it’s called.
The later part of that would have been done.
From my understanding this is RAF driven