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?
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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?
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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:
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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.
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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.
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Pics for those that don’t have Bader?
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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
Can understand and that from a cadet vs staff cadet point of view (although we could now just guillotine that aspect from August 26)
I don’t understand the RAF drive for it to occur with flight staff cadets & the eagle.
Part of what reduces costs for cadet forces is using the same uniform as regulars as much as possible so there is more order in bulk. The more you deviate away from that the greater the uniform costs become.
All we needed to do was keep producing staff Cadet ones as they are, but start producing ‘Cadet’ ones in the same style.
These look gash 
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I almost wouldn’t hate it if they followed AAFC colours, even if that means changing the A/Sgt rank tabs, but the yellow colour is just repulsive. There must have been colours (or at least hues) that would look less jarring against the rest of the rankslide.
I’m also slightly jarred by flight cadets getting the bird tbh, that’s gonna be weird. And if they’re in No1s for whatever reason do they now have to procure an aircrew bird too?