Hi everyone Can anyone point out the section of the regulations on APO No 5 mess uniform please ?
Wait until you’ve done OIC rather than waste money on something you may not even need.
Hi I have been gifted a set otherwise wouldn’t spend the cash lol 
. I know No 1 dress is used after OIC but have been informed by several reliable people that No 5’s are permitted for APO
Don’t know where they got that from, unless dress regs allow for it etc… Then there’s no point, as you may be sacked before completing OIC 
That’s what I’m trying to find out lol😊 as dress regs state nothing either way
I’d play on the side of caution and not wear it until you complete OIC.
It wasn’t permitted before the CFC in dress regs so can’t see why it’s permitted now.
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Where do they say that? I can’t find any reference that says he can’t wear them.
All I can find is paragraph 0228 which says commissioned officers can wear No.5 and No.5A
As far as I can ascertain, you are a commissioned officer, by virtue of your gazetting into the RAFAC upon appointment, your gazetted rank is Pilot Officer, so I say fill your boots!
Though technically no gazette entries have been made for CFC commissions, only VR commissions, which are presumably for the fly boys (and gals)
So none of us can wear them?
Well the way I see it if you’re gazetted (even under the old system) then it counts… They haven’t done the mass-relinquishment yet…
Officer Cadets in the RAF don’t have No.5s. Nor do Other Ranks to that matter. There is only Officer or SNCO No.5s. Rest wear Interim dress which is No.1s but replace the shirt and tie, with white shirt and bow tie. As you wont have been to OIC to get No.1s yet you won’t have Interim dress. So just wait until you pass your course and wear civvy Suit and Tie on this occasion. The cadets and staff will know you are a APO anyway 
fixed that for you.
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Thank you Incubus 
Well, they do. I definitely got mine and wore them officially before finishing IOT…
UAS officer cadets don’t, to the best of my (admittedly now out of date) knowledge.
As to the rest of it. It’s cadets. Who cares? Wear them if you’ve got em. Anybody who throws a fit during an occasion to wear 5s clearly has their priorities in the wrong order.
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I was commissioned over 35 years ago and have never had a Mess Kit (I have always worn 5A - Interim Mess Dress as have many other officers in the Wing) so I would not worry about No 5 dress as an APO.
He isn’t able to wear interim as he hasn’t been to Cranwell yet to have his No1s fitted. So it’s really 5s or a Dinner suit for him.
Yes they do.
I need to clarify what I meant on this. I meant there isn’t a specific style mess dress for O/C. It will be Officer style with gorgets and Pilot Officer rank on sleeve I am guessing? However in our organisation that doesn’t exist. Most likely because trying to get hold of gorgets from RAFC would be more agro to find.
Prior to the CFC there was no such thing as a RAFVR(T) Officer Cadet, you were a Pilot Officer from the moment of appointment but were given a home made rank insignia and were called an officer cadet despite being commissioned and being saluted.
Since the CFC they have renamed the made up rank as A/Plt Off, however unless there is an ACP I haven’t seen you are still a Plt Off & your seniority still starts on appointment so to my mind if you have 5’s you can wear them, same if you have a private purchase set of 1’s.
Also people were taking of 5A as interim Mess Dress? (No1 with white shirt and bow tie) Surely that is No4?
Correct, No.4 is Interim Mess Dress
IIRC, the difference between 5A and 5B was the waistcoat for officers?