RAFAC Rank Abbreviation Glossary

I’ve Spotted that I can edit all your wiki posts, just not those created by other users

Is there a permission that allows Spitfire and up for example to edit all posts with the Wiki tab?

I edited this to get rid of all the mistakes I could find however do not have edit access so could someone please update the original post? Thank you

Source: https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets/who-we-are/ranks/


Uniformed Staff Ranks:


(Adult Instructor) Commissioned Officer Ranks: To be Saluted

Junior Officers

  • APO (sometimes A/Plt Off) - Acting Pilot Officer
  • Plt Off - Pilot Officer
  • Fg Off - Flying Officer
  • Flt Lt - Flight Lieutenant

Senior Officers

  • Sqn Ldr - Squadron Leader
  • Wg Cdr - Wing Commander
  • Gp Capt - Group Captain

Air Officers (Rank only held by an RAF/RAFR/RAFVR officer currently holding a Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) post)

  • Air Cdre - Air Commodore

(Adult Instructor) Non-Commissioned Officer Ranks: Not to be Saluted

Senior NCOs (SNCOs)

Groundcrew

  • Sgt (with white stripe) - Sergeant (Probation)
  • Sgt - Sergeant
  • FS - Flight Sergeant
  • WO - Warrant Officer

Aircrew

Ex RAF Aircrew OR NCOs serving on a VGS/AEF; Distinguished by a Gold RAF Eagle above the chevrons (but below a FS’ Gold crown), for MAcr it is the Royal Coat of Arms with an RAF Gold Eagle surrounded by Silver laurel leaves.

(1 * SEE THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE GLOSSARY. )

  • Sgt (Aircrew) - Sergeant Aircrew
  • FS (Aircrew) - Flight Sergeant Aircrew
  • MACr - Master Aircrew

All Non-Commissioned Aircrew are still referred to as their rank, e.g. Sgt (Aircrew) is referred to as “Sergeant” apart from MACr which are referred to as “Sir/Ma’am”.


Service Instructors:

  • Members that are serving in the Armed Forces either as a Regular or Reserve. They will wear the uniform of their parent unit/service. They are to be addressed as “Staff” for SIs below NCO ranks, their rank for NCOs and “Sir/Ma’am” for WOs and Officers.

Cadet Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Ranks: Not to be Saluted

Junior NCOs

  • Cdt LCpl - Cadet Lance Corporal (CCF ONLY)
  • Cdt Cpl - Cadet Corporal

Senior NCOs

  • Cdt Sgt - Cadet Sergeant
  • Cdt FS - Cadet Flight Sergeant
  • CWO - Cadet Warrant Officer

Note: Cdt is usually omitted before all cadet ranks apart from the “C” in CWO.


Non-Uniformed Staff Not to be Saluted (unless informed otherwise)

  • CI - Civillian Instructor
  • Padre/Chaplain

1*


Flight Sergeant Aircrew and Sergeant Aircrew are referred to as normal ranks like Flight Sergeant, and Sergeant. The rank is written as the normal rank abbreviation but may have “(Aircrew)” after it. In 2020, these ranks were granted use to be used in the RAFAC.

I’ve never seen SAcr or FSAcr: is that gen or made up by someone?

I havent been able to find an official source, the only place I’ve found those abbreviations is wikipedia but that could easily be wrong

2 Likes

it’s gen

It’s a way to get DE SNCO’s into aircrew roles, and make them identifiable to the SWO as an easy target

If you go to Lossie, most of the Poseidon Aircrew is WSOps wearing chevrons

I know the ranks are gen, it’s those abbreviations I’ve never seen.

1 Like

my bad :sweat_smile:

1 Like

I’ve never seen them either.
MOD90s just state Sgt or FS. Only different one is MAcr.

1 Like

That’s what I thought, but I hadn’t checked on MOD 90s.

1 Like

Might change them when I get back home from ATC Sunday parade then :joy:

1 Like

They are Sergeant/Flight sergeant (aircrew). But they are still just flight sergeants or sergeants.

1 Like

Exactly. There were no NCA sgts on my IMLC (I don’t even know if they do it, as they don’t have junior aviators to manage) but we had a few FSs on my AMLC and they just had FS on their name badges, syndicate lists, etc.

1 Like

They do it as part of their initial DESNCO course.
They covered it on my JMLC as there was a DE Course going at the same time.

So the first ADP course they do is the ADP3.

2 Likes

Do NCA Sgts Aircrew ever supervise what were known as Aircrew Cadets, which I think was abbreviated to AcrCdt?

That entire concept may now have been binned, which (if so) is a great pity, even just for the sheer comedy value of mental distress it caused USAF (and other US military personnel)…they wore blank blue RAF NCO rank-slides which were embroidered with just the eagles, which made them look like twenty-yr-old “full bird” Colonels, and were therefore saluted continually by Los Americanos… :-))

These ranks?

Wilf I think you’re showing your age they were discontinued in 1950 :sweat_smile:

No no no, I mean current 1972 pattern woven/embroidered rank-slides with JUST the (chevronless) small golden eagle thereon.

For RAF Aircrew Cadets (nb… NOT RAFAC Cadets)
1000024612

I’ve never seen them, Maybe I’m showing my age :sweat_smile:

Does this have any mistakes left?

The DE SNCO course is now run at Halton and have different rank slides, as they aren’t all aircrew. The new ranks resemble French ones to me, in that they have diagonal stripes rather than chevrons. They have different colours, but I don’t know what these signify.

P.S. 1972 pattern? We’re well overdue an update then. The WOs have had one: time for FS to follow suit.

Sis below the rank of LCpl are addressed ‘staff’. There’s also arguable stuff about saluting padres and CIs who are retired officers, how CWOs are addressed, etc.

1 Like

WOAcr does not exist anymore since we only have the Tate & Lyle WOs now

2 Likes