Toy Story 3 in 2010 which about a billion dollars at the box office… plus a couple of spin offs etc.
Di Gilbert would make a good one?
I think the key thing here is that Chris Hoy is someone everyone will know, perhaps it is a tad random but good attention grabbing stuff for people of all ages. Ok there are ex-cadets, but who do more people know, sir Chris or that guy who was James Bond twice?
This probably sounds awful, but I still have no idea who he is, other than pushbikes are somehow involved…
The ‘big announcement’ came out about him being given an honorary commission and I had never heard of the bloke.
I could walk past him in the street today and probably not recognise him.
[quote=“wdimagineer2b” post=16548]The ‘big announcement’ came out about him being given an honorary commission and I had never heard of the bloke.
I could walk past him in the street today and probably not recognise him.[/quote]
Your ignorance does not necessarily reflect his significance 
One of Britain’s greatest olympians and flag-bearer for TeamGB 2012 and has been much on the news due to his recent retirement from competitive cycling. He was the man at Buck House when the commonwealth baton relay started and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow will be the venue for the commonwealth track cycling events.
The concern is that is he high profile enough all of the time? He’ll be wheeled out for the Commonwealth Games and then disappear, he’ll probably be involved in the Sport Relief nonsense this week and then in 2018 he’ll be on the TV for the Olympics.
Is he emblazoned with Air Cadet insignia? Not the few times I’ve seen him on the TV recently. HQAC’s missing a trick there, logos back and front that can be picked up by the cameras.
I have no objection to a volunteer being given RAFVR(T) status - although honorary Air Commodores in the RAF wear no similar insignia at all. I assume he is going to do the minimum 12 hours per month.
What I object to are paid full time civil servants being given an RAFVR(T) commission when they do no voluntary work with the ACO whatsoever and who have never gone through the selection process.
[quote=“Verges” post=17095]
What I object to are paid full time civil servants being given an RAFVR(T) commission when they do no voluntary work with the ACO whatsoever and who have never gone through the selection process.[/quote]
Care to elaborate as to your stance?
[quote=“Plt Off Prune” post=17096][quote=“Verges” post=17095]
What I object to are paid full time civil servants being given an RAFVR(T) commission when they do no voluntary work with the ACO whatsoever and who have never gone through the selection process.[/quote]
Care to elaborate as to your stance?[/quote]
i can only speculate but i can see the point if it is based on the following
RAF dont like CFAVs acting like we’re RAF…we’re not “real” RAF having gone though much simpler selection and (basic) “training”
in the same way i can understand a RAFVR(T) getting annoyed at the example given.
to be in the RAF a strict and physically and mentally demanding Basic training is completed, but to be a RAFVR(T) you dont.
as a RAFVR(T) you need to turn up in your spare time and often work just as hard as at your paid employment to “earn” the “right” to wear the uniform.
what does a civil servant do with regards to volunteering/working on a Sqn to “earn” the right to be a RAFVR(T)??
Quick questions:
- Is it possible to go direct from civvy to WExO Sqn Ldr RAFVR(T) (I assume those are the civil servants in question)?
- If so, do applicants have to do OASC (either flavour), OIC and OSC?
If the answer is 1 yes and 2 no, then I can see potential for some miffitude. However, I thought that they’re all ex-regular officers?
i think that you are right in saying all are ex-regulars (no doubt someone like Batfink will be able to tell us…) but they do (must?) offer the position out to Civilians…
and as i understand it, WExOs hold a honorary rank of Sqn Ldr are are RAFR rather than RAFVRT
they are civil servants not RAF Officers and so were not eligible for the jubilee medal…
but we are getting off topic now…
I thought that if the posts were filled by civil servants then they were just that, while posts filled on an FTRS basis were filled by RAFROs of appropriate rank, etc.
I thought that recent appointees in the role were VR(T). Whether they wear the badge is another matter!
[quote=“steve679” post=17125]and as i understand it, WExOs hold a honorary rank of Sqn Ldr are are RAFR rather than RAFVRT
they are civil servants not RAF Officers and so were not eligible for the jubilee medal…
but we are getting off topic now…[/quote]Topic split?
I thought that recent appointees in the role were VR(T). Whether they wear the badge is another matter![/quote]That’s what I thought - 99% sure that London WExO is RAFVR(T) and wears the pins.
^^^ if that is the case then i stand corrected but i know our WExO (and several others) missed out on a Medal because he classed as a Civil Servant, and as such deemed not eligible for the gong.
much like a CFAV is a “uniformed civilian” i guess a WExO is a “Uniformed Civil Servant”…
I think that in the past, all Wg Ex Os used to be Civil Service RAF Retired Officer (RO) grades, which as the name suggests, were limited to ex Regulars. However, the Civil Service decided this was unfair, got rid of the RO grade and now anyone can apply for the positions. I think there are some ‘pure civvies’ around the Wgs, but I’m not certain.
As some of the key roles of the Wg Ex O are to advise OC Wg on Service protocols and provide the ‘RAF know how’, it understandable that they were restricted to ROs. A lot of the positions in Regions and HQAC were also ROs, I guess for the same reasons. It would also have helped all of the HQs to have people with a fairly senior ranks in order to work with other RAF formations. I imagine that this is still the case, which is why they are giving people VR(T) commissions as there’s nothing else and they can do it easily.
I’d be surprised if any of the pure Civil Servants (ie not ex Regs) who now hold VR(T) commissions have done OASC, which is a bit galling really, as they are now the policy makers for the organisation and will not necessarily have any experience of the ACO or our parent Service. However, the up side is that the average age of the HQAC staff could well reduce considerably because the staff officers won’t be starting work there at 55!
- There are civil servants who are purely civvies
- Those being posted to the VR(T) have been attending a dedicated training course at Cranwell. These are few and far between and the single numbers don’t merit a specific training course
- The legal status of those same VR(T) full timers is being debated as it looks, legally, like someone has made a FUBAR.