I like it looks better for squadrons with shorter numbers as it’s not too much to look at.
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Looks great. But I know I’m biased 
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I think it’s a good enough solution without overcomplicating the matter. It certainly doesn’t look out of place.
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That’s not the same as the RAF being able to wear them. Any other station if the SWO caught you cutting about in one you’d be having a very one way conversation and told to put on an MTP outer layer (which is what the AP says you have to have)
Not when the shipping fee is £14.99!
This is still peanuts, and they’re badges that you need anyway.
Out of curiosity with all the advances in technology- how much does it cost to have a machine that can make the badges?
(Civcoms encouraging me to spend money so just wondering if this could be a Sqn side hustle & produce them for other units)
20 years ago it would have been ridiculously expensive but looking at 3D printers the costs have come down a lot of them so maybe it’s the same with cloth badges.
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Looking on eBay embroidery machines go from ~£3-800 but I’ve no idea what level we’d be looking at.
Whacked it into ChatGPT & asked it to work it out as non-profit.
If a Sqn focused purely on the the number badges then with 10 Sqns ordering 100 badges per year you could do the badges for 60p each & break even in around 18mths.
cadet direct charge a £1 so a significant difference. You also have the bonus if a Sqn does it of it’s all investigated back into Cadets.
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They’re less than 50p each from the manufacturer though.
ChatGPTs pricing was to get a return on investment & worked it out that each badge would cost 30p to make so if a Sqn wasn’t interested in get the original money back then they could make it viable in the long term.
It was just a thought but considering a lot of embroidery companies start up as one man bands, perhaps the Air Cadet Charity could have a CIC to do this in house.
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I would love the Air Cadet Charity to start up a merch store, do our own stuff in house and funnel profits back into the RAFAC, rather than to businesses.
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Like the scouts. Their web store is pretty great!
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I’ve wanted to formally suggest this to them.
Could be a very interesting project for a squadron to run…
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We just ordered around 140 of these back in Nov, and that was the same amount they quoted for us, so shouldn’t have changed too much.
Wouldn’t feel there’s much point, esp if people are dual hatting with a Sqn role and a Wing/Region role as an example. For personal reference, I have my supernumary as Sqn, and primary as Wing…wouldn’t see much point in the supernumary only being displayed especially if I’m visiting Sqns or activities as a Wing representative, because then the query becomes “Are you here as your Adj role, or as your MCO role?” (somebody would definitely ask that one, I’m sure…)
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What about these bad boys. Given out at a multi day event in 2012 by the then OC wing. We’d been prewarned to bring a housewife as some sewing would be required.
These got stitched on that evening!
Yeah super big no no… they was a thing put out a few years ago for wings and squadrons not to make there own patches for events or all wing use. Got somthing to do with them not being authorised and how it’s technically not fair to all squadrons and wings.
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