Buying your "Wings"

[Aroundawhile]

The Australian Army is graduating its latest lot of student pilots; with the graduation ceremony being held in the next fortnight.

The students have been told to purchase their own set of "wings" and hand them over prior to the ceremony so they can then be presented them. As a further kicker, the officer cadets are to also purchase their own set of "pips", so they too can receive their commission during the ceremony.

I've read the Admin Instruction for this event, so it is fair dinkum.

A phone call to the Clothing Store quoted $27.00 for a set of wings and a couple of dollars for the pips.

Is anyone else as disgusted with the latest bout of "penny-pinching" (aka SRP)???

Should the students be charged a flat $30 to cover the cost of their certificate as well......?

Since when did this occur?

(Shaking head in quiet disgust...........)

[500N]

Why should they have to pay for them, aren't they issued items once qualified ?
You were entitled to them on the list of clothing and equipment for each
rank / qualification ? Do they have to buy the Blue beret as well or
is that issued ?

"Should the students be charged a flat $30 to cover the
cost of their certificate as well......? "

I hope you they don't, even though mine is still curled up in it's tube
I wouldn't expect to have to pay for it.

This is all a bit like paying the Gov't to serve your country.
.

[diginagain]

On graduating from the Pilot's Course at Middle Wallop we were 'encouraged' to troop down to the museum shop to purchase gold-wire wings to go on our finest ginger drinking-suit, while the Man from Q&M would provide the bog-standard items to go on everything else.

TBH, a few beer-coupons for a smart pair of wings at the end of an arduous perid of training is so little to pay for the enormous sense of acheivement at having survived.

[500N]

diginagain

If it was a Gold wire set, I could understand, same as most of us purchased decent Sam Browne Belt, gold plated brass, solid metal cap badge.

However it doesn't specify in the first post whether these are just
for handing over at midnight.


In any case, they should still be issued !

[diginagain]

500N, from memory, dress regs, at least Army ones, stated that the Army Flying Badge on one's No2 dress were to be of the wire variety, to be purchased privately. Penny-pinching is nothing new, I guess, though quite why the issue should come as any surprise beats me! Having put my hand in my pocket for mine, I've still got my AFB, and wear it on my PJs.

As an aside, most of us also bought a decent light-blue beret as well, since the issue one is supplied by the lowest bidder.

[500N]

Beret's, = lowest bidder, you can say that again !

Most needed severe bashing before wearing to make them
even half decent unless you wanted to look French :O


Re No 2's too long ago for me to remember and I didn't have
any quals that needed wire badges but WO2 and WO1 ranks
were wire from memory.

[BEagle]

Most needed severe bashing before wearing to make them
even half decent unless you wanted to look French

No aircrew officer should be required to wear the wretched things....

[charliegolf]

Goes without saying they are perfectly appropriate for other officers, of course.

CG Chip Hat and Bar.

[t7a]

'No aircrew officer etc' - Or Sam Browne belts!!

[500N]

t7a

"Or Sam Browne belts !!"


Didn't you like them ?

[Tankertrashnav]

I remember when we were awarded our nav brevets we were given stores issue "flatties", which were set aside for flying suit use. The thing was then to go to Moss Bros, Gieves etc and buy the padded variety which we had sewn on the No 1. No requirement to do that - it's just that everyone did it.

[clear to land]

When I graduated Army Pilots Course, and were promoted to Lieutenant (from 1 pip) the company provided the AFB (including for mess dress) and the pips. We, as a course, decided to additionally buy a pewter AFB each. We had already purchased our own black Sam Brownes, Sterling keepers etc and of course a quality beret instead of the issue waste of cloth. To not be awarded a company AFB at the successful completion of the course is an insult to everyone in uniform. :mad:

[fergineer]

Us enlisted paupers were presented our flying badges even the padded ones.... no need for us to use valuable beer chits!!!

[Like This - Do That]

Do they have to buy the Blue beret as well or is that issued ?

Possession of a beret outside of SOCOMD is now a crime against humanity ... and now we've won our pointless UNSC seat we have to be seen to be doing the right thing :yuk:

I had to buy my (black) beret, first one from the ADFA clothing shop, also have one from Christies. Having Corps transferred after Ken & Steve's beret eradication programme commenced I haven't bought a replacement.

A care kit of lanyards, pips, rank slides etc came with the Commission, but subsequent acquisition of accoutrements (eg new slides on Corps xfer, new hat badges, lanyards, Sam Browne) all from my own wallet.

[500N]

"Possession of a beret outside of SOCOMD is now a crime against humanity ..."

I'm safe then :O

"won our pointless UNSC seat" :ok:

+1

[Captain Sand Dune]

When I joined the RAAF one had to purchase a mess kit, although this was not compulsory. However it meant lots of people wearing blues at dining ins. Fortunately this policy changed some years back, and they are now issued (like Army and Navy have always done).
Anyway - buying your wings?:eek: Fortunately, Army wings wouldn't be worth that much.:E

[Heathrow Harry]

oddly those of us in civvy street are used to buying our own working clothes.............

[diginagain]

...an' we don't need no steenkin' badges!

[Heathrow Harry]

I do like a decent hat tho' - with only a teensy-weensy amount of gold braid perhaps to enhance m' complexion

[Kohima]

Disgraceful. An RAF Wings Badge is only 46p.

[parabellum]

As mentioned above, in the AAC, as far back as 1965, we had to buy the gold wire set for presentation, the embroidered silk ones were issued for flying suits, combats and pyjamas etc. We didn't do this until after we had completed our FHT and solo engine off landing, so by then we didn't give a toss and would have spent several pounds if necessary! We had passed!:ok:

[Trojan1981]

Nothing new unfortunately. My first brevet was only issued once, for service dress, and I had to buy the DPCU version. My second brevet was only issued once, in DPCU, and I had to buy the pollies/service dress version.

My original beret (maroon) was issued, but was of such poor quality that I had to buy a better one from Christie's in Sydney to live with it day to day.

Even SOCOMD aviation are not exempt from the rules unfortunately. For some reason the powers that be believe only sandy and green berets are sun resistant. :ugh:

[kiwi grey]

My Dad had to pay for the gold-wire pilot's wings (RN FAA) for his dress uniform too, even though he already had eight years service, six of them - all war-time - as an Observer.
I have these wings, and the price is written on them - twenty-three shillings. In 1946, twenty-three shillings was a huge chunk of a Lieutenant's weekly pay.

$25 is an absolute bargain.
:E