RCAF get their rank system back

[NutLoose]

They are moving from the Army structure in places, an LAC badge becomes the rank of Aviator.
InterestinglY Pilot Officer appears to be one thick and one thin stripe.

Article | Royal Canadian Air Force | Backgrounder | New insignia for the Royal Canadian Air Force

[Bob Viking]

They just want to be like us again...

Well you know what they say:

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

BV

[CoffmanStarter]

Didn't our US Cousins try rank insignia on their sleeves under the "McPeak uniform" ...

[Union Jack]

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. - BV

Which is probably what the Royal Navy said on 1 April 1918.....

Interestingly Pilot Officer appears to be one thick and one thin stripe. - Nutty

The same as a Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in the United States Navy, so even more of the sincerest form of flattery?

Jack

[Tankertrashnav]

I remember the first time this happened. We had an exchange RCAF instructor at nav school in 1969. He went home on a Friday night as a flight lieutenant in a blue uniform and reappeared on the Monday as a captain in a funny green one!

I see the article says the change was actually in 1968 - maybe the news was slow to get through!

Fascinating article here on proposed RAF commissioned ranks when the service was first formed in 1918:

http://www.rafweb.org/Ranks1.htm

TTN (flight leader retd.)

[N2erk]

So army ranks for Officers, old RCAF ranks, somewhat modified, for NCOs and others.

Interesting that the RCAF pre-68 had no Flying Officer rank, and a Pilot Officer was a full Lieutenant equivalent! I bet that would be a surprise to the RCAF Flying Officers I knew, and also to my wife's uncle, a Fg Off nav killed in a CF100 accident.

I think the RCAF's media resource people have a slight problem.....

[RODF3]

Still no Fg Off rank. Keeping 2Lt, Lt and Capt

[dmussen]

Ranks and Uniforms.

We had sereral Canuks on exchange in funny coloured uniforms in the early 70s.
We had even more who elected to join the RAF. The ones in the funny coloured uniforms were truely embarassed.

[clunckdriver]

When we were awarded our RCAF wings in the early/mid fifties we went from Flight Cadet, {the lowest form of life we were told} skipped the Pilot Officer rank and went directly to Flying Officer, {the only P/Os on squadron were those who had incured the wrath of some AVM or other "Airship"} Thank heavens I was long gone before Mr Helleyers rank structure came in, along with destroying the traditions and pride of many units, the intigration of the three forces resulted in some good, but much bad, trying to explain to a "Brown Job" as to why a North Star coudnt land on a 2500 foot grass strip Im told was bloody night impossible, "how come the Auster landed and took of with only one little engine, and your crew cant do it with four big ones?" was told to me by one of my course who stayed in the service! As for the wings worn for a few years they looked like a prize out of a cornflakes box.