Originally Posted by
Yellow Sun
Who recalls the Direct Entry tie? A gold ladder on blue background with only the first 3 rungs intact.
YS
And for some, only two rungs required.
For James, this was a time where you needed to pass 4 or 5 'B' exams before promotion to flt lt. Enter the world of the partial pass. Having taken 5 exams an officer may fail two but have a sufficiently high average that he was awarded a partial pass. The following year he would take the previously failed papers. If his average mark for all 5 fell below the target he would lose his previous partial and need a resit. This gave rise to the professional fg off. All the fun and no responsibility. A 12 year or full career fg off was not unheard of. This happy state ended around early 1970s IIRC when the B was abolished and you merely needed a rec by your CO.