Union Jack - well said old chap...
I should therefore be most grateful if, as well as responding to posts instead of just firing them sarcastically into the air in the Military Aviation forum, you could kindly explain exactly what it is that you have against honours and tri-service uniform matters, both of which are considered important to those who serve or have served in uniform, and the resulting staff work of this nature which is necessarily carried out in both cases by exactly by the same departments in the MOD, coordinated finally by ACDS (Personnel Capability) in his capacity as Defence Services Secretary, before submission for the approval of HM The Queen?
These changes were indeed passed up to Her Majesty and she graciously approved them on 13 Sep 19 (so this started well before CV-19 and was due for release before 1 Apr 20, but CV-19 held it up). DS(Sec) and his team were involved as was the RAF’s senior leadership nearly a year ago. So spot on matey
In answer, to other questions, Pilot (ISR) RPAS have been entitled to wear the traditional RAF Pilot Flying Badge since 1 Apr 2019 (yes, over a year ago). There was also much hand wringing from the old and bold then too. The RAF is undergoing change, it always has done, and always will as a high-technology Service. Campaign ASTRA is the latest such change initiative as we move well into the 21st Century. The Next Generation Aviators now in the system will be in their 40s when the final parts of ASTRA are enacted and many of us will be pushing up daisies, or dribbling into our blankets in our electric bath chairs. When the Radio Observer Flying Badge came out in the early 1940s for airborne RADAR operators, many in the RAF, let alone the country had any idea what a RADAR was (it was called Radio Direction Finding for a start!). But the high-technology RAF presented a badge to those qualified to do so, the same is happening today as we develop new tech and use our people in different ways than we did before. The Nav will soon be employed on only the Rivet Joint, whilst conducting a role similar to the Air Eng at the same time, and the Air Eng will be gone within 2 years when Sentry is replaced by Wedgetail. The Crewman and Air Loadmaster remain too, but now have far more responsibility on their aircraft before - many of the roles done by Navs and Air Engs are now shared between them and the co-pilot. The AEO/AEOp role has also changed with more responsibility on Reaper, Shadow, D4K, RJ, P8 and soon E7. Hence the Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) and the Weapon Systems Operator (WSOp) title for all Mission Aircrew is now correct for the 21st Century as we leave the old roles behind.
As for Cabin Crew, yes they have changed too. No longer employed as a Mess Steward, they are all contractors in Messes these days, they are employed primarily as Cabin Crew now and have become an essential part of the Voyager and 146 capabilities. The WSOp (ME) ALM still act as the senior supervisor off of the flight deck, as a Chief Purser on the Voyager, working with the rest of the crew - Pilots and Cabin Crew. Then some of the WSO/WSOp (ME) also conduct the Mission Systems Operator (MSO) on the Voyager too - running the fuel plan on AAR and the kit on the Voyager, again splitting the legacy tasks of the Nav and Air Eng with the Co-Pilot. So this is another change. Do I think that Cabin Crew should be entitled to wear the new Airborne Specialist badge on successful completion of the Voyager and BAe 146 OCUs - yes, on thinking about it, I do. Maybe that is for the future.
Most of those that will wear the Reserve Pilot badges will be FTRS, ADC, VERR and PTVR. There may be a very small minority RAFAC types that will also, as well as a few AVO1s. All need to get a Certificate of Qualification on Type (CQT), and the Gliding Instructors their B2, to be awarded these Reserve Pilot badges. So as others have said, not the same level as a Front Line (FL) Pilot getting LCR and then CR (or equivalent like BMQ, etc...), but certainly an achievement all the same. That is also why the badges look subtly different to the main FL badges for the Aircrew and Honorary Aircrew on the FL aircraft types and trainers.
Whilst on the subject of Honorary Aircrew, the Parachute Jump Instructors (PJIs) have been such since 1945. So it made sense to do the same for the new Airborne Specialist cadre, who are also drawn from the Ground Branches and Trades to be employed helping operate the aircraft, its loads and its passengers on its mission. The Honorary status is really an admin exercise so that they get access to improved medical treatment like normal Aircrew and also so they do not get put down as ‘pax’ in the Auth Sheets when conducting their airborne duties. It gives them nothing more than that.
As others have said, we have had non-Service Pilots flying AEF for many a year. Indeed, I believe that Coffman Starter (sadly no longer with us) was one such? It is nothing new, it’s just that there has always been so few that many have never realised!!
As for who is in charge of policy for badges, uniform and insignia - that task falls to A4 clothing, and the CASWO, and they are assisted by the various Branch and Trade Advisors (B&TAs) that also deal with all sorts of other Branch & Trade matters like pay, med standards, recruitment policy, post requirements, job specs, Branch morale, career pathways, Branch transfers, extensions, promotions, PAS matters, re-joiners, current workforce structures, future workforce structures, monitor training pipeline outputs, visiting units and answering anyone within their Branch/Trade with a particular query - all reporting directly to their Head of Branch (which for Aircrew is AOC 11Gp - who is also busy orchestrating the RAF’s assistance to CV-19 right now in his main day job). So there is no ‘pencil sucking blotter jotter’ sitting there writing badge policy - it is one duty of very many, hence it gets looked at once or twice every couple of years or so. ASTRA has meant that this was a good time to roll out such changes to rationalise them for future plans.
I hope that answers a few questions on the matter for those that no longer serve but seem overly concerned what is happening.