KBW, I've no idea why this issue has suddenly flared up again, but you seem to suggest that RAF CC are soon to be awarded 'our' flying badge, by which I assume you mean the WSOp one. If that is so I can understand your concern and empathise with you. At no time have I called for that. My only demand has been that RAF CC be recognised as aircrew, ie:-
Persons authorized to conduct duties concerned with: operating or flying the Air System or; with the management of Passengers or cargo when in flight
As you so rightly point out, in the RAF that requires the award of an appropriate flying badge, which to date they have yet to receive. Coming from an era of Navigators, Air Engineers, Signallers, Load Masters, etc, the solution could have been a winged CC flying badge worn on the left breast. That the RAF has seen fit to replace them with a one size fits all (OK, some trades no longer exist of course) is yet another corner it has boxed itself into and needs to find its own way out of. That isn't my concern, which is to see them recognised as aircrew and not as so much role equipment!
The explanation that they are not aircrew because they are not needed on Voyager if no pax are carried is specious. The same goes for any aircraft, civil or military. Civil positioning flights only require a flight deck crew, the CC they leave behind are however still aircrew!