DM: RAF probe drunken Red Arrow airman

[longer ron]

Originally Posted by Lima Juliet

Sadly, the only half-wits are the ones that insist on keeping calling a badge a brevet, when a brevet is a certificate!

LJ seems to have changed his tune since 2012

Originally Posted by Lima Juliet


I bet there are are some WSO's who have declined the new badge and continue to wear their 'N' and 'AE' brevets. Same thing, really.
Just an observation (excuse the pun!), but it would appear that more AEOp/AEOs have switched to the new WSO brevet than Navs - why is this? The only N-breveted navs that I know that sport the WSO brevet are the ones that thought it might be good for their career

Also, I think it is dreadful that RAF stores no longer keep the older brevets in stock. I've heard of Navs going on e-bay to buy their brevets. In 1952 did they cease stocking King's Crown Pilot's brevets - I doubt it!

If you read the book in post #2 (there's a copy in the RAF Club library) there is a big section on the new WSO brevet. Originally, it was planned to be a 2-winged brevet for Navs that flew in the boot of Tornado, Phantom and Buccaneer. But when some of the other fleets got wind of it (Nimrod, E3 and Truckies) they wanted 'in' and so it went back to the current debacle. I know a Nav who went from Tornado to E3 at the time of the change of brevet - he said that it was madness that he had flown 12 years as a Nav on a Tornado with weapons and now he was a Weapons Systems Officer (Nav) he flew the E3 with no weapons!!!

Finally, ACM Sir Simon Bryant was a Nav and he never changed to the new WSO brevet. He was the first, and probably only, 4 star Nav.

LJ

PS. The older brevets are here: RAF Flying Badges_U

And the current ones are here: RAF Flying Badges_U

What is really odd is that we have, since the instigation of WSO brevets, invented new ones for Image Analysts to go with Airborne Techs and Fighter Controllers (or Air Battlespace Managers as they are now known) - what a cluster!

Seems fair to describe a 'Wing' as a Brevet - MOD used the term in black and white for quite a while

Qualification Badges
0712. Flying & Parachute Badges. This section deals with those flying badges (QR J727 & 728) and Parachute badges (QR 434 – 436)
currently in issue
BADGE DESCRIPTION
Pilot. Wings of drab silk embroidery with monogram 'RAF' in centre, surrounded by laurel leaf of brown silk and
surmounted by a crown – on dark blue melton cloth.
Navigator. The letter 'N' of drab silk surrounded by a laurel leaf of brown silk with an outspread drab silk wing 2½" (6.35 cm)
long – on dark blue melton cloth.

Air Electronics Officer ]
or Operator (AE) ] As for Navigator, but with alternative letters, in brackets. (See Note)
Air Engineer (E) ]
Air Loadmaster (LM) ]

Note. With effect 1 Apr 03 the range of 5 aircrew brevets for rear crew personnel were replaced by the single rear crew brevet (see below).
Those aircrew who were already qualified to wear old style individual brevets can opt to wear the new brevet or retain the old style but there will
be no further provisioning of the current brevet.
Rear Aircrew Brevet. The monogram ‘RAF’ in drab silk surrounded by a laurel leaf of brown silk, surmounted by a crown with an
outspread drab silk wing 2½" (6.35 cm) long – on dark blue melton cloth. Introduced 1 Apr 03 to replace
Navigator, Air Electronics Officer/Operator, Air Engineer and Air Loadmaster. (See Note Above).
Fighter Controller (FC). The letters ‘FC’ of drab silk surrounded by a laurel leaf of brown silk with an outspread drab silk wing 2½" (6.35
cm) long – on dark blue melton cloth.
Airborne Technician (AT). The letters ‘AT’ of drab silk surrounded by a laurel leaf of brown silk with an outspread drab silk wing 2½" (6.35
cm) long – on dark blue melton cloth.