PN - I guess it all depends who you ask that question to! Whilst not being an FC myself, the general feeling seems to be that the FCs on the jets consider themselves to be bona fide fully fledged aircrew
whilst the rest of the RAF and probably a good proportion of the rest of the bunker dwellers see them for what they actually are, namely Mission Specialists on a flying tour.
Unlike the USAF FCs who actively join up to fly as airborne controllers, ether on E3s or JSTARs, for RAF FCs a tour on E3s is just another tour, albeit with certain perks. But as I understand it, RAF FCs go to the AEW fleet with the prospect that they will have their wings clipped at some point in order to maintain a through flow of experience.