Pully's chollywhoppers are a comparitively new capability and the SH force have in the past insisted on wearing Frank Spencer berets with their flying suits - all of which further detaches them from the RAF in the public's eyes. Whenever a Pongo gets on board an RAF cab or Herc then they should be in no doubt that it doesn't belong to the Army's teeny weeny airways. That starts with the way that we present ourselves and stopping wearing CS95/MTP with berets is just the beginning. Stopping the slow malaise of down-playing aircrew status - like the idiotic recent shirt badge palava and the placing of non-aircrew into traditional aircrew posts. We need to stop pretending that non-operators are Air Power experts - only those that operate in, with or around aircraft can be. A blunty going to the so called 'College of Knowledge' at Shrivenham does not make them an Air Power expert. All of this 'thins' our brand and a previous CAS was 'on the money' in asking us to wear blues whenever possible to try and raise RAF profile. However, putting us in nasty 'tuppence-halfpenny' nasty-nylon shirts, trousers and wooly pulleys with no proper heritage is a disaster - travelling on the train in the No 2 wooly pulley combo I have been asked what my uniform is on at least a dozen occasions! Oddly enough, I never get asked when in flying clothing and also the bluntys often ask us to turn out in flying clothing at media events to showcase that the RAF is about flying - I wonder why? Is it because our No 2 blues make us look like office workers; even RAC men have more appropriate clothing these days!
Leon,
You and I are normally in sync on most things, and there are many elements of the above which I can agree with.
As for wearing berets with flying suits and not being distinguishable from the army, I view that as a positive; they are our primary customer and we forget that at our peril.... ask the former members of 12 Sqn RAAF.
When it comes to the Army, for whom we provide the majority of support services (the support as in Support Helicopters) the RAF has an image problem which is mainly centered around the AT fleets 'check in not dig in' mentality.
You will find that one of the few elements of the RAF that has climbed that mountain is the SH Force. Horses for Causes, kind sir, but I believe that 'Pully's chollywhoppers' have it right, innit!
I also agree with Andy, and it is good to see a VSO speak out whilst still in the job, and not sit quietly, accept the pension and then snipe from the sidelines.