Airborne FCs

[Angler]

Are airborne FCs aircrew?

[stillin1]

Mmmm!
Shall I bite?
No.
User-name was a bit of a give-away!

[The Gorilla]

Ahh wot the heck!! In for a penny!!!!!

Nope they are groundcrew filling temporary flying posts.

Ashes to ashes, bunker to bunker!!

:}

[TAC Queen]

Correct my incorrectness if I am incorrect.
Trades within Aircrew

Pilot
Navigator
Air Engineer
Air Load Master
Air Electronics Operator
Air Signaller

Not listed in any order before we all start fighting.
All but the first becoming Wisy Wop or something like that as of April 2003.
Notice most begin with an A, apart from the ones that don’t

All spelling mistakes are because I can’t spell

[bigley]

Of course they are aircrew because thay have been selected at OASC, been through a recognised aircrew training course, have done the required survival courses and have RAF on their (new) brevet.


Or


......B?


:D

[Jobza Guddun]

FC's are "groundcrew"?

I think perhaps not.

Aircrew clingons maybe?:}

[The Gorilla]

Jobza

You are quite right, forgive the slur on our true groundcrew.
I should have said:

..groundstrades filling temporary flying posts!!

Apologies to groundcrew.

:ok:

[mutleyfour]

Tac queen

Shouldnt Air Signaller read Air Steward!!!!

[Mightycrewseven]

FC's

Is it true they now wear the same brevet as the WSO's and WSOp's? If so, this is going to be intolerable.

Fantastic at their jobs, wouldn't want to be in theatre
without them, however, why are they issued with brevets?

Purely so they can distinguish themselves from their ground branch counterparts and impose an air of importance within their own trade?

They should continue to do a great job but without the exclusion of a brevet, that all other 'aircrew' have earned the right to wear.
At the very least they should be stripped of their brevets once they finish their flying tour. :suspect:

I can wear my WSO brevet with pride!

[Anita Bush]

I remember when the first FC appeared in Air Clues (i think) holding his brevet and wearing EAGLES above his chevrons - boy did the lads at Ice Station Kilo go mad or WHAT!

I dont think that they do that anymore - not real aircrew you see.

[Impiger]

Anita,

Now I'm getting confused. The Trade Group 19 stewards who fly wear Eagles over their stripes, which they retain when on the ground, but have no brevet. Does this mean they are or are not aircrew?

If we really want to differentiate between those who are aircrew as opposed to those who work in the air how about going back to basics and starting with what the individuals were recruited to do and what their initial training prepared them for. On this basis neither FCs nor Air Stewards would qualify as aircrew. On the other hand if you take the view that anyone whose job is undertaken while airborne is aircrew then include the lot.



:cool:

[round&round]

These comments are most enlightning. I had no idea that myself and my 50 or so collegues had managed to generate so much anquish and resentment.

Still, it's a strange old world.

[Oggin Aviator]

Just sitting on the fence, but dont the AWACS FC's complete a formal course of airborne instruction at 23 Sqn, just like any other WSO or WSOP does at their respective OCU ? As a WAFU I'm intrigued.

If you are airborne as part of a crew, be it front seat or back, its still a team effort is it not?

Or is it still "no stick no vote you're not a pilot so s*d off" Not really the ethos of CRM is it?

Oggin
(who may not be sitting on the fence actually!!)