Fighter Controllers?
 

Is the FC "logo" worn by fighter controllers a Brevet or a flying badge?

Any ideas or thoughts?

I'm going for badge myself.

Badge!!

As is the Airborne Tech, Chief Steward, and Air Steward joke wings. You guys and girls would look so much better in orange, so go join Easyjet- you get a proper name badge and everything!! At least there would be some desert flying kit for the real brevet wearers!!

Bu**er, I think I just dropped the pin to this grenade!!

BOOM!

yep

def a badge!! Surely you have to be trained on a FTS to qualify for a Brevet?

Sandy pit, do you mean the guys with 'N' on their brevets, as in 'Not got a job in fast jets?'

Or the other Eazyjet/Ryanair fodder, the ones that sit up front, who, if persuing their trade on the ground, would be described as 'MT drivers?':ok:

-nick

It would appear that failing Aircrew selection has left you feeling a little bitter:( ...........and with a non aircrew job:E

all spelling mistakes are "df" alochol induced

Am I that transparent?;)

Roll on a totally UAV airforce!

-nick

'I don't care how many times they go up tiddly up up, they're still gits'

E Blackadder 1917

Best they rush down and sign up now then; 'cos when they cancel the MR4 and downsize the rest of the Kipper fleet, there's going to a long queue for the jobs down at Ronnie Mac's.......

p.s. You must be really bored Sandy, two attempted wind ups on the same page, and not even original....

Never before have I heard such crap. How can the position of FC be berated in such a fashion.

For comedy value:

Example: - FJ female Nav chopped from 56 is instantly placed on a
E3 conversion course. What the f**k does any FJ know about FC?? (aploogies to the individual - victim of circumstance).

Get a life pal!

Fortunately most people in the RAF can't be so anally retentive to post threads such as this. If you made even the most basic of efforts to witness what the FC world is about then maybe views would be modified.


Disgust!

:yuk: :yuk: :yuk: :yuk: :yuk: :yuk: :yuk:

Nice bite Frogbox ...

though trying to say that a chopped FJ nav is necessarily of comparable ability to a qualified FC somewhat undermines your arguement.

I take it you have got the been there, seen it, done it, tick at Waddington and are now back at the Neat outpost in Norfolk? Or maybe not?

SandyPit

In answer to your question - yes they do have their own FC brevet - and to those who may mock - after quite a hard 6-ish month OCU on 23 Sqn.

However the real issue is - I hope you're not planning on getting on E3s any time soon?

As someone that escaped the FC assylum a couple of years ago, I can see a re-run of the situation I was in late90s/early00s - lots of Navs / AEOs in desk jobs but still getting flying pay, so they stuck them down the back of the jet to make them earn their pay.

At a stroke 25% of the surveillance team slots went to rear-seaters overnight. Result lots of unhappy FCs stuck down the east coast waiting for the Ruskies. Can see the same thing happening with the current "re-organisation" when we end up with more aircrews than we can use.

But if that's what you're after, good luck mate, it aint a bad job. Oh and the currys you get on there are pretty decent too!

Nice of you to join us Capt Caveman,

Given that the E3 fleet is trying to go up to approx 15 crews (over the next few years), I would suggest that there are plenty of spare slots available in all crew positions, and I also understand that there are very few volunteers in the system waiting for SO from the ground side .... however if the expected Nav rush materialises

And as for a "hard 6-ish month OCU on 23 Sqn" well maybe that is the case for FC's.

BTW ... are we allowed to call it an OCU (like most other a/c types in the RAF) or does it have to remain as STF/SCC or whatever the current name for it is?

Any comments anyone?

CC,

"In answer to your question - yes they do have their own FC brevet - and to those who may mock - after quite a hard 6-ish month OCU on 23 Sqn.:}

6 months to badge...........if only real aircrew could achieve this......to quote Louis Armstrong........What a wonderful World:ok:

all spelling mistakes are "df" alcohol induced

I was always under the impression that a Brevet could only be awarded by a Flying Training School (3 FTS etc..) and as an OCU does not constitute this then FCs do indeed wear flying badges not Brevets.

Knees up Mother Brown!

I agree with ABIW. If only the real aircrew could get their brevet (cuz that's what ours are!!) in as short a time as a 6 month OCU. Some of us endure 2-3 years to gain fully combat ready and these guys dare say they are up to speed and flying badged in 6 months. Surely this makes a mocury of the whole FTS system??

Maybe it's time to bring these imitation aircrew into line and send them to Cranners to do proper aircrew courses. It worked for the siggies.

CaptainCaveman,
Whilst I'm not seeking a posting to E3s, there's every possibility that I could be posted there in a few years. Who knows? If I do, then I'll be sure to give you a shout.

I always considered that the qualification was what people did when we went to war, not what school they went to. It would be interesting to compare the average number of hours of combat experience, involved in wartime ops, of the E-3D force and those at ISK.

I heard much of the same talk, by the way, many years ago from those on the Britannia fleet, and then the V-force.....

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.......

Dylan Thomas

ORAC

Are we to deduce that you are yourself one of the controversial flying badge wearers?? You seem to be defending the trade with bravado. I think you'll find that you guys may well have more time
but the boys in ISK don't sit at high level, going round in circles being pre madonna's. The time spent on real ops by the Kipper fleet unfortunately has been done by a minority of the fleet. The Mighty Hunter has more crews than the flying smarty so they individually do spend less time on ops.

Not bothered either way about FC's in the air, however I don't like to see fellow (real) aircrew talking out of their arrogant ar$es and making us all look like idiots, as happens all to often in here :mad:

What you seem to forget is that comparing the FC 6 month OCU to aircrew full training time is misleading. FC's still have to go through professional training prior to starting their OCU, just like the rest of us. Probably their training isn't as long as real aircrew branches/trades, but then no 2 branches/trades train for exactly the same length of time.

I agree though, FC's wear badges, not brevets :ok:

MadMark!!! :mad:

SF, no I'm not. I've never set foot on a UK E-3D and only ever visited Waddo a couple of times. I also retired several years ago. I Just find the continual whinging, carping and criticism from certain quarters both boring and pathetic.

I haven't the experience or expertise to comment and compare the ability, or experience, of the two forces. But I note it is always the ISK guys doing the knocking of other serving RAF personnel, who seem to be fulfilling a vital role, and doing so extremely well.

The end effect is to diminish my respect for the ISK force and increase that of the Waddo force. I'm afraid Sandy and his ilk are doing the reputations of themselves and their fleet no favours here.