Stupid Question, However......
 

This really is a stupid question but here we go....

Stn Cdr , ( at a small unit so lets say a Wingco) walks down the road to work and is confronted by 3 airmen, a Flt Lt pilot and the SMO, a Wg Cdr; Who salutes who?

3 airmen and Flt lt Pilot salute, Wg Cdr returns I expect. if it was vis a vis, then the most senior officer present salutes the junior after he has saluted the collective of officers. OR whoever is closest, generally works in my book!

Why, did you get a Bolloxking?

Were the 3 airmen English, Irish and Scottish by any chance?

Well for a start, the three airmen would spread themselves neatly at 10 pace intervals to make sure that at least ONE of the officers had to keep saluting for a good distance......being a good uniformed civvy, the SMO would probably wonder what all the arm-waving was about......the pilot wouldn't really give a toss, being late for a briefing, and would wave in someones general direction. CO would then no doubt stomp off to write Order No 1 of the next SRO's.....

Do people still salute? Havn't seen one for ages.

:ok:

As close as I could get fella

The Staish is a CO, so everyone of the five people approaching him [ three airmen, a Flt Lt, and a SMO] will salute. The three airmen would do it smartly and instinctively give each other room; the Flt Lt, being a pilot and on the ground, would salute somewhat vaguely in the manner of one who doesn't do such things very often, and the MO will wave because he's a Wg Cdr for pay purposes and hasn't a clue about anything else in the air force.!:D

If people are saluting the Queen's commission, not the individual, surely two flt lts should salute each other's passing commission - their ranks being irrelevent?

Prat At The Back

Shouldn't that be 'Who salutes whom?'

Only if you're an hofficer

You presume the pilot has a hat.

In ASI the order was that out doors - head dress etc and stable belts.

The staish and the 3 sqn ldrs, plus the RN and Army wore hats. No one else did.

BEagle, wrong on one count then. Said airmen, being mess stewards, are rpobably ambling along in whites so they don't look like airmen at all and miscellaneous anoraks.

What no doubt gives them away is the RAF issue rucksack with the out of date eagle and crown logo.

Next week they should be able to draw the updated patch of roundel and forward looking, excited royal air force corporate image logo.

The airmen can't be Mess Stewards, 'cos there aren't any! More likely they would be 'Rocks' because they know how to salute but not, necessarily, who; and their response in this case would have been more of the 'it's moving salute it' rather than from being kicked up the arse by said pilot who, it must be remembered , is himself saluting, so cannot possibly have the two hands free that he would normally require to find his own arse let alone anyone else's.

The MO couldn't possibly arrange a meeting as quickly, because they don't make house calls, and in any event would have to consult with his own staff of NCOs as it is a well-known fact that, apart from not being able to salute, MOs don't really know much about anything and are perpetually confused.

The CO ,incidentally, was walking because his office was full of consultants telling him they are there to solve problems he didn't know he had and in a manner of speaking he doesn't understand.

The three airmen are the sole remaining 'other ranks' in the Service and as such are aware that they can do what they like - the RAF cannot afford to lose them. So they ignore the whole thing, berets in epaulettes, hands in pockets and disappear laughing.

The pilot is so spaced out with fatigue that he doesn't see whats happening and [minus hat] shuffles away to find aircraft, self authorise and fly mission which he hasn't briefed for and doesn't know what he's doing it for.

The SMO is struggling to find a cure for Asian bird flu, has just completed 500 flu jabs, is due to finish yet another batch of meaningless statistics and is thus spaced out. He is not aware of what's happening around him, doesn't know what a salute is anyway, and shuffles off to the RMC to look through the next batch of meaningless e-mails from the Department of Health.

The Staish is an Admin Wg Cdr, who is busy composing the latest PC management-speak diatribe to send round to all sections as a result of the latest HQSTC initiative in management strategy. He is so spaced out because he has achieved Wg Cdr rank, complete with OBE and MBE after only 7 years service and has difficulty coping. He is unaware of what's happening around him, doesn't notice anybody and shuffles off to the office to receive yet another briefing on the forthcoming fireman's strike which will drain his station of 75% of his manpower, thus denying the Station the ability to carry out its primary task of supporting operations at the behest of President Bliar...

Not an unusual day then...

FJJP

Are there such people anymore? I though that in this brave new world, post Rocky Goodall, all wg cdrs and above (excluding the specialist Medic, Dentist, Padre, Directors of Music) are all GD. Admittedly though, some are more GD than others.

"The Staish is an Admin Wg Cdr"

Which reminds me; I see Ross Paterson is now an Air Commodore. (Telegraph. Service postings-Recently) He was my flight commander at Sleaford Tech in 87, and always impressed on us:

"I'm an EDUCATOR, not a scribbly"

We never really saw eye to eye, but he was (is) an immensely capable bloke and will probably end up commanding GWIII whenever that is.

If you do subscribe to such infantile threads as these Ross, PM me and I'll reveal my secret identity:ok:

presuming of course, you give a sh*t

I would have thought said airmen, having more sense, would make themselves look busy in a nearby doorway until said officers had passed, thus alleviating said need to salute! :}

Whats this about all the airmen saluting at once?

In the Army if a group of OR's was bimbling around (not a very common occurrence in the Army what what) then the closest OR's to the said commission holder would give the salute, with the rest 'bracing-up' (or putting their arms smartly by their sides for those less drill orientated).

I always thought this was the procedure in the RAF too, but have seen all manner of displays, from the one I mention above to the 'Mexican Wave' effect by larger groups of airmen.

Does anyone know the official party line on bimbling groups and salutes?

Errrrm not the official party line, no, but I find that if everyone salutes, nobody gets upset and throws teddy out of the cot for not getting waved at. Better safe than sorry!

"closet OR's ". I thought it was compulsory to be "out" these days.:confused:

Simple....If it moves, salute it. If it doesn't move...paint it !

21 hours 40 minutes

eh?! I'm lost now :uhoh:

I would hazard a guess and suggest that is the amount of time left before saluting becomes a thing of the past?

Infantile? I would have thought such imagination as displayed to what is , admittedly, an uninformed question, should progress us all to our aim of at least making half-wit?

The answer would be in AP wxyz 'Drill and Ceremonial'. Big book, not unlike QRs, I seem to recall. I think.

CG

It's easy, they all salute the pilot he's aircrew!

<Widens the doorway for our flyboy brethren> :}

Make Space, Pilot coming through!

followed by
:ouch:

21h40m = time taken from start of post to the expected inane post by Southside

Cause the other half is 3 officers bimbling along, chatting of course, who returns a salute?

All the same rank it is the . ..

One senior to the other two so . . .

It is always good for a laugh.

Pontius Navigator

Sadly if they are all the same rank it is the officer nearest to the salutee (I think that I have just made this word up) that returns the salute.

Unfortunatly there is no requirement for the 3 officers to enter into a debate on their relevant dates of seniority and then, if they have the same date of seniority, then their order in the Air Force List.

Surely the Flt Lt, being a junior rank, should salute the Staish. What difference does it make if he's a pilot?

Its like shooting fish in a barrel, just sling in a hook and pull.

Do we really think the question was serious?

It's been a long weekend. I'll get me coat!:*

I've come to the conclusion that you're all smarter than Stephen Hawking because only a dozen people or so understand Hawking, and no one can follow you lot!

We all know it's a game but if you don't think it's serious try walking the ground at a big HQ and see the knots people get into trying to judge the etiquette. The extremes of direct confrontation or huge separation are easy but the grey area in between could provide an anthropologist with enough material for a major thesis. Avoidance seems to be the mutually desired outcome but only if there's no loss of face involved for the senior party. Add to the mix foreign military and even other brit forces (can you spot an Army officer in combats?) and it gets even better. Still, if my failing eyesight holds out till endex I'll keep playing.

A problem I am personally aware of after being bawled at by one of Sandhursts finest many years ago at DJ barracks.

Him (after storming across the gravel car park by the EFI) - "Why didn't you salute me?

Me (dropping my arm from the salute I was just giving him)- "Because I didn't know you were an officer until you drew closer Sir."

Him - "Why not?"

Me - "Well you have chosen to wear subdued rank and were approximately 50 meters away, thus proving the purpose of subdued rank"

I was later called into work by the boss and asked not to point out the obvious to Army officers in the future as it upsets them somewhat.

:rolleyes:

Picture this: I was walking through one of the Death Star corridors (Mount Pleasant for those who have managed to avoid the place) with a Flt Lt air traffic controller, a female. The army, for reasons best known to them, regard the corridors as out of doors, therefore saluting is in order. We passed a major - regiment unknown. As a Sqn Ldr I did not salute, but neither did my companion. The army chap, obviously a bit miffed, muttered ''don't you people pay compliments any more?'' Quick as a flash my colleague turned and said ''Nice Boots!''

He turned red and I had a fit of the giggles.

I like it!

I used to think this story was apocryphal but there are many references as to its veracity, including the official history.

Major General Bernard Freyberg VC, OC the NZ Division in Egypt prior to El Alamein, was inspecting some of the Kiwi troops with Montgomery in a vehicle when the latter commented: "Not many of your troops seem to salute Freyberg", to which Freyberg replied; "No, but if you wave at them they'll wave back".