Pontius - The Air Quartermaster brevet used to actually say QM. Because the poor chaps got fed up with being alikened to Flying Storemen they stole the USAFdescription of Loadmaster.... but still provision the rations!

Yep, I think I mentioned that in my earlier post, however as the original source of Air Quartermasters was from the Ground Supply trade group (AMO A115/62), you can almost see what the powers that be were thinking, for a change.
As far as linguists are concerned, did they not fly for years as 'Signallers' with the old 'S' style badge. In the 70s and 80s they were a little 'hush, hush' but I see now that they are a trade listed on the RAF careers site under WSOps.
Are A/T (Airborne Technicians) still going and do they fall into the same catagory as the F/C lot.

Ooh, SODCAT. Is that like FOLA? Can I join?

Toadstool, I read it as AEO and AEOp - two different animals thus that makes 5.

As for AT, yes, AT and FC exist outside WSO when in fact an FC is probably much more of a WSO than an E3 Nav.

Follow The Leaders
 

If the senior Navs in the RAF changed their brevets over to WSO, would anyone follow?

From what I've seen the only Navs that have switched are senior ones. Perhaps it denotes a fully qualified party-line tower?

Isn't that the sort of leadership you like though GF? ;)

Only to the toilet and then out of curiousity

The way it was explained to me was that the letter in the brevet indicates the individuals' level of knowledge:

E - Engineers know Everything

AE - Air Electronics Operators know Absolutely Everything

N - Navigators know Nothing

S - Signallers probably know Something, possibly

LM - Limited Mentality

FC - This just stands for Fu**ing C**t !!

:ok:

Similar system now mate, just slightly cruder...


WSO - will sh@g often.

WSOp - won't sh@g other people.


And they wonder why we all look so cheerful....:E

Blunty

Don't start me off ........
 

BP

.... and in the interests of not embarking on 'Thread Creep' I shall refrain from anwsering!
:oh::oh::oh::oh::oh::oh::oh::oh::oh::oh::oh::oh:

"If the senior Navs in the RAF changed their brevets over to WSO, would anyone follow?"

If that's 'senior' as in those who make the cushions damp in dark corners of 4-engined aeroplanes, then WSO = Wee Smelling Oldie... So, unlikely to change to a WSO badge unless matron tells them to.

If that's 'senior' as in quite a few rings to his/her/its sleeve, then WSO = Will Sell Out (for suitable perks, such as a K), so would probably ditch the N badge to look 'kewel' and 'in touch with Our Most Important People'.......

I see this has even changed. Latest orders just received have FB/P.

No general duties cr*p then :}

I have noticed that most AEOs (thats Commissioned AEOps for you FJ people) over the last few years have started to wear the rear crew brevet. Non Commissioned AEOps (thats non Commissioned AEOps for you FJ people) who are entitled, continue to wear proudly their AE brevet. This is probably due to the embarrassment and grief AEOs suffered whilste wearing the AE brevet as being identified as a tac screen sun visor. They have, over the last few years, considered the rationalisation of brevets as being a God-send, so they can now pretend to be "Navigators"... I guess they will still get grief anyway.

Who'd want to pretend to be a navigator?? :}


Helmet on

Is it true that AEOp stands for Always Eating Or Pissed ?

:ok:

Is it true that AVTUR stands for Another Verbose TURd?

I have a very unimpressive certificate in the front of my first logbook which says I qualified as an 'Air Navigator' from the School of Air Navigation. I was a member of a ANC. I am not qualified as a WSO, nor do I want to do the WSO course, so what right have I to wear the WSO brevet?

Despite all this WSO this and WSOp that, if you go to the current, i.e today, ACOS Manning website and look at the register of officers postings (or whatever it is called) you will still find listing for trades such as GD(N), GD(AEO), GD(ALM), etc. Funny old thing, if you want to post an officer to instruct say ALMs at Brize you still need to make sure you send a WSO who is an ALM as opposed to a WSO who is an AEO!!

OHP,

The most accurate yet?

In my experience it is the AEO's who have, or at least think they have, a career ahead of them that have converted to wearing the WSO brevet. Sad really considering they graduated as AEOp with an AE brevet. I think I have only seen one or two AEOps who have changed their brevet to the WSO style.

Y_G

The first WSO brevet I saw was at Cranditz being worn by a Gp Capt AEO. They had only been out a few weeks.

It takes that sort of attitude for an AEO to reach Gp Capt:rolleyes: