Aircrew brevet

:"For other uses, see brevet.":"For the American equivalent, see Aircrew Badge."An aircrew brevet is the badge worn on the left breast, above any medal ribbons, by qualified aircrew in the Royal Air Force, British Army, Canadian Forces, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, and Sri Lanka Air Force.

United Kingdom

In the RAF, pilots wear the letters "RAF" in a wreath, surmounted by a crown, with a wing on each side (pilots' brevets are often referred to as "wings"). From April 2003, Weapons Systems Officers/Operators began to be awarded a similar brevet with a single wing. Other aircrew wear a letter or letters (denoting speciality) in a wreath, surmounted by a crown, with a single wing. The only other brevets currently worn are "E" (Air Engineer), "AT" (Airborne Technician), and "FC" (Fighter Controller). Parachute Jumping Instructors (PJIs) wear an open parachute instead of a letter. Obsolete brevets include "N" (Navigator), "LM" (Air Loadmaster), "AE" (Air Electronics Operator), "B" (Bomb Aimer), "AG" (Air Gunner), "AS" (Air Steward), "M" (Meteorological Observer), "QM" (Air Quartermaster), "S" (Air Signaller), and "RO" (Radio Observer). Observers wore a single wing attached directly to the letter "O".

All the RAF brevets mentioned above are normally embroidered in silver, apart for the golden wreath.

Australia

Royal Australian Air Force brevets differ from those in the RAF mainly in having a crown on all brevets (not just on Pilot's wings) and in normally having blue wreaths. The Pilot's wings has the letters "RAAF"; a similar twin-wing brevet, bearing the Southern Cross, has been introduced for Officer Aircrew in 1998, replacing various single-wing brevets previously worn by Commissioned Officers [http://www.defence.gov.au/news/raafnews/editions/4814/topstories/story04.htm] ; however NCO aircrew continue to wear the old single-wing brevets.

New Zealand

New Zealand uses similar insignia to the United Kingdom, except the Pilot's wings bear the letters "NZ" instead of "RAF" and the single wing of other aircrew still have the letters of the trade they represent. Currently these are Air Warfare Officer and Specialist (AW), Air Engineer (E), Air Loadmaster (LM), Helicopter Crewman (HC), Flight Steward (FS), Air Ordnanceman (AO), and Parachute Jump Instructor (a parachute). Air Electronics Operator (AE) is obsolete.

External links

* [http://www.rafweb.org/Badges3.htm RAF Flying Badges - Current]
* [http://www.rafweb.org/Badges3A.htm RAF Flying Badges - Obsolete]
* [http://www.worldofmilitarywings.com/wingpage/uk/rfcpilotww2.html RFC Pilot Brevets in World War Two]

ee also

*Aircrew Badge