Ranks are an integral part of our organisation; they provide a structure that defines how squadrons, wings, regions and the whole corps operates. Below we will explain the staff ranks and badges.
All staff are at least 20 years old. As previously mentioned; there are five different groups of staff, appointments and promotions through the staff rank structure is initiated through the recommendation of the Squadron Commanding Officer and requires the approval from Wing (and sometimes Region) Headquarters.
Positioning
Rank slides can be found attached to shoulders of No.2 (Blue) uniform and centrally on the Chest of No.3 (Green) uniform.
When wearing No.1 SD uniform (usually worn on parades and other ceremonial occasions), the rank badges and braid is worn on the sleeve.
Squadron Structures
The guidelines for a squadrons structure are found in Air Cadet Personnel Regulations PI 101. However these are not rigid and can be altered based on current strengths of NCO’s and the needs of the squadron. One example is that Staff Cadets (Over 18 year olds) are not held against the structure, as they may not be able to attend regularly with work/university commitments.
For a small squadron (30-45 cadets), a typical staff structure is as follows: 1 Flt Lt; 2 Fg Off / Plt Off; 3 SNCO; 4 CI.
Commissioned Officers
Commissioned Officers are granted a Commission by HM The Queen in the Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC), whereby compliments are made. Commissioned Officers wear an RAF service uniform and are identified with RAFAC on their rank slides.
They are addressed as Sir or Ma’am in conversation, but when being referenced to, their rank is used (e.g. Pilot Officer Bloggs)
Requirements:
– Minimum age of 20.
– Served as a SNCO or Civilian Instructor for at least 12 months, or direct as a CWO, Cadet FS or Cadet Sgt with 4 years cadet service.
Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCO)
Senior Non-Commissioned Officers wear RAF service uniform, and are appointed within the Air Training Corps, and as such they wear RAFAC on their uniform. They are not to be saluted as they do not have a Queens Commission.
They are addressed by their rank (Sergeant, Flight Sergeant) with the exception of Warrant Officers who are addressed as Sir or Ma’am.
Requirements:
– Minimum age of 20.
– Served as a Civilian Instructor for at least 12 months, or direct from cadet service.
Civilian Instructor (CI)
Civilian Instructors do not wear uniform, and are the most common kind of staff within the organisation. Some of them hold heavy workload paperwork positions such as the Training Officer or Adjutant, others can be found using their experience and expertise to train cadets at all sorts of tasks- such as adventure training, classification learning or airmanship.
Requirements:
– Minimum age of 20.
Service Helper/Instructor (SI)
Service Helpers are current members of HM Regular and Reserve Forces who assist with the running of the Squadron. They wear the uniform, rank and insignia of their service, the insignia can be seen in this link.
Requirements:
– Minimum age of 20.
– Member of HM Regular or Reserve Force.
Chaplaincy (Padres)
Padres can be from any faith and are appointed to a squadron to provide welfare support to both cadets and staff. The Padre does not recruit or drive their religions agenda.
Requirements:
– Minimum age of 20.
1004 (Pontypridd) Sqn ATC 