Royal Air Force

Components Royal Air Force Royal Auxiliary Air Force RAF Regiment RAF Police History History of the Royal Air Force Timeline of the Royal Air Force Aircraft List of RAF aircraft Structure Strike Command No. 1 Group No. 2 Group JFACHQ Personnel and Training Command No. 22 Group List of stations Personnel Officer ranks Other ranks

The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training) Branch, often abbreviated to RAFVR(T) is a voluntary element of the British Royal Air Force. Members of the RAFVR(T) have no call-up liabaility and often operate part time in the local structure of the Air Cadet Organisation - either the RAF sections of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF), or the Air Training Corps (ATC). Image File history File links Ensign_of_the_Royal_Air_Force. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) is the volunteer reserve part of the Royal Air Force. ... The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regt) is a specialist corps within the Royal Air Force, responsible for capturing and defending airfields and associated installations. ... The Royal Air Force Police (RAFP), also called the RAF Provost Branch, is the military police branch of the British Royal Air Force. ... See the History section on the Royal Air Force page. ... // 1900-1918 1901 29 October - The Aero Club of Great Britain is established. ... Many aircraft types have served in the Royal Air Force since it was formed in 1918 by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. ... The Royal Air Forces Strike Command is the military organization which controls the majority of the United Kingdoms combat aircraft. ... Number 1 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two groups in Strike Command. ... Number 2 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two groups in RAF Strike Command. ... The Joint Force Air Component Headquarters is the United Kindgdoms deployable air Command and Control Unit. ... Personnel and Training Command is one of two operational commands of the Royal Air Force along with Strike Command. ... Number 22 Group is one of only three groups currently active in the Royal Air Force and the only group subordinate to Personnel and Training Command. ... This is a list of Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. ... // Origins Lieutenant-General David Henderson originally proposed that Royal Air Force officers use a combination of British Army and Royal Navy ranks. ... The term used in the Royal Air Force to refer to all ranks below commissioned officer level is Other Ranks (ORs). ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. ... ATC Crest The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. ...

Recruitment & Selection

Contrary to the requirements for joining the regular armed forces, applicants for RAFVR(T) positions are not required to posses educational or other qualifications. Instead, selection is based upon considerable relevant experience, followed by a number of interviews, then culminating in a Board chaired by retired senior RAF officer, usually a Group Captain serving in the RAFR in the capacity of ATC Regional Commandant. Since RAFVR(T) officers will generally be responsible for running either a CCF(RAF) section or an Air Training Corps squadron/detached flight, successful applicants are required to demonstrate qualities of commitment, motivation, extensive knowledge of the RAF and military/civil aviation, all underpinned by a willingness and aptitude to work with young people in an instructional environment. Candidates for commissions in CCF(RAF) sections are initially selected by the head teacher, although HQAC (Headquarters Air Cadets) has the right to impose a veto. Other members of the RAFVR(T) serve as flying instructors on the Volunteer Gliding Squadrons or as pilots on Air Experience Flights - the latter are often former military pilots who have left the regular service and are commissioned into the RAFVR(T) on appointment to the AEF. A Group Captains sleeve/shoulder insignia A Group Captains command flag Group Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... Volunteer Gliding School (VGSs) are Royal Air Force flying training units, operating military Viking T Mk1 (conventional) and Vigilant T Mk1 (Grob Vigilant) (motor) gliders to train Air Cadets from the Combined Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps. ...

Uniform

RAFVR(T) members wear the same uniform worn by regular Royal Air Force or active reserve Royal Auxiliary Air Force commissioned Officers, with the exception that gilt "VRT" insignia is worn on the lapels of formal dress uniforms and on top of the rank braid on the epaulettes and tabs of working dress uniforms. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) is the volunteer reserve part of the Royal Air Force. ... In the military, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ...

Training

All RAFVR(T) officers are required to attend and pass the Officers' Initial Course (OIC) held at the Adult Training Facility, a lodger unit at RAFC Cranwell in Lincolnshire, within the first 12 months of their appointment. This week-long course covers the basic roles and responsibilities of an RAFVR(T) Officer. Those successfully completing the course are awarded their commissioning parchment and become a commission, treated similarly to regular Officers. RAFVR(T) officers undertake extra training before taking command of an ATC squadron (though CCF(RAF) officers are not provided with advanced training before taking command of their section). Some also take specialist training for certain activities: physical training (PT) or shooting for example. College Hall The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force establishment which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to be commissioned officers. ... In military organizations, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ...

Royal Air Force badge. The RAF Motto is Per Ardua ad Astra (Latin), which translates as Through Struggle to the Stars They are extensively supported at ATC unit level by fellow RAFVR(T) Officers, as well as uniformed ATC Adult Warrant Officers and Adult Non-Commissioned Officers and a highly-motivated cadre of Civilian Instructors. At CCF(RAF) contingents, RAFVR(T) Officers are able to call upon the support of the regular RAF Squadron Leader tasked with looking after their area, and also upon the services of the regular RAF 'TEST' Flight Sergeants mapped to their specific school. This image is Crown copyright protected. ... This image is Crown copyright protected. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... A Squadron Leaders sleeve/shoulder insignia Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in some air forces. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...