Not exactly world-shattering news but it still gave me a moderately warm feeling of accomplishment!
At our last meeting, the Commander announced my promotion and said some very nice things about my work, which is always pleasing to hear!
That's it...you can move on with your lives now... :)
Congrats!!!!!!! It is a big deal and should be. Too bad too many don't feel it is.
Congrats Sir!
Congrats!
Way to go! :clap:
Congrats. You are out of the LPA (Lieutenants Protective Association.)
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
>:D
Congrats.
Well done! Now, on to Level 3 and Major, I think that's Squadron Leader on the other side of the pond.
Congrats! Excellent news!
Quote from: CapCapt on May 30, 2014, 02:49:40 AM
Well done! Now, on to Level 3 and Major, I think that's Squadron Leader on the other side of the pond.
Well, unless they make the changes proposed by the advisory board, and make Level
4 a prerequisite for Major.
Quote from: CapCapt on May 30, 2014, 02:49:40 AM
Well done! Now, on to Level 3 and Major, I think that's Squadron Leader on the other side of the pond.
It is Squadron leader but I always liked the sound of Major, personally!
Quote from: RogueLeader on May 30, 2014, 01:33:44 AM
Congrats. You are out of the LPA (Lieutenants Protective Association.)
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
>:D
Yeah...funnily enough, that's what my Warrant Officer told me when I made Flight Lieutenant...and he was right!
First Lieutenant, second award, eh? Congrats!
Quote from: Brit_in_CAP on May 30, 2014, 12:54:10 PM
It is Squadron leader but I always liked the sound of Major, personally!
I always thought that Commonwealth air force ranks were the most logical-sounding.
However, they haven't reflected operational situations since probably the end of the 1950's.
Originally, a Flight Lieutenant (leff-tenant, O-3) commanded a Flight, a Squadron Leader (O-4) a Squadron, a Wing Commander (O-5) a Wing and a Group Captain (O-6) a Group (note: in the Commonwealth system Group is senior to Wing).
Now, at least in flying units, a G/C commands a base, a W/C a flying squadron, and an S/L a flight.
Flight Lieutenants are pretty much everyone else that is fully aircrew trained (with a few Flying Officers here and there). A Pilot Officer seems almost to be a training rank (in fact, the Indian Air Force no longer uses it).
I still like the ranks, though.
Quote from: Brit_in_CAP on May 30, 2014, 12:55:03 PM
Quote from: RogueLeader on May 30, 2014, 01:33:44 AM
Congrats. You are out of the LPA (Lieutenants Protective Association.)
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
>:D
Yeah...funnily enough, that's what my Warrant Officer told me when I made Flight Lieutenant...and he was right!
Really? You were promoted Flight Lieutenant from Flying Officer, correct? That would have put you
into the "LPA" since the RAF has no other rank with "lieutenant" in it.
But I'm not going to be the one to argue with a Warrant, especially not a Station Warrant Officer (note: they're not like our Warrants; they're like super-SNCO's but with more authority, and they're not saluted, though you do address them as "Sir/Ma'am/Mr/Ms/Miss").
The RAF/RAAF/RNZAF only have one level of W/O, though the RCAF has three.
Quote from: CyBorg on May 30, 2014, 02:38:53 PM
Quote from: Brit_in_CAP on May 30, 2014, 12:54:10 PM
It is Squadron leader but I always liked the sound of Major, personally!
I always thought that Commonwealth air force ranks were the most logical-sounding.
However, they haven't reflected operational situations since probably the end of the 1950's.
Originally, a Flight Lieutenant (leff-tenant, O-3) commanded a Flight, a Squadron Leader (O-4) a Squadron, a Wing Commander (O-5) a Wing and a Group Captain (O-6) a Group (note: in the Commonwealth system Group is senior to Wing).
Now, at least in flying units, a G/C commands a base, a W/C a flying squadron, and an S/L a flight.
Flight Lieutenants are pretty much everyone else that is fully aircrew trained (with a few Flying Officers here and there). A Pilot Officer seems almost to be a training rank (in fact, the Indian Air Force no longer uses it).
I still like the ranks, though.
Quote from: Brit_in_CAP on May 30, 2014, 12:55:03 PM
Quote from: RogueLeader on May 30, 2014, 01:33:44 AM
Congrats. You are out of the LPA (Lieutenants Protective Association.)
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
>:D
Yeah...funnily enough, that's what my Warrant Officer told me when I made Flight Lieutenant...and he was right!
Really? You were promoted Flight Lieutenant from Flying Officer, correct? That would have put you into the "LPA" since the RAF has no other rank with "lieutenant" in it.
But I'm not going to be the one to argue with a Warrant, especially not a Station Warrant Officer (note: they're not like our Warrants; they're like super-SNCO's but with more authority, and they're not saluted, though you do address them as "Sir/Ma'am/Mr/Ms/Miss").
The RAF/RAAF/RNZAF only have one level of W/O, though the RCAF has three.
We can argue the semantics about the LPA ( :) ) but, trust me, as a Flight Lieutenant you were considered **way** outside the protection of your NCOs! >:D
I like your assessment of the ranks.
There is actually an Acting Pilot Officer, which is either someone at college or university who has yet to attend training (much like ROTC) or someone who has completed officer school but had little relevant prior service. Most officers in the aircrew branches leave basic as a Flying Officer, having served the equivalent of ROTC time, as do most engineers. I was an Acting Pilot Officer for the 3 years I was at college, despite having 5 years prior enlisted service; my pay wasn't affected and my rank was retrospectively advanced when I graduated from officer training.
To paraphrase Robert Heinlein from Starship Troopers: "if anyone ever saluted an Acting Pilot Officer, it was a dark night and they didn't see clearly!"
Describing the PO as a training rank is about right: one spends a maximum of 18 months in the rank (6 months acting, 12 substantive) which about covers most of the "professional" training courses. To be honest, the majority of officer candidates now in the RAF have either prior enlisted service or have some external antedates to seniority so there are fewer and fewer Pilot Officers...shame, actually, as it was a good place to learn!
Congratulations on your promotion.
Congrats on the promotion!!!! What are you going to do now with that extra zero on your CAP paycheck?
Quote from: Chappie on May 30, 2014, 08:14:46 PM
Congrats on the promotion!!!! What are you going to do now with that extra zero on your CAP paycheck?
The same thing I did with my last promotion, Chappie. The extra zero went into my bank account and added...absolutely nothing (not in material terms, anyway; but you know the bit about "not laying up treasures on earth")! ;)
Well done Sir!
Quote from: CyBorg on May 30, 2014, 08:50:27 PM
Quote from: Chappie on May 30, 2014, 08:14:46 PM
Congrats on the promotion!!!! What are you going to do now with that extra zero on your CAP paycheck?
The same thing I did with my last promotion, Chappie. The extra zero went into my bank account and added...absolutely nothing (not in material terms, anyway; but you know the bit about "not laying up treasures on earth")! ;)
Well played :clap:
Quote from: CyBorg on May 30, 2014, 02:38:53 PM
Quote from: Brit_in_CAP on May 30, 2014, 12:54:10 PM
It is Squadron leader but I always liked the sound of Major, personally!
I always thought that Commonwealth air force ranks were the most logical-sounding.
However, they haven't reflected operational situations since probably the end of the 1950's.
And that's the problem. Even though they sound logical, their grade titles have nothing to do with their actual jobs now.
And do you still call junior officers in the Commonwealth air forces "Pilot Officers" and "Flying Officers" when they're not pilots, nor do they fly?
Quote from: Panache on May 31, 2014, 12:37:00 AM
And that's the problem. Even though they sound logical, their grade titles have nothing to do with their actual jobs now.
They never did across the board. An intelligence officer might be a Flying Officer, but not aircrew-rated.
A doctor, dentist, legal officer or padre might be a Squadron Leader, but not command a squadron.
Quote from: Panache on May 31, 2014, 12:37:00 AM
And do you still call junior officers in the Commonwealth air forces "Pilot Officers" and "Flying Officers" when they're not pilots, nor do they fly?
The ranks are still that way (Australian example shown).
(http://www.airforce.gov.au/imgs/ranks_large.jpg)
However, Canada has not used that system since 1968, and India has done away with Pilot Officers.
Quote from: Panache on May 31, 2014, 12:37:00 AM
Quote from: CyBorg on May 30, 2014, 02:38:53 PM
Quote from: Brit_in_CAP on May 30, 2014, 12:54:10 PM
It is Squadron leader but I always liked the sound of Major, personally!
I always thought that Commonwealth air force ranks were the most logical-sounding.
However, they haven't reflected operational situations since probably the end of the 1950's.
And that's the problem. Even though they sound logical, their grade titles have nothing to do with their actual jobs now.
And do you still call junior officers in the Commonwealth air forces "Pilot Officers" and "Flying Officers" when they're not pilots, nor do they fly?
They never did.
Brief history. The structure comes from the enforced marriage between the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918.
Neither parent retained any air element at that stage, and the first CAS, Major General, later Viscount, Trenchard, wanted to show that his new service was wholly independent of the parents - there was *huge* jealousy at the time.
Various proposals were considered but the final version was to have officer insignia that was based on the Navy and enlisted insignia based on the Army with ranks being renamed to reflect the new service (Flight Sergeant instead of Staff Sergeant, for example).
The officer ranks sightly reflected roles in that initially squadron leaders commanded squadrons, both flying and ground-based, and wing commanders commanded wings. Over the years that has changed in the flying units but remains extant on ground-based units. Groups captains might have commanded two or more flying wings in WW2. Station Commanders are generally assigned based on the unit size - my friend commanded a station as a squadron leader.
Fun fact for you. The original uniforms were made from a large order of cloth intended for the Tsar of Russia (Imperial Guard I think). By 1918 that was a moot point, and the Soviet's weren't buying. That cloth was used to make distinctive uniforms for the new service and the color was later to be adopted as 'RAF Blue'. It is also close in coloration to a liquid used by the medical staff to treat body lice...which led to the RAF's derogatory nickname of 'crabfats' or simply 'crabs'... >:D