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Senior aircraftman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A senior aircraftman reservist.

Senior aircraftman (SAC) or senior aircraftwoman (SACW)[1][2][3] was a rank in the Royal Air Force, ranking between leading aircraftman and senior aircraftman technician (SAC(T)) (although SACs in non-technical trades progressed directly to corporal) and having a NATO rank code of OR-2. The rank, which was non-supervisory, was introduced on 1 January 1951. The rank badge was a three-bladed propeller. The rank was renamed Air Specialist (class 1) (AS1) in the Royal Air Force in July 2022.[4]

The rank is also used in the Air Force of Zimbabwe.[5]

Rank insignia

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The senior aircraftman rank badge is a three-bladed propeller and it is worn of the shoulder when in working dress and on the upper sleeve in service dress.

Rank badge of a Royal Air Force senior aircraftman
RAF senior aircraftman rank insignia as it appears on dress uniform

Senior aircraftman (technician)

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From March 2005, SACs in technical trades who had attained the Operational Performance Standard were promoted to Senior aircraftman technician SAC Tech and given a new badge of rank, consisting of the three-bladed propeller inside a circle. This new rank was introduced, to distinguish airmen trained to work unsupervised from those who were not, and is equivalent to the old junior technician rank.[citation needed]

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ "Chapter 7: Distinguishing Insignia" (PDF). AP 1358: Uniform Dress and Appearance Regulations. RAF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Pay and benefits: Airmen/airwomen". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  3. ^ The spellings "aircraftsman" and "aircraftswoman", despite being occasionally seen even in official documents, are incorrect in any air force.
  4. ^ RAF Ranks
  5. ^ "RANKS AND BADGES IN THE AFZ". Air Force of Zimbabwe Website. Air Force of Zimbabwe. 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.