Air Recruit (AR), previously Aircraftman (AC) or Aircraftwoman (ACW), is the lowest rank in the Royal Air Force and air forces of several other Commonwealth countries.
History[]
The rank was introduced on the formation of the RAF in 1918, replacing the Royal Flying Corps rank of Air Mechanic 2nd Class. There were two grades: Aircraftman 1st Class (AC1) and Aircraftman 2nd Class (AC2; also colloquially known as an "AC plonk").
Aircraftman or Air Recruit ranks below Leading Aircraftman and has a NATO rank code of OR-1.
2022[]
The RAF changed the title from Aircraftman to Air Recruit sometime in 2022.[1]
Usage[]
Royal New Zealand Air Force[]
In the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the rank is known as "Aircraftsman", regardless of the person's sex, in line with Seaman in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Royal Air Force[]
In RAF slang, Aircraftmen are sometimes called "erks". The word "erk" is perhaps a phonetic spelling of an East Londoner's pronunciation of the abbreviation, "airc".[citation needed]
The spelling "Aircraftsman", despite being seen even in official documents, is incorrect in the RAF.
See also[]
- RAF enlisted ranks
References[]
- ↑ https://recruitment.raf.mod.uk/career-progressionhttps://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/raf-ranks/ |title=NON-COMMISSIONED OTHER RANKS |author= |date=4 August 2022 |website=raf.mod.uk |publisher=Royal Air Force |access-date=4 August 2022 |quote=}}
The original article can be found at Air Recruit and the edit history here.