Meet the RAAFie with five wings
One current-serving Royal Australian Air Force woman recently earned her third aircrew badge making for a five-wing career (so far?)
CAPTION: Main – Royal Australian Air Force Air Refuelling Operator Flight Lieutenant Ingrid Van Der Vlist at the business end of a KC-30A MRTT and, right, with her five wings. Photos by Corporal Jesse Kane.
Flight Lieutenant Ingrid Van Der Vlist qualified as an air refuelling operator on the KC-30A multi-role tanker transport in July.
In her current role Flight Lieutenant Van Der Vlist controls the air-to-air refuelling hoses and boom on the in-air refuelling tanker during flights.
Her new qualification puts her in a cohort of fewer than 20 air refuelling operators in the Royal Australian Air Force.
Flight Lieutenant Van Der Vlist previously served as a RAAF crew attendant – earning a one-wing crew badge.
She then transferred to the Army, qualifying as a helicopter pilot – double-wing badge.
And recently returned to the RAAF, collecting her third aircrew badge.
Double-wing aircrew badges are worn by officers in the Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force while Army and RAAF non-commissioned aircrew wear single-wing badges.
All aircrew in the Royal Australian Navy wear a double-wing badge with officer badges sporting a royal crown on the central element – the crown missing from NCO badges.
Wikipedia says aircrew wing badges are commonly referred to as brevets – but this is technically incorrect because brevet is French for diploma or certificate.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The initial version of this story referred to Flight Lieutenant Ingrid Van Der Vlist having ‘seven wings’. This was a ‘deliberate error’ 😉 which we fixed after Jess (in comments below) pulled us up on it. We have offered Jess a prize for picking our clever ‘deliberate error’. More than 1500 people viewed the story before Jess corrected our late-night, whiskey-affected carelessness 🙂
Mea culpa – using the ‘royal we’ above 😉
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Interesting in my time in the RAAF 1975 to 1995 including clothing design and development and a long time collector and history buff we never call the wings single or double wings in fact this story is the first time i have ever heard that term, officially known as full wing or half wing never single or double, just an observation
There’s nothing wrong with calling the Flying Badge a brevet. You quoted Wikipedia stating that it is incorrect because brevet refers to a certificate. The original meaning of brevet was an official letter. Those who have been awarded their wings are certified as having passed a series of tests and being combat ready (baseline). Therefore, the wearers of them are officially certified as being ‘type’ ready on that aircraft.
I agree with you John.
Truely Impressive Skills to be mastered by 1 serving member. WELL DONE
Has any individual ever qualified for wings or brevets in all three services ?
Re the Navy wings, As well as the Crown on top, don’t forget the RAN Pilot wings have a laurel around the anchor, the Observer wings have no laurel but do have an O around the anchor and the LS – WO Aircrewman just have the anchor in the middle.
Regards,
Devo
(BAC 2/2001)
I count five wings? The ones on the cloth badge are a duplicate of the metal ones closest to her fingertips.
Hi Jess. After 1500 views, you are the first to pull me up on the ‘deliberate error’ 🙂
Send me your postal details via editor@militarycontact.com and I’ll send you a ‘spotters prize’.
Brian Hartigan
Editor
Not quite right about non-commissioned aircrew wearing a single wing badge. Aircrewmen in the Navy wear a gold double wing badge with the only difference being the absence of the crown.
True but the RAN is the only service where NCOs wear a full set of wings. NCOs in both the RAAF and ARA only wear brevets (half wing)
Thanks Tiger – I’ll amend the story.