ROYAL AIR FORCE

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19285, 14 April 1928, Page 16

ROYAL AIR FORCE

advancement by SPECIALISATION. A NEW SYSTEM COMING. (tbou ocb owi coMisro*Di!rr.) LONDON, March 6. A new system of promotion, in which specialisation will be encouraged by means of antedates in the list of seniority for promotion to the ranks df flightlieutenant and squadron leader in the lloyal Aii' Force is announced in the Air Ministry weekly orders. The new scheme will supersede the present system of advancement by selection, aa from July Ist. "The. Times" aeronautical correspondent says that the change is likely to have fa'r-reaclung effects, particularly in the definite return that the new system offers to permanent officers who are prepared to devote extra time to making themselves efficient in some particular direction. The guiding principle of the system, which applies to the General Duties branch —that is, the main living section —is one of antedates. bv means of which seniority will be weighted so as to give earlier promotion to officers who have acquired! certain specialist and other service qualifications, and to officers who are recommended as exceptionally suitable. The purpose of the "recommended" antedate, which is given by the Air Officer Commanding, is to give early promotion to exceptionally ablw and promising officers. The qualifications for promotion to flight-lieutenant are set out in tho Order, and the basic requirements are that the flying officer should (1) be within the zone of promotion (this f.ono will, for the present, comprise officers of not less than three years' service as flying officer); (!2) have served for two years as flying officer in a flying unit; (3) have passed promotion examination B; and (4) have been recommended by his A.O.C. Before a flight-lieutenant can be promoted to squadron leader lie must be within the zone of promotion which,' for the present, has been fixed as comprising officers of not. fewer than five years' service as flight-lieutenant. The officer, must have passed or have been excused promotion examination C, and have been recommended by his A.O.C. Details arj given of the procedure for putting forward recommendations, and it is explained that officers in special employment • will have their claims considered by the Air Ministry on the basis of their records and reports.

Scale of Antedates.' Considerable interest will attach to the scale of antedates, which is/on the generous side in regard to its maxima in some cases, though it is to be presumed that these are intended for exceptional cases, and 'to be used sparingly. The possible antedates for the flying officers' list are: —If specially re? commended by the A.0.C., six of 12 months, find Grade B, six months; ingineering), 12 months; signals, armament, photography, or navigation, six months; flying instructor, Grade A, 12 months, and Grado B, six months; interpreter, Class 1, in Japanese, Arabic, Persian, Turkish or Russian, six months. The maximum total antedate is 24 months for any officer. The flight-lieutenant's list of -antedates is wider in its possible maxima, and is as liiider:—Specially recommended by A.0.C., six, 12i'18, 24, 30, or 36 months; engineering, signals, or armar ments (accompanied by a University or special course), 24 months, with special course, 12; photography or navigation, 12 .months; interpreter'in' languages already mentioned,. 12 months; graduate ,of K.A.P. Staff College, or Military or Naval Staff College course, 12 months. The maximum : of antedates m this rank is 48 months, and antedates already received for the higher . E., S., and A. qualifications on promotion to flight-lieutenant will receive onlv the difference between 24 months and the previous antedate. A somewhat similar restriction applies .to other qualifications common to both ranks.