Abbreviations

AA	Anti-Aircraft
A&AEE	Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment
A&SD	Administrative and Special Duties
AA	Anti-Aircraft
AA&QMG	Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General
AAF	Auxiliary Air Force
AAG	Assistant Adjutant General
AAR	Air-to-Air Refuelling
AAS	Air Armament Station or School
AAITS	Airmen Aircrew Initial Training School
AC1 (or 2)	Aircraftman 1st (or 2nd) Class
ACAS	Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
ACDC	Air Crew Despatch Centre
ACI	Army Council Instruction
ACOS	Air Crew Officers School
ACRC	Air Crew Reception Centre
ACSB	Aviation Candidates Selection Board
ACTW	Air Crew Training Wing
ADF	Automatic Direction Finding
ADGB	Air Defence of Great Britain
AE&AES	Air Electronics and Air Engineers School
AEELS	Air Electronics, Engineers and Loadmasters School
AEO	Assistant Equipment Officer (1915-18) and Air Electronics Officer (post 1956)
AEOp	Air Electronics Operator
AEW	Airborne Early Warning
AFBSC	Air Force Board Standing Committee
AFC	Australian Flying Corps
AFO	Admiralty Fleet Order
AFS	Advanced Flying School
AG	Air Gunner
AGS	Air Gunners School
AG/FM(A)	Air Gunner/Flight Mechanic (Airframe)
AG/FM(E)	Air Gunner/Flight Mechanic (Engine)
AGLT	Automatic Gunlaying Turret
AHB	Air Historical Branch (of the Air Ministry/MOD)
AI	Airborne Interception (radar)
ALO	Army Liaison Officer
AMO	Air Ministry Order
AMP	Air Member for Personnel
AMSO	Air Member for Supply and Organisation
AMT	Air Member for Training
AMU	Air Mileage Unit
AMWO	Air Ministry Weekly Order
ANBS	Air Navigation and Bombing School
ANS	Air Navigation School
AO	Air Organisation (Memorandum)
AOC	Air Officer Commanding
AOCinC	Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief
AONS	Air Observers Navigation School
AOP	Air Observation Post
AOS	Air Observers School
AP	Air Publication
API	Air Position Indicator
ASC	Army Service Corps
ASD	Aeroplane Supply Depot
ARI	Air Radio Installation
ASI	Airspeed Indicator
ASR	Air Staff Requirement
ASV	Air-to-Surface Vessel (search radar)
AT	Air Transport
ATA	Air Transport Auxiliary
ATC	Air Training Corps
AUS	Assistant Under-Secretary
(Aux)SAG	(Auxiliary) School of Aerial Gunnery
BANS	Basic Air Navigation School
B&GS	Bombing and Gunnery School
BCATP	British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
BFTS	British Flying Training School
BOAC	British Overseas Airways Corporation
Bty	Battery
C2	Command and Control
CAFO	Confidential Admiralty Fleet Order
CANS	Civil Air Navigation School
CAS	Chief of the Air Staff
CAW	College of Air Warfare
CFS	Central Flying School
CGS	Central Gunnery School
CIGS	Chief of the Imperial General Staff
CNavO	Command Navigation Officer
CNCS	Central Navigation and Control School
CNS	Central Navigation School
CO	Commanding Officer
CRT	Cathode Ray Tube
CSBS	Course Setting Bomb Sight
CUAS	Cambridge University Air Squadron
DAO	Director/Directorate of Air Organisation
DAPS	Director of Air Personal Services
DAT	Director of Air Tactics
DBOps	Director of Bomber Operations
DCAS	Deputy Chief of the Air Staff
DCI	Defence Council Instruction
DofT	Director of Training
DDTArm	Deputy Director of Training (Armament)
DDTF	Deputy Director of Flying Training
DDOps	Deputy Director of Operations
D/F	Direction Finding
DFT	Director of Flying Training
DFW	Director of Fortifications and Works
DGM	Director General of Manning
DGMA	Director General of Military Aeronautics
DHFS	Defence Helicopter Flying School
DIN	Defence Instructions and Notifications
DIOT	Department of Initial Officer Training
DMA	Department of Military Aeronautics
DNav	Director of Navigation
DOR	Director of Operational Requirements
DPS	Director or Personal Services
DR	Dead Reckoning
DRI	Dead Reckoning Instructor
DRT	Dead Reckoning Trainer
DTF	Director of Training (Flying)
DTT	Director of Training (Technical)
EAGS	Elementary Air Gunners School
EANS	Empire Air Navigation School or Elementary Air Navigation School
EAOS	Elementary Air Observers School
EATS	Empire Air Training Scheme
EFTS	Elementary Flying School
EO	Equipment Officer
EPM	Secretary of State’s Progress Meetings on RAF Expansion Measures, ie Expansion Progress Meetings
ERFTS	Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School
E&WS	Electrical and Wireless School
FAA	Fleet Air Arm
FC	Fighter Controller
FM(A)	Flight Mechanic (Airframe)
FM(E)	Flight Mechanic (Engine)
FN	Frazer-Nash
FOI	Freedom of Information (Act)
FRI	Financial Retention Incentives
FS	Field Service (Publication)
FTS	Flying Training School
GCA	Ground Controlled Approach (using radar)
GD	General Duties (Branch or officer)
GHQ	General Headquarters
GOC	General Officer Commanding
GPI	Ground Position Indicator
GPS	Global Positioning System
GSO	General Staff Officer (graded 1,2 or 3)
HAD	High Altitude Drift (bomb sight)
HCU	Heavy Conversion Unit
HMSO	His/Her Majesty’s Stationery Office
IA	Imagery Analyst
IAF	Indian Air Force
IFF	Identification Friend or Foe
inc	including
INS	Inertial Navigation System
ISTAR	Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance
ITS	Initial Training School
ITW	Initial Training Wing
IWM	Imperial War Museum
JATS	Joint Air Training Scheme
KBS	Kite Balloon Section
KR	King’s Regulation
KRs&ACIs	King’s Regulations and Air Council Instructions
LAC	Leading Aircraftman
LFS	Lancaster Finishing School
LH	Low Height (drift bomb sight)
LM	Loadmaster
MAO	Meteorological Air Observer
MOD	Ministry of Defence
MOTU	Maritime Operational Training Unit
NAAS	Navigator and Airmen Aircrew School
NATO	North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
Nav	Navigator (or Navigation)
NCA	Non-Commissioned Aircrew
NCAITC	Non-Commissioned Aircrew Initial Training Course
NCO	Non-Commissioned Officer
NEAF	Near East Air Force
non-PNB	all aircrew categories other than pilot, navigator and air bomber (1942-45)
NSTDU	Navigation Synthetic Training Development Unit
OACTU	Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit
(O)AFU	(Observers) Advanced Flying Unit
OC	Officer Commanding
OCTU	Officer Cadet Training Unit
OCU	Operational Conversion Unit
OR	Operational Requirements (Branch of the Air Ministry)
ORB	Operations Record Book (RAF Form 540)
(O)SoA	(Observers) School of Aeronautics
(O)SoMA	(Observers) School of Military Aeronautics
(O)SAG	(Observers) School of Aerial Gunnery
OTC	Officers Training Corps
OTTW	Officers Technical Training Wing
OTU	Operational Training Unit
PAA	Pan American Airways
PACT	Preliminary Air Crew Training
‘PBO’	Poor Bloody Observer
PDC	Personnel Distribution Centre
PDRC	Personnel Disposal and Reception Centre
PFF	Pathfinder Force
PNB	Pilot/Navigator/Air Bomber categories
PRC	Personnel Reception Centre
PRO	Public Record Office
PTI	Physical Training Instructor
QFI	Qualified Flying Instructor
QGH	Procedural descent and airfield approach
QM	Quartermaster
QR	Queen’s Regulation
RA	Royal Artillery
RAeC	Royal Aero Club
RAAF	Royal Australian Air Force
RAFME	Royal Air Force Middle East
RAFO	Reserve of Air Force Officers
RAFVR	Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
RAS	Reserve Aeroplane Squadron
RASC	Royal Army Service Corps
RATG	Rhodesian Air Training Group
RAuxAF	Royal Auxiliary Air Force
RCM	Radio Counter Measures
RCAF	Royal Canadian Air Force
RDF	Radio Direction Finding, ie radar
RE	Royal Engineers
RFC	Royal Flying Corps
RFS	Reserve Flying School
RL	Royal Laboratory
RM	Royal Marines
RN	Royal Navy
RNAS	Royal Naval Air Service
RNR	Royal Navy Reserve
RNVR	Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve
RNZAF	Royal New Zealand Air Force
RO	Routine Orders
RPAS	Remotely Piloted Air System
RPI	Retail Price Index
RS	Radio School
SAAF	South African Air Force
SAG	School of Aerial Gunnery
SAN	School of Air Navigation
SAR	Search and Rescue
SASO	Senior Air Staff Officer
SCI	Smoke Curtain Installation
SD	Special Duties
SEG	Signallers, Engineers and Gunners
SERE	Specialist Entrant and Re-Entrant (Course)
SFTS	Service Flying Training School
SH	Support Helicopter
SNBD	School of Navigation and Bomb Dropping
SNCO	Senior Non-Commissioned Officer, ie sergeant or above
SoA	School of Aeronautics
SofAF&G	School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery
SofGR	School of General Reconnaissance
SofI	School of Instruction
SoMA	School of Military Aeronautics
SofTT	School of Technical Training
TAG	Telegraphist Air Gunner
TANS	Tactical Air Navigation System
TDS	Training Depot Station
TNA	The National Archives
TRNS	Terrain Referenced Navigation System
UAS	University Air Squadron
UAV	Unmanned Air Vehicle
USAF	United States Air Force
USAAF	United States Army Air Force
USAS	United States Air Service
USofS	Under-Secretary of State
VCAS	Vice-Chief of the Air Staff
VGO	Vickers Gas Operated (machine-gun)
VR	Volunteer Reserve
wef	with effect from
WEM	Wireless and Electrical Mechanic
WO	War Office
WOp	Wireless Operator
WOp/AG	Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
WOM	Wireless Operator Mechanic
WOM/AG	Wireless Operator Mechanic/Air Gunner
wpm	words per minute (Morse)
WRAFVR	Women’s Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
WSO/WSOp	Weapons Systems Officer/Operator