Editing Fleet Air Arm (section)

==The FAA today==

===Personnel===
In 1938, Admiralty [[Fleet Orders]] 2885 announced the formation of an Air Branch of the [[Royal Naval Reserve]]. Thirty three unmarried men signed up for eighteen months full-time flying training; however, before these first volunteers were able to gain their wings Britain was at war. At the end of hostilities in 1945 the RNVR(A) was 46,000 strong, with over 8,000 aircrew. Post war the RNVR(A) comprised 12 dedicated reserve squadrons, grouped regionally into Air Divisions. However, defence cuts in 1957 disbanded the five Air Divisions, and the following year the RNVR was merged with the RNR.

====Today====
As of 1 December 2013, the Regular Fleet Air Arm has a reported strength of 5,000 personnel,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/navy-monthly-situation-report/2013-12-01/1-december-2013.pdf |title=Royal Navy monthly situation report |date=1 December 2013 |quote=See table 4a page 18 and table 4b page 20 |access-date=9 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202125201/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/navy-monthly-situation-report/2013-12-01/1-december-2013.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=live  }}</ref> which represents approximately 20% of the Royal Navy's total strength (excluding [[Royal Marines]]).

The [[Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Aviation & Carriers)]], the professional head (and also Rear Admiral Fleet Air Arm), is Rear Admiral [[Martin Connell (Royal Navy officer)|Martin Connell]] as of February 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fleetairarmoa.org/news/all-change-at-the-top-fleet-air-arm-|title= All Change at the Top Fleet Air Arm}}</ref> Under First Sea Lord Admiral [[Tony Radakin]]’s plans, the professional head of the Fleet Air Arm is set to shortly change to a one-star role, headed by a [[Commodore (Royal Navy)|Commodore]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forces.net/news/royal-navy-cut-back-senior-personnel|title=Royal Navy To Cut Back On Senior Personnel|last=at 2:35&nbsp;pm|website=Forces Network|date=23 December 2019 |language=en|access-date=8 January 2020}}</ref>

Members of the Fleet Air Arm continue to be known as WAFUs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fleet Air Arm Video Page: "Once a WAFU, Always a WAFU" |url=https://royal-naval-association-wrexham-branch.org.uk/faa-videos/ |website=Royal Naval Association Wrexham Branch |access-date=29 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hind |first1=Bob |title=Royal Navy flyers land on pitching postage stamp deck |url=https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/royal-navy-flyers-land-pitching-postage-stamp-deck-nostalgia-2899749 |website=The News (Portsmouth) |access-date=29 August 2020}}</ref> WAFU ("wet and f**king useless") is said to actually derive from "Weapon and Fuel Users", a stores category for clothing.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jolly |first1=Rick |title=Jackspeak: A guide to British Naval slang & usage |date=25 Jan 2018 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1472834140|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V4xaDwAAQBAJ&q=wafu+fleet+air+arm&pg=PT456 |access-date=29 August 2020}}</ref>

====Reserve Air Branch====
The RNR Air Branch was commissioned at RNAS Yeovilton on 16 July 1980, and shortly afterwards 38 ex-regular aircrew began refresher training. Today the RNR Air Branch comprises approximately 250 ex-regular service Officers and Ratings, covering all aviation trades, tasked to support the Fleet Air Arm.

The Air Branch has its roots in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Air Branch, whose members served with distinction between 1937 through the Second World War until 1950 when it was disbanded.  Formed on 3 April 1980, the Air Branch was initially established to provide additional Pilots and Observers to the Royal Navy, but later expanded to include all trades and specialisations of the Fleet Air Arm.  Currently comprising some 320 personnel, HMS Pegasus is one of the biggest Units in the Royal Naval Reserve.

The name HMS Pegasus has a long and interesting history in the Royal Navy, dating back to 1585.  The second HMS Pegasus was commanded by Prince William Henry, who later became King William IV, known as the Sailor King.  In late 1786, the third HMS Pegasus was stationed in the West Indies under then Captain Horatio Nelson, earning three of her four Battle Honours.  The fourth and last HMS Pegasus served as a prototype fighter catapult ship, originally commissioned as HMS Ark Royal, serving primarily on convoy duty in the Second World War. 

The name Pegasus has associations outside of the Royal Navy, including the Bristol Aeroplane Company engine that powered the Fairey Swordfish and the Rolls Royce engine that powered the BAE Sea Harrier.  And, of course, the Parachute Regiment use Pegasus as their emblem.

===Insignia===

{{for|more information|Aircrew brevet}}

[[File:FleetAirArm wings.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Fleet Air Arm pilot wings]]

[[File:UK-Navy-OF-5-collected Fleet Air Arm Pilot.svg|thumb|right|Fleet Air Arm Captain and Pilot]]

The FAA is known for its use of the 'Fleet Air Arm Zig Zag': a light blue zig zag on a dark blue background.

The pattern is thought to have belonged to the "Perch Club", membership of which was restricted to those who had completed 100 deck landings without an accident. The zig zag was thought to have been taken from a Creeping Line Ahead, a parallel search pattern performed by FAA aircraft in a carrier task group.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Adlam, Hank.|title=On and off the flight deck : reflections of a naval fighter pilot in World War II|date=2009|publisher=Pen & Sword Aviation|isbn=978-1-84884-195-6|location=Barnsley|oclc=428778144}}</ref>

Today, the dark blue background represents the Royal Navy; the colour of the zigzag represents the Royal Flying Corps, from which the Royal Naval Air Service was born; and the zigzag shape represents a nod to the Royal Artillery (red zigzag on blue background), given that the first people sent aloft in tethered balloons to spot the fall of shot were Royal Artillery observers. It was these observers who became early members of the Royal Flying Corps.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Royal Flying Corps – people|url=http://www.airhistory.org.uk/rfc/people.html|website=airhistory.org.uk|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Kay Canvas|url=http://www.kaycanvas.com/impressions/british/the-british-royal-flying-corps-rfc-in-ww1/|website=kaycanvas.com|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

Aircrew wear flying badges, such as pilots wearing a pair of gold albatross wings. The wings badges also feature a crown and fouled anchor in the centre, to reflect the maritime element of the flying undertaken. Wings are worn on the left sleeve of naval aviators, unlike their other service counterparts.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Royal Navy BR3 – Dress Regulations|url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/documents/reference-library/br-3-vol-1/chapter-39.pdf#page16|page=39E–1}}</ref>