Chief technician (Chf Tech or formerly C/T) is a senior non-commissioned rank in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

which is only held by aviators in technical trades and by musicians. It is between

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

and flight sergeant and, like the latter has a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

code of OR-7. Aviators in non-technical trades progress directly from sergeant to flight sergeant. Along with

junior technician Junior technician (Jnr Tech or formerly J/T) is a junior non-commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, the Pakistan Air Force and the Royal Danish Air Force. In the RAF it ranks equivalent to senior aircraftman technician (SAC (T)), equivalent ...

this is a survivor of a separate ranking system for technicians introduced in 1950 and abolished in 1964. During that period it was equivalent to flight sergeant, but was made junior to that rank in 1964. Chief technicians are usually addressed as "Chief". The rank of Chief Technician falls into Supplement 3 Pay Scales, unless you are a Weapons Technician then you are Supp 2. This enhanced pay rewards those who wish to take on a technical trade. It is quite normal for a Trade Group (TG1) Supp 3 C/T (airframes/avionics) to be paid more than a TG17 Supp 1 Flight Sergeant (admin). To mitigate the extra ranks, a Chief Technician I'd said to receive a 'Flight Sergeants pension" after 2 years in rank and are currently receiving an extra uplift in pay (daily), due to holding "technical status", as part of the DERR Policy set out on NEM2016.

Rank insignia

The rank badge is three

chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...

s below a four-bladed

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

which is essentially the same badge as

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

sergeants wore. Between 1950 and 1964 the badge was three point up chevrons below a crown.

Rank insignia

See also