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Conversion units and operational conversion units (OCUs) were training units of 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 ...
(RAF).


History

With the introduction of new heavy bombers, the four-engined
Short Stirling The Short Stirling was a British four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It has the distinction of being the first four-engined bomber to be introduced into service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Stirling was designed during t ...
,
Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...
, and
Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifax has its or ...
, the Royal Air Force introduced heavy conversion units (HCU). These HCUs began forming in late 1941, to qualify crews trained on medium bombers to operate the heavy bombers before final posting to the operational squadrons. Some of the HCUs were involved in bombing operations over Germany. After the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the role of the HCUs was taken over by the operational conversion units (OCUs). Although the units had nominal bases, different flights and individual aircraft usually were detached nearer the operational bases. RAF OCUs are training units that prepare aircrew for operations on a particular type or types of aircraft or roles. Some OCUs have a shadow, or reserve, squadron designation, which is used if the unit has a war role.


Current RAF OCUs

Lightning -
RAF Marham RAF Marham is a Royal Air Force station and military airbase near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. It is home to No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (138 EAW) and, as such, is one of the RAF's "Main Operating ...
* 207 Squadron Typhoon -
RAF Coningsby Royal Air Force Coningsby or RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south-west of Horncastle, and north-west of Boston, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is a Main Operating Base of the RAF and hom ...
* 29 Squadron Hawk -
RAF Valley Royal Air Force Valley or more simply RAF Valley ( cy, Llu Awyr Brenhinol Y Fali) is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey, Wales, and which is also used as Anglesey Airport. It provides both basic and advanced fast-jet training ...
* 4 Squadron - Hawk T.2 Support helicopter (Puma and Chinook) -
RAF Benson Royal Air Force Benson or RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located at Benson, near Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire, England. It is a front-line station and home to the RAF's fleet of Westland Puma HC2 support helicopters, use ...
* 28 Squadron Hercules -
RAF Brize Norton Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the village of Brize Norton, and the towns of Carterton and Witney. The station ...
* 24 Squadron - OCU Flight ISTAR -
RAF Waddington Royal Air Force Waddington otherwise known as RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located beside the village of Waddington, south of Lincoln, Lincolnshire in England. The station is the RAF's Intelligence Surveillance Target A ...
* 54 Squadron Tutor -
RAF Wittering Royal Air Force Wittering or more simply RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire. Although Stamford, Lincolnshire, Sta ...
* 115 Squadron Some aircraft types operated by a single squadron, which includes most transport aircraft, and most ISTAR aircraft, are not big enough to need a dedicated OCU squadron for their training requirements; they may only have a few at any time. Therefore, smaller squadrons also incorporate training facilities to allow them to process aircrew onto their aircraft type. Some roles, such as ISTAR, require more rear crew for the aircraft, such as
weapon systems officer A Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), nicknamed "Wizzo", is an air flight officer directly involved in all air operations and weapon systems of a military aircraft. Historically, aircrew duties in military aircraft were highly specialised and rigi ...
s (WSOs) and weapon systems operators (WSOps) - their training can be more generalised, and this is carried out by 54 Squadron at
RAF Waddington Royal Air Force Waddington otherwise known as RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located beside the village of Waddington, south of Lincoln, Lincolnshire in England. The station is the RAF's Intelligence Surveillance Target A ...
. This reduces the training requirement on the individual ISTAR squadrons, by providing aircrew who require only aircraft conversion training when they reach their squadrons. Pilots are trained directly onto their aircraft type by the frontline squadrons using training "flights". An example of this is the OCU flight of 24 Squadron, which trains new Hercules aircrew onto the aircraft. OCUs are monitored by the RAF's
Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at R ...
to maintain training standards. Training is delivered by qualified flying instructors (QFIs) and qualified weapons instructors, and frontline squadrons also have qualified individuals to deliver continual and refresher training after the OCU. OCUs generally also provide training for those aircrew selected to become QFIs on an aircraft type - an example would be 208(R) Squadron, which currently trains aircrew for 100 Squadron, QFIs for 208(R), and provides refresher training for aircrew joining the RAF aerobatic team, the
Red Arrows The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Waddington. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial teams ...
.


List of conversion units


Additional


See also

Royal Air Force **
List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons Squadron (aviation), Squadrons are the main form of flying unit of the Royal Air Force (RAF). These include Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) squadrons incorporated into the RAF when it was formed on 1 April 1918, dur ...
**
List of Royal Air Force aircraft independent flights This is a list of Royal Air Force independent Flights. An independent Flight is a military administrative structure which is used to command flying units where the number of aircraft is not large enough to warrant a fully fledged squadron. RAF C ...
**
List of Royal Air Force Glider units This is a list of Royal Air Force glider units. Gliding Schools +data 1-100 100-200 200-700 Volunteer Gliding Schools +data Other Glider units +data * Home Command Gliding Instructors School became Home Command Gliding Centre became ...
**
List of Royal Air Force Operational Training Units Royal Air Force Operational Training Units (OTUs) were training units that prepared aircrew for operations on a particular type or types of aircraft or roles. OTUs ; No. 1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF (1 OTU): The Unit was formed in ...
**
List of Royal Air Force schools This is a list of schools within the Royal Air Force, including the empire flying training scheme, civilian and service elementary training schemes, and gliding schools. Schools The Royal Air Force operated many schools to train aircrew in the m ...
**
List of Royal Air Force units & establishments There have been many Units with various tasks in the Royal Air Force and they are listed here. A unit is an administrative body, which can be larger or smaller than a Flight or Squadron, is given a specific mission, but does not warrant the statu ...
** List of RAF squadron codes **
List of RAF Regiment units This is a list of units of the Royal Air Force Regiment. The RAF Regiment is the ground fighting force of the Royal Air Force and is charged mainly with protecting military airfields, among other duties. First formed in 1942 to protect the airfi ...
**
List of Battle of Britain squadrons This is a list of the officially accredited Battle of Britain units with their aircraft types, code letters, call signs and casualties. On 9 November 1960, the Air Ministry published Air Ministry Order N850 which officially defined the qualifi ...
** List of wings of the Royal Air Force Army Air Corps * List of Army Air Corps aircraft units *Fleet Air Arm **
List of Fleet Air Arm aircraft squadrons This is a list of Fleet Air Arm squadrons. Squadrons in bold are currently active. 700 series squadrons 700-series squadrons are generally experimental or training squadrons, which produce trained aircrew for the operational 800-series squ ...
**
List of Fleet Air Arm groups This is a list of all the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm groups that were formed. There were Carrier Air Groups which administered squadrons which operated on carriers and Training Air Groups which administered squadrons that operated from land base ...
**
List of aircraft units of the Royal Navy This is a List of aircraft units of the Royal Navy. Communications flights Ferry flights Ferry pools Ferry squadrons Other flights * RN Night Fighter Flight -> RN Fighter Flight * Test Flight, Trincomalee Station flights * RNAS Abbo ...
**
List of aircraft wings of the Royal Navy This is a list of Royal Navy aircraft wings. Naval Aircraft Wings Aircraft Carrier Groups * 1st Carrier Air Group * 2nd Carrier Air Group * 3rd Carrier Air Group * 6th Carrier Air Group - Never formed * 7th Carrier Air Group * 8th Carri ...
*Others **
List of Air Training Corps squadrons The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. The ATC is largely composed of individual units known as squadrons. These squadron ...
**
University Air Squadron University Air Squadrons are training units under the command of No. 6 Flying Training School RAF of the Royal Air Force and their main role is to attract students into careers as RAF officers. Primarily its goal is achieved through offering b ...
**
Air Experience Flight An Air Experience Flight (AEF) is a training unit of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch) whose main purpose is to give introductory flying experience to cadets from the Air Training Corps and the Combined Cadet Force. As of 20 ...
**
Volunteer Gliding Squadron Volunteer Gliding Squadrons (VGSs) are Royal Air Force (UK) Flying Training units, operating military Viking T1 conventional gliders to train cadets from the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. Since 2014, the squadrons operate under No. 2 Flying Trai ...


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * {{RAF unit types Con