Army Air Corps
AKA "Teeny Weenie Airways"
Truly the creme de la creme de la menthe of the British Army. Only the best can aspire to join this Corps where they will spend their career figuring out how to spend their vast amounts of flying pay and beating off the women.... (see Send her an AAC beret)
The above is indeed true although Door Gunners and sigs NCOs are the most succesful with the ladies and boast bigger trunks and are far better dancers :-)
Originally formed in WW2 as Air OP and Air Liaison Flights with RAF groundcrew and Royal Artillery pilots/observers, they took over the AAC title from the war grouping of SAS, The Parachute Regiment and Glider Pilot Regiment and became either the "Flying Soldiers" or the "Army's Air Force" - no-one is quite sure, or possible even cares.
For most of the last five decades they have been kept afloat by tranches of dashing, handsome, devil-may-care young volunteers from the Infantry and The Royal Armoured Corps, who have done their "bird" and then returned home to the real army chastened and a tad depressed. The AAC still holds the Army's record for the highest number of officers and SNCO's (as a function of overall manning size) who have been cashiered or otherwise disciplined/"admonished without tea & biscuits" for corruption, bribery, lying and/or thievery - beating even the Household Cavalry (District Champions 1899-1945)
An anagram of Army Air Corps, is 'Sorry I Am Crap!
Regular Units
The following are the major units within the Corps:
- 1 Regt AAC currently based in Gutersloh.
- 2 (Trg) Regt AAC based at Middle Wallop.
- 3 Regt AAC & 4 Regt AAC both based at Wattisham.
- 5 Regt AAC based at RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland.
- 7 (Trg) Regt AAC based at Middle Wallop
- 9 Regt AAC based at Dishforth and probably the finest unit in the Corps - and possibly not.
- Historic Flight based in Middle Wallop.
TA Units
The following are the TA AAC units within the Corps:
- 6 Regiment AAC(V) with elements at Middle Wallop, Bury St. Edmonds, Swaffham and Norwich.
- 7 Regt AAC(V) with elements at Netheravon, RAF Shawbury and RAF Leuchars. Now disbanded.
REME units within Army Aviation: