The Royal Australian Air Force has replaced the term ‘airmen’ with ‘aviators’ as it enters its second century.
Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld said he wanted to instill a stronger sense of identity as Air Force charted its path forward.
“Of all the work that has been done in developing our Air Force culture, the most challenging dilemma has been fully explaining who we are,” Air Marshal Hupfeld said.
“We understand well enough what we are and what we do – but have never quite managed to successfully articulate WHO we are,” he said.
“We are ALL aviators.”
Air Marshal Hupfeld cautioned against confusing the role of pilots with Air Force personnel’s common and collective purpose to the nation – “to think, act and imagine from the perspective of the skies and space above us”.
“As an Air Force, we are born of the air and space; it is our home, and the place from which we serve our nation; our trade is Aviation,” the Chief of Air Force said.
“In everything that we do, we are aviators first and foremost; all of us, by virtue of what we do and what we believe; it is what binds us together,” he said.
The term change was timed with the announcement to revamp Air Force culture through the Our Air Force, Our Culture program.
