Patron: The Rt. Hon. Lord Dowding, 3rd Baron Dowding of Bentley Priory
President: Group Captain Timothy Willbond OBE FCIM FRAeS MIoD RAF (Retd)
Registration for this website is included within an application to join and become a Member of the Association of Royal Air Force Fighter Control Officers. There are various categories of membership and the eligibility criteria for each are laid out in the Rules of the Association. Once an application is received by the Hon Secretary, it will be determined whether or not the eligibility criteria have been met and, if so, for which category (Full, Associate or Student). Membership categories Honorary, Ex-Officio and Veteran (Dowding) will be allocated by the Committee based on the criteria in the Rules and no application may be made via this registration process. Please use the 'Contact Us' facility if you have any associated query.
This process takes the applicant through a number of pages, on which certain data completion will be required; the entries requested are mandatory, but are limited to those required to identify the applicant for eligibility purposes and to provide appropriate contact details (We are, after all, a 'social' organisation!). The first page asks for the email address the applicant will use to log into the site and also the associated password. We would prefer that the use of a 'mod.uk' or 'gov.uk' address be avoided; it will be prohibited at some future stage.
The second page seeks limited Service details and some relevant history; membership eligibility will be determined, in part, from this. The third page requires some personal information that will also assist in meeting the eligibility criteria.
Finally, the last page wants to know how payment will be made. Since the AGM in 2018, an individual's membership 'year' will run from the date that payment is first made, with the first payment being made as soon as possible after application. If the conditions of Rule 2B(b) or Rule 12 concerning temporary or permanent non-payment are applicable, you will be asked to select either 'Student' or 'Rule 12' to proceed further. Confirmation of membership (including unfettered access to the website) will not be given until the payment, if applicable, is made.
We are an association that has much to offer, you must ensure that you are eligible under the terms & conditions
Have direct access to a vast pool of FC/ABM experience ranging from WWII to Syria (That's a lot of conflicts & experience!)
Receive information regarding the Summer & Christmas functions
keep up-to-date on exciting projects via the website, our Facebook & Twitter pages
Access extra content, including the Heritage Section, Message Boards & the ability to liaise with all of our members
The Association was formed in 1990, with the general aims of:
1. Furthering the recognition and identity of the Fighter Control Branch
2. Unifying and sustaining a spirit of comradeship among serving and retired members of the Aerospace Battle Management / Fighter Control Branch.
Nevertheless, the unofficial aims of the Association are to get together each year, meet up with old friends and have a good time!!
Complete the on-line form using the links provided. We now accept multiple forms of payment, including PayPal; just click here to start your application for membership
Contact us using the button above (or clicking here) and we can send you more information or, alternatively, send you a paper copy of the application form for you to post (but why would you want to do that when you can do it all on-line?)
The cost of membership, since 1 April 2014 , is £15 pa.
From around 2007 until 2016, the Association had a message board as part of the web facilities available to it, with separate areas for the membership in general and the Committee in particular. There were also areas for administration (hidden from view in almost all circumstances, except for global messages) and the public, for which those who were not Association members could register in order to post messages of potential interest to the membership. The public area was, of course, an open window for the Association and its members to post general messages that often provided a good deal of publicity for the Association. That old message board has been recovered from archive and put back in its original place while simultaneously being renamed the 'RAF FCA Forum'.
If you were once a registered user of the YaBB Message Board and are still using the same registered email address, you may have immediate access to the Forum by clicking/tapping 'Continue' below (if you cannot remember your password, use the 'forgotten password' link (in the log-in area of the Forum) and carefully follow the instructions you receive!). Read-access will be as before, dependent on your Association membership status, but write access to the member area will not be available until I have brought on-line all those not previously registered.
Lastly, if you don't want to see this information on every occasion you use the link (in this browser) to reach the FCA YaBB Forum, just 'check' the checkbox below before clicking on 'Continue'!