Royal Air Force
Abbreviations And Slang
Updated: February 2009
Royal Air Force
Abbreviations And Slang
Updated: February 2009
"P"
PAF – Polish Air
Force
(P)AFU – Pilots Advanced Flying Unit
PACT
– Preliminary Air Crew
Training
"Pack Up" – To cease to function
PAF – Polish Air Force
PAFBTS – Polish Air Force Boys Training School
"Pancake" – To land an aircraft, formally meaning a crash landing, but used now to refer to any landing at all
PAS/U – Pilotless
Aircraft Section Unit
PATP – Packed Aircraft Transit Pool
PCCS –
Protectorate Communication & Support Unit
PC – Permanent Commission
PCF – Pioneer Conversion Flight
PCSS – Protectorate Communication and Support Squadron
PD – Packing Depot
PDC – Personnel Dispatch Centre
PDRC – Personnel Dispatch and Reception
Centre
PDU – Photographic Development Unit
PEE – Proof & Experimental
Establishment
PEFTS – Polish
Elementary Flying Training School
"(to) Peel Off"
– To break
formation
PES – Parachute
Exercise Squadron
PF – Practice Flight
PFB
– Preliminary Flying Badge
PFF – Pathfinder
Force
PFF(NTU) – Pathfinder Force Navigational Training Unit
PFS –
Parachute Flying Section/Primary Flying School
PFTS – Polish Flying Training
School
PFU – Practice Flying Unit
PGTF – Polish Grading & Testing
Flight
PGTS – Parachute& Glider Training School
(Ph) – Photographic Officer
PHU – Personnel
Holding Unit
"Pickled As A
Newt" – Tiddly or Slight drunk
"Piece Of Cake" – A gift from the gods something easily obtained or completed with little effort
PIU – Photographic
Intelligence Unit
"(to) Play
Pussy" – To hide in the
clouds
"Pleep" – A Squeak, similar to a high pitched klaxon
"Plonk" – Recruit
"Plug Away" – Continue for fire or to keep after a target
'Plumbers" – Engineers
P/O or Plt Off –
Pilot Officer
PMRAFNS – Princess Mary's Royal Air Force
Nursing Service
PNB – Pilot Navigation Bomber
POTU – Polish
Operational Training Unit
POW or PoW – Prisoner of War
PPF – Parachute
Practice Flight
PPP – Pupils Pilots Pool
PR – Photographic
Reconnaissance
"Prang"
– Crash - usually referring
to the crash of an aircraft
but sometimes used to describe braking up with
a girlfriend
PRC – Personnel
Reception Centre
PRDU/E – Photographic Reconnaissance Development Unit/
Establishment
PRFU/S – Pilots Refresher Flying Unit/School
PRTU – Pilot
Refresher Training Unit
PRRP – Pilots Reserve & Reinforcement Poll
(Middle East)
PRU – Photographic Reconnaissance Unit / Pilot
Replacement Unit
P&SS – Provost and Security Services
P&TJ – Palestine and Trans Jordan
PS – Parachute
School
(PT) – Physical Training Officer
PTC – Parachute
Training Centre / Personnel Transit Camp
PTF – Parachute Test Flight
PTS
– Parachute Training School/Squadron/ Section
PTU – Parachute Test Unit/
Parachute Training Unit
PTURP – Pilots Training Unit & Reinforcement
Pool (see also TURP)
"Pukka Gen" –
Accurate information of any kind
"Pulpit" – Cockpit
"Pulchritude" – Wizard wench - A glamour girl
"Pull You Finger Out!" – Stop loafing and get going
"Put Your Props Up" – To be promoted to Leading
Aircraftsman or Leading Aircraftswoman
- which allowed for the sewing on of a propeller
insignia on the sleeve
PWF – Psychological Warfare Unit
"Q"
QCS – Queen's Colour Squadron
QF – Queen's Flight
QGM – Queen's Gallantry Medal
QFI – Qualified Flying Instructor
QNI – Qualified Navigation Instructor
"Queen Bee" – Senior WAAF (Administrative) Officer on a Station
"Quick Squirt" – Short burst of fire (machine gun)
"Quickie" – A quick anything