The University Air Squadrons act as a feeder into the RAF proper for bright students. They offer flight and adventure training and the students have the privileges and status of officer rank without actually being true officers, being in fact officer cadets. Although they usually wear RAF barrack and combat dress, for more formal occasions they wear the same blue grey service dress as the regular RAF. The No 1 dress uniform is similar to the Service Dress uniform introduced in the 1920s, but in modern man made cloth:

The jacket has two pleated breast pockets with pointed top flaps, each being secured with a single staybrite button:

The two skirt pockets are internal, with simple square cut flaps:

The jacket has buttons in the RAF pattern, with a crowned albatross. Under the waistbelt a simple flat button is used to prevent the belt from bulging outwards:

As officer cadets, the students do not wear traditional rings of rank on their sleeves, but have a pair of pentagonal white patches on the collar, much like midshipman in the Royal Navy have always done:

A large patch on each shoulder designates the University Air Squadron:

The insignia might be unique to the Air Squadrons, but the jackets themselves are the standard pattern used by all branches of the RAF:

The RAF’s website describes the University of Birmingham Air Squadron as:

UBAS is one of the larger University Air Squadrons with approximately 75 students and 8 staff. Around 35 students are recruited each year from Aston, Birmingham, Birmingham Central, Coventry, Keele, Stafford, Warwick and Wolverhampton Universities. The Squadron’s Headquarters is at RAF Cosford, near Wolverhampton in the West Midlands.