Everything about Flying Officer totally explained
Flying Officer (
Fg Off in the RAF;
FLGOFF in the RAAF;
FGOFF in the RNZAF;
F/O in the former RCAF and frequently in the RAF) is a junior commissioned rank in the
Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other
Commonwealth countries. It ranks above
Pilot Officer and immediately below
Flight Lieutenant.
It has a
NATO ranking code of OF-1 and is equivalent to a
Lieutenant in the
British Army or the
Royal Marines. However, it's considered superior to the nearest equivalent rank of
Sub-Lieutenant in the
Royal Navy.
The equivalent rank in the
Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was
Section Officer.
Origins
The term "Flying Officer" was originally used in the Royal Flying Corps as a flying appointment for junior officers, not a rank.
On
1 April 1918, the newly created
RAF adopted its officer rank titles from the
British Army, with
Royal Naval Air Service Sub-Lieutenants (titled Flight Sub-Lieutenants) and
Royal Flying Corps Lieutenants becoming Lieutenants in the RAF. However, with the creation of the RAF's own rank structure on
1 August 1919, RAF Lieutenants were re-titled as Flying Officers, a rank which has been in continuous use ever since.
Usage
Taking off a career in Air Force, this is the first rank an officer wears after successful completion of the training. The officer is posted as a Squadron Pilot, or an Adjutant, or a Security Officer, or a Welfare Officer in any of the small Air Force stations and given charge of men and affairs.
The rank title doesn't imply that an officer in the rank of Flying Officer flies an aircraft. Some Flying Officers are aircrew, but many are ground branch officers. Amongst the ground branches some flying officers have command of
flights.
Insignia
The rank
insignia consists of one narrow blue band on slightly wider black band. This is worn on both the lower sleeves of the tunic or on the shoulders of the
flying suit or the casual uniform. The rank insignia on the mess uniform is similar to the naval pattern, being one band of gold running around each cuff but without the Royal Navy's loop.
Other air forces
The rank of Flying Officer is also used in a number of the air forces in the
Commonwealth, including the
Bangladesh Air Force,
Indian Air Force (IAF),
Pakistan Air Force (PAF),
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and
Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). The
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) used the rank until unification of the three armed services into the
Canadian Forces in 1968 and army-type ranks were adopted. RCAF personnel holding this rank then switched to the rank of
Lieutenant.
The rank of
Warrant Flying Officer was also used by the air service of the
Imperial Japanese military.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Flying Officer'.
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