The Flight Engineer Badge was a qualification badge of the United States Army Air Forces

United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

 authorized late in the Second World War on 19 June 1945. It was awarded to those military officers and NCOs who had qualified as flight engineers on board a military aircraft. As aircraft grew increasingly complex, the need arose for an in-flight specialist dedicated to monitoring and operating the various systems. However, prior to the creation of their own distinctive wings, flight engineers wore aircrew wings

Aircrew Badge

The Aircrew Badge, commonly known as Wings, is a qualification badge of the United States military that is awarded by all five branches of armed services to personnel who serve as crew members on board military aircraft. The badge is intended to recognize the training and qualifications required...

.

During the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, the Flight Engineer Badge was slowly phased out by the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 and replaced with the Aircrew Badge. By 1962, the Flight Engineer Badge was no longer issued and had been declared obsolete. However, regulations through the early 1970s authorized USAF personnel who had been "...granted aeronautical ratings no longer current ... to wear the aviation badge that was in effect when the rating was granted." The Flight Engineer Badge continued to be worn by some remaining WWII and Korean War veterans until they eventually retired or otherwise left military service. The badge is still worn today by some flight engineers as unofficial novelty badges, but only on flight suits during inflight operations. The official design incorporated a four-bladed propeller with 18 radial cylinders.

See also

• Obsolete badges of the United States military
  Obsolete badges of the United States military
  Obsolete badges of the United States military are a number of U.S. military insignia which were issued in the early 20th century leading up to and including badges issued during the Second World War. Such badges were eventually phased out of the United States armed forces in favor of the modern...
  
  
• Military badges of the United States
  Military badges of the United States
  Military badges of the United States are awards authorized by the United States armed forces that signify rating, qualification, or accomplishment in several career fields, and also serve as identification devices for personnel occupying certain assignments. Personal recognition is granted to...
  
  

External links

• Denny Harmon, "The American Flight Engineer"
• http://denny-soaring.blogspot.com/2006/11/american-flight-engineer.html