Third Officer is a lesser used civil aviation rank. It was primarily used by Pan American World Airways

Pan American World Airways

Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...

, particularly on its "Clippers

Boeing 314

The Boeing 314 Clipper was a long-range flying boat produced by the Boeing Airplane Company between 1938 and 1941 and is comparable to the British Short S.26. One of the largest aircraft of the time, it used the massive wing of Boeing’s earlier XB-15 bomber prototype to achieve the range necessary...

" during the infancy of extended range airline routes. The Third Officer served as a relief pilot

Aviator

An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...

 and aircrew member and could move between pilot

Aviator

An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...

, co-pilot, radio officer, and flight engineer

Flight engineer

Flight engineers work in three types of aircraft: fixed-wing , rotary wing , and space flight .As airplanes became even larger requiring more engines and complex systems to operate, the workload on the two pilots became excessive during certain critical parts of the flight regime, notably takeoffs...

 positions to provide a rest period for the primary crews (Flying The World In Clipper Ships). Third Officers in modern civil aviation are often not formally titled as such. Rather, these relief pilots take on a junior First Officer rank or in some cases a Second Officer

Second Officer (civil aviation)

A Second Officer usually refers to the third in the line of command for a flight crew on a commercial or non-military aircraft. Usually the Second Officer is a flight engineer who is also a licensed pilot. A Second Officer on some airlines is part of a relief crew. Rarely, such relief pilots are...

 rank.

See also

• Captain
• First officer
• Second Officer (civil aviation)
  Second Officer (civil aviation)
  A Second Officer usually refers to the third in the line of command for a flight crew on a commercial or non-military aircraft. Usually the Second Officer is a flight engineer who is also a licensed pilot. A Second Officer on some airlines is part of a relief crew. Rarely, such relief pilots are...