U.S. Air Force Aeronautical Ratings
Encyclopedia
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...
for commissioned officers participating in "regular and frequent flight", The standard by which flight status has been defined in law, executive orders, and regulations since 1913. either aerially or in space, in performance of their duties. USAF aeronautical badges
Badges of the United States Air Force
Badges of the United States Air Force are military awards authorized by the United States Air Force that signify aeronautical ratings, special skills, career field qualifications, and serve as identification devices for personnel occupying certain assignments...
, commonly referred to as "wings" from their shape and their historical legacy, are awarded by the Air Force in recognition of degrees of achievement and experience. Officers earning these badges and maintaining their requirements are classified as rated officers and receive additional pay and allowances.
The first U.S. military aviator ratings were awarded in 1912, and the issuance of badges for recognition of the award began in 1913. The division of ratings into multiple skill levels and categories began in 1914 and expanded during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. With minor variations in numbers and titles of ratings, the system remained largely unchanged until 1940, when the current system of pilot ratings was introduced. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, as many as 19 aeronautical ratings were recognized and awarded by the 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....
, but most were discontinued after the war when the USAF came into being.
USAF ratings gradually expanded until seven categories and 21 ratings exist currently. The most recent change added the RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
) Pilot rating, effective 13 December 2010. Although in much smaller numbers, enlisted personnel were historically eligible to be rated until 1949. Since the later 1950s, highly-trained enlisted personnel, along with officers whose duties do not include flying, are recognized by the awarding of Air Force Occupational Badges
Badges of the United States Air Force
Badges of the United States Air Force are military awards authorized by the United States Air Force that signify aeronautical ratings, special skills, career field qualifications, and serve as identification devices for personnel occupying certain assignments...
.
Overview
For all categories of aeronautical ratings, to be eligible for the rating and to wear the appropriate badge, an officer must be medically qualified to fly and also be qualified by flying status proficiency. Certified flight officers who develop medical conditions that disqualify them from flying are classified DNIF (Duties Not Including Flying). DNIF may be temporary or permanent. Officers placed on permanent DNIF status are either cross-trained into another career field, or separated from the Air Force, depending on the severity of their medical condition.The Astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
"qualifier" is awarded only by the Air Force Chief of Staff for rated officers formally qualified to perform duties at least 50 miles above the earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's surface and who have participated in at least one operational mission, and has a distinctive Astronaut Badge
Astronaut Badge
The Astronaut Badge is a badge of the United States, awarded to military and civilian pilots who have completed training and performed a successful spaceflight...
, consisting of a "shooting star" qualifier device superimposed on their rated badge.
The seven categories of aeronautical ratings, as authorized by Title 10, U.S.C. 8691
Title 10 of the United States Code
Title 10 of the United States Code outlines the role of armed forces in the United States Code.It provides the legal basis for the roles, missions and organization of each of the services as well as the United States Department of Defense...
, are:
- PilotAviatorAn 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...
: awarded by the Commander or delegated wingWing (air force unit)Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
commanders, Air Education and Training CommandAir Education and Training CommandAir Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
(AETC) - RPA Pilot: awarded by the Commander or delegated wing commanders, Air Combat CommandAir Combat CommandAir Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
,Added 13 December 2010. or Commander, Air Force Reserve CommandAir Force Reserve CommandThe Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
Commander AFRC presents to USAF officers who complete RPA Formal Training Unit in conjunction with Undergraduate RPA Training at March Air Reserve Base, California. - Combat Systems Officer: awarded by the Commander or delegated wing commanders, AETCAdded 25 September 2007. Under a program that began in the fall of 2004 to replace the "Joint Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training" course, portions of the previous navigator and electronic warfare officer training courses were combined into a curriculum with the objective of developing an aviator with cross-flow capability between the two positions on combat aircraft. The curriculum includes a wider range of topics, with an increased emphasis on warfighting, to develop leadership, decision-making and mission management skills. Navigators and CSOs wear identical badges.
- NavigatorNavigatorA navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
: awarded by the Commander or delegated wing commanders, AETCNavigator remains a rated category, but is in the process of being phased out in favor of the more comprehensive and versatile CSO category. Kreisher, Otto. "Versatile, Ready, and Rated". AIR FORCE MagazineAir Force AssociationThe Air Force Association is an independent, 501 non-profit, civilian education organization, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia...
, August 2007 (vol. 90, no. 8). Accessed December 11, 2009. - Air Battle ManagerAir Battle ManagerAir Battle Manager is a rated flying position in the United States Air Force.-History:Air Battle Manager has been a rated career field since October 1, 1999. This means that ABMs are career aviators who receive flight pay and must actively fly a certain number of months to maintain their rating...
: awarded by the Commander or delegated air control wing commanders, AETC - Observer: awarded by the Senior Air Force Officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- Flight SurgeonFlight surgeonA flight surgeon is a military medical officer assigned to duties in the clinical field variously known as aviation medicine, aerospace medicine, or flight medicine...
: awarded by the Commander, USAF School of Aerospace Medicine
Evolution of the USAF ratings system
"That officers detailed in or attached to the aviation section of the signal corps may, when qualified therefore, be rated as junior military aviator, military aviator, junior military aeronaut, and military aeronaut... Provided further, that any officer attached to the aviation section of the signal corps for any military duty requiring him to make regular and frequent flights shall receive an increase of 25 per centum of the pay of his grade and length of service under his commission."
Civil ratings
Aeronautical ratings were established on 23 February 1912, by War DepartmentUnited States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
Bulletin No. 6, as a new measurement of pilot skill. Before that time most pilots of the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps
Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps
The Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps was the world's first heavier-than-air military aviation organization and the progenitor of the United States Air Force. A component of the U.S...
soloed by the "short hop method" (also known as "grass-cutting"), in which student pilots, flying alone, learned to handle airplane controls on the ground, taxied in further practice until just short of takeoff speeds, and finally took off to a height of just ten feet, gradually working up to higher altitudes and turns. The practice resulted in the first pilot death only a month into training. At least three of these pilots had been previously instructed by Glen Curtiss at North Island field
Rockwell Field
Rockwell Field was an Army air base located in Coronado, California, near San Diego. It shared the area known as North Island with Naval Air Station North Island from 1912 to 1935. Its functions were eventually moved to March Field so that the naval air station could take over the whole area...
, California. Concurrently, two pilots (Henry H. Arnold
Henry H. Arnold
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold was an American general officer holding the grades of General of the Army and later General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps , Commanding General of the U.S...
and Thomas DeWitt Milling) were instructed by the Wright Brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
and certified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
(FAI) in July 1911.
Military Aviator
To establish formal standards of certification, the Army created the Military Aviator rating and published requirements on 20 April 1912. The first rating was awarded to future General of the Air Force Henry H. ArnoldHenry H. Arnold
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold was an American general officer holding the grades of General of the Army and later General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps , Commanding General of the U.S...
, on 5 July 1912. The first rating requirements were:
- Attain an altitude of at least 2,500 feet;
- Pilot an aircraft for at least five minutes in a wind of 15 m.p.h. velocity or greater;
- Carry a passenger to an altitude of 500 feet, with a combined weight of pilot and passenger of 250 pounds or more, and make a deadstick landingDeadstick landingA deadstick landing, also called a dead-stick landing is a type of forced landing when an aircraft loses all of its propulsive power and is forced to land. The term is often misunderstood, as the flight controls in the majority of aircraft are either fully or partially functional, even with no...
to within 150 feet of a designated point; and - Make a military reconnaissance flight of at least 20 miles cross-country at an average altitude of 1,500 feet.
War Department General Order No. 39, dated 27 May 1913, certified 24 officers including Arnold as "qualified", and authorized issuance of a certificate and badge. A number of designs for the badge were considered before the War Department chose a design of an eagle holding Signal Corps flags in its talons, suspended from a bar embossed with "Military Aviator", and had the dies manufactured. A group of 14 aviators still detailed to the Signal Corps was recommended on 29 September 1913 to receive the badge, and the two gold proof
Proof coinage
Proof coinage means special early samples of a coin issue, historically made for checking the dies and for archival purposes, but nowadays often struck in greater numbers specially for coin collectors . Many countries now issue them....
s were issued 16 October 1913, to Captain Charles DeF. Chandler
Charles deForest Chandler
Colonel Charles deForest Chandler was an American military aviator, and the first head of the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps that later became the United States Air Force.-External links:**...
and Lt. Thomas D. Milling
Thomas D. Milling
Thomas DeWitt Milling was a pioneer of military aviation and a brigadier general in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was the first rated pilot in the history of the United States Air Force....
, both of whom had also received the first ratings with Arnold on 5 July 1912. All 24 officers certified by G.O. 39, or their survivors,One (1st Lt. J. D. Park) was killed in an accident before G.O. 39 was issued, and two (1st Lts. E.L. Ellington and H.M. Kelly) were killed together in the Philippines before theirs were delivered. were eventually issued the badge.
In 1914, Congress established the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
The Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the military aviation service of the United States Army from 1914 to 1918, and a direct ancestor of the United States Air Force. It replaced and absorbed the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, and was succeeded briefly by the Division of Military...
, replacing the Aeronautical Division. Two levels of qualification were specified in War Department Bulletin No. 35 on 4 May 1914, with aviators below the rank of captain rated as Junior Military Aviator and those captain and above rated as Military Aviator (limited to 15 by law). Similar ratings were created for the lighter-than-air branch of aviation
Observation balloon
Observation balloons are balloons that are employed as aerial platforms for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Their use began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I, and they continue in limited use today....
, termed Military Aeronaut. Ironically, the change automatically reduced the ratings of all 24 existing Military Aviators because of a prerequisite of three years experience as a JMA before becoming eligible for MA. None re-acquired the rating (and its additional 25% increase in flight pay, called the "aviation increase") until 1917. By then the Army had in place a policy of awarding aviation-rated lieutenants and captains who flew "regularly and frequently" the rank, pay, and allowances of the next higher grade.
World War I and Air Service revisions
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when all ranks and grades were temporary.Candidates for Reserve Military Aviator had to pass a medical examination to become an aviation cadet at a civilian flying school, then a preliminary flying test. Nearly all aviation cadets receiving the rating were commissioned as first lieutenants, Signal Officers Reserve Corps, awarded upon successful completion of the "Reserve Military Aviator" test, supervised by an Aviation Section officer or agent. (Only those few rated officers not assigned in orders to the "Aviation Section, Signal Reserve for regular and frequent flights" were commissioned as second lieutenants.) The test in seven parts included a takeoff and climb in a constricted area, gliding and spinning, making a deadstick landing, landing over an obstacle, flying a triangular course by compass, flying a 30-mile cross-country flight by map, and completing a 45-minute endurance flight at 4,000 feet altitude. (Aviation and Aeronautical Engineering, May 15, 1917, Vol. II, No. 8, p. 355.) The aviation increase (flight pay) included increases in pay of 25% for each of the higher JMA and MA ratings. An RMA rating for balloon pilots was also created, as was the rating of Observers
Observer Badge
The Observer Badge is a military badge of the United States military which dates to the First World War. The badge was issued to co-pilots, navigators, and flight support personnel who had received a variation on the training necessary for the standard Pilot's Badge...
applicable to either branch, bringing the total number of aeronautical ratings to seven.
After the creation by executive order in 1918 of the Army Air Service
United States Army Air Service
The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...
by executive order, a standard wings-and-shield design for the rating badge, still in use, was created by Herbert Adams of the Federal Commission of Fine Arts and approved on 25 January 1919. Army regulations regarding ratings underwent a major revision by the Director of Air Service on 16 October 1919. The RMA rating was officially changed to Airplane Pilot (although usage of the RMA terminology continued until 1920), all observers were termed Aerial Observer, and ratings of Enlisted Pilot, Dirigible Pilot, Aerial Gunner, and Aerial Bomber were created. Among the new ratings, a 50% aviation increase was authorized for the enlisted pilot and 25% for all the others. The new ratings, however, proved to be only a demobilization expedient and lasted less than nine months.Two non-flying ratings for aircraft mechanics, "Aviation Mechanician" and "Balloon Mechanician", also received a 50% increase if engaged in flying duty.
In 1920, when the Air Service was made a statutory combat arm of the Army, the differentials in flight pay ended, standardized at 50%. The policy of awarding rated officers a temporary advancement in grade was also terminated. The eleven ratings were reduced to four: Airplane Pilot, Airplane Observer, Airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
Pilot, and Balloon Observer.The U.S. Naval Air Service and the U.S. Aerial Mail Service also had four aviation ratings. Officers holding Reserve Military Aviator/Airplane Pilot, Junior Military Aviator, and Military Aviator ratings were considered qualified as Airplane Pilots, while those holding Military Aeronaut and Balloon Observer ratings were deemed qualified as Balloon Observers. Officers with the remaining two ratings re-qualified automatically.Except for the earliest Army aviators (less than one in ten pilots), all Air Service pilots already held this rating. In 1921 the Air Service authorized the wearing of 3.125-inch ratings badges made of oxidized silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
in lieu of embroidered badges.
Mason Patrick
Mason Mathews Patrick was a U.S. Army general and air power advocate.Patrick was born in Lewisburg, West Virginia and graduated from West Point in 1886. For three years he was at the Engineer School of Application, Willets Point, New York, graduating in 1889...
.
In 1924 the Tenth Annual Report of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, submitted by President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
to the Congress, reported:
"The Air Service has 845 officers with rating as airplane pilots, airplane observers, airship pilots, airship observers, or balloon observers. In addition about 51 enlisted men have the rating of airplane pilot, junior airplane pilot, or airship pilot."
Air Corps and World War II changes
In 1926, the new Air CorpsUnited States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
discarded the A Plan in favor of the B Plan, which awarded only a single rating, Airplane Pilot, requiring completion of all phases of year-long, three-school (Primary, Basic, and Advanced) flying training course. The Airship School closed in 1928 for economic reasons, ending all increases and replacements in airship ratings. The Air Corps Act of 1926 mandated that 90% of all Air Corps officers be rated, and that for reasons of economy, by 1929 at least 20% of tactical pilots had to be enlisted men. However the requirement was so utterly impractical it was circumvented by the Air Corps with the tacit approval of the War Department. There were only 38 rated enlisted men in 1930 (about 4% of all pilots), and nearly every enlisted graduate was being commissioned to decrease deficits in rated officers.
In 1936, Maj. Gen. Frank M. Andrews
Frank Maxwell Andrews
Frank Maxwell Andrews was a general officer in the United States Army and one of the founding fathers of the United States Air Force. In leadership positions within the Army Air Corps, he succeeded in advancing progress toward a separate and independent Air Force where predecessors and allies...
, commanding the GHQ Air Force, promulgated a policy requiring newly-minted pilots to spend a year flying single-engined aircraft and accruing 750 logged flight hours as a prerequisite to becoming a bomber pilot. Seven years and 2,000 logged hours qualified a pilot as an "airplane commander". In 1937 the Army formalized the requirement, creating a new advanced rating of Military Airplane Pilot, requiring 12 years as a rated pilot and 2,000 hours of flight time. The rating of Airship Pilot was discontinued at the same time and that of Airship Observer incorporated into Balloon Observer, leaving the Air Corps with five ratings.These five ratings were: Military Airplane Pilot, Airplane Pilot, Airplane Observer, Balloon Pilot, and Balloon Observer.
Between November 1939 and March 1940 pilot ratings were revised to the permanent three-tier system with objective standards that exists today, with a total of eight ratings overall.AR 600-35 (paragraph 42: "Badge, Aviation") was revised to list the eight rating categories, including a new Senior Balloon Pilot rating, and describe their badges. Graduation from Advanced Flying School was required to be rated a Pilot;"Pilot" was authorized 21 November 1939. ten years service and 1,800 hours of military flight for Senior Pilot rating;"Senior Pilot" was authorized 20 February 1940. and either 15 years service with 3,000 hours, or 20 years service with 2,000 hours, to become a Command Pilot."Command Pilot" was authorized 23 March 1940. For both advanced ratings, hours as a pilot or navigator (a specialization then performed only by rated pilots) were calculated at 100%, but military flight hours in any other capacity were calculated at a 50% rate. On the date that the Senior Pilot rating became effective, the Air Corps also divided the former Airplane Observer rating into that of Combat Observer and Technical Observer."Combat Observer" and Technical Observer became effective 23 February 1940.
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....
as a rating and authorized its own badge on 4 September 1942, one of a number of new wartime ratings that included Bombardier
Bombardier Badge
The Bombardier Badge was a military badge of the United States military which was issued between the years of 1918 and 1949. The decoration was intended to recognize the military training and qualification required by those service members who were bombardiers on board military aircraft.Originally...
, three classes of auxiliary pilot ratings
Auxiliary Pilot Badge
The Glider, Service, and Liaison Pilot Badges were qualification badges of the United States Army Air Force which were issued during the years of World War II. The badges appeared as the standard USAAF Pilot Badge with one of three letters centered on the badges’ shield, or escutcheon...
, and enlisted aircrew ratings. Combat Observer was renamed Aircraft Observer. All of the wartime ratings except navigator were discontinued by the USAF on 26 July 1949, and as of 2011 navigator is also being phased out. Although observer ratings were also discontinued at the same time, the Observer title was revived in 1981 when a rating was created for otherwise unrated officers who completed NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
mission specialist
Mission Specialist
A Mission Specialist is a position held by certain NASA astronauts during Space Shuttle missions. A Mission Specialist is assigned to a limited field of the mission, such as for medical experiments or technical quests....
training.
Flight Surgeons were rated and received the "aviation increase" between 1918 and 1920. The rating was discontinued in 1920, however, and flight surgeons as a military profession were neglected by the headquarters of the successive Army air arms until late in 1939. In July 1940 recommendations of a board of flight surgeons appointed by Gen. Arnold were adopted, standardizing ratings requirements as:
- graduation from a Class A medical school,
- completion of a one-year rotational internship,
- completion of the School of Aviation Medicine course,
- one year's service in the AAF as an Aviation Medical Examiner, and
- 50 hours of logged military flight.
The Flight Surgeon rating received its own distinctive gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
badge on 3 March 1942, which was changed to the standard oxidized silver wings in 1944 to avoid confusion with naval aviator
United States Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
badges.
Pilot ratings
| Pilot Badge United States Aviator Badge A United States Aviator Badge refers to three types of aviation badges issued by the United States military, those being for Army, Air Force, and Naval aviation.... |
 |
The USAF awards pilot ratings at three levels: Pilot, Senior Pilot, and Command Pilot, to active duty officers and to officers considered as "rated assets" in the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
(i.e., the Air Reserve Components). Rating standards apply equally to both fixed-wing and helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
pilots.
The following additional criteria are required to be rated as a USAF pilot:
| Rating | Basic requirement | Flight time | Alternative flight time |
| Command Pilot | *15 years as rated pilot, and *Permanent award of senior pilot rating, and |
3000 total hours, or | *2300 hours primary and instructor flight, or *144 months Operational Flying Duty (OFDA) |
| Senior Pilot | *7 years as rated pilot, and *Permanent award of pilot rating, and |
2000 total hours, or | 1300 hours primary and instructor flight |
| Pilot | *Graduate of USAF pilot training program, or *Graduate of other US military pilot training if ordered by USAF, or *Graduate of other US military pilot training if equivalent to USAF program, or *Graduate of helicopter training in other US military and |
400 hours primary and instrument flight 400 hours in rotary flight time and instrument qualification |
|
RPA Pilot ratings
| RPA Pilot Badge United States Aviator Badge A United States Aviator Badge refers to three types of aviation badges issued by the United States military, those being for Army, Air Force, and Naval aviation.... |
The USAF awards remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) pilot ratings at three levels: RPA Pilot, Senior RPA Pilot, and Command RPA Pilot, to active duty officers and to officers considered as "rated assets" in the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
(i.e., the Air Reserve Components).
The following additional criteria are required to be rated as a USAF remotely piloted aircraft pilot:
| Rating | Basic requirement | Flight time | Alternative flight time |
| Command RPA Pilot | *15 years as rated RPA pilot, and *Permanent award of senior RPA pilot rating, and |
3000 total hours, or | *2300 hours primary and instructor flight, or *144 months Operational Flying Duty (OFDA) |
| Senior RPA Pilot | *7 years as rated RPA pilot, and *Permanent award of RPA pilot rating, and |
2000 total hours, or | 1300 hours primary and instructor flight |
| RPA Pilot | *Graduate of USAF RPA pilot training program, or *Graduate of other US military pilot training if equivalent to USAF program |
400 hours primary and instrument flight | |
Combat Systems Officer ratings
| Combat Systems Officer badge Navigator Badge The Navigator Badge is a military qualification badge of the United States Armed Forces which was first created during the Second World War. The current USAF badge is designated by Air Force Instructions as the Navigator/Observer Badge and is issued to rated officers in both rating categories.The... |
 |
The Combat Systems Officer (CSO) rating is awarded to individuals who entered the CSO Undergraduate Flying Training after 1 October 2004. The USAF awards combat systems operator ratings at three levels: Combat Systems Officer, Senior Combat Systems Officer, and Master Combat Systems Officer, for active duty officers and officers considered rated assets in the Air Reserve Components. The insignia is identical to USAF Navigator, but rated navigators who are not CSO rated are not eligible for award of advanced CSO ratings. The following additional criteria are required for rating as a USAF combat systems officer:
| Rating | Basic requirement | Flight time | Alternative flight time |
| Master Combat Systems Officer | *15 years as rated CSO, and *Permanent award of senior CSO rating, and |
3000 total hours, or | *2300 hours primary and instructor time, or *144 months OFDA |
| Senior Combat Systems Officer | *7 years as rated CSO, and *Permanent award of CSO rating, and |
2000 total hours, or | *1300 hours primary and instructor time, or *72 months OFDA |
| Combat Systems Officer | *Graduate of Combat Systems Officer Undergraduate Flying Training | No time required | |
Navigator ratings
| Navigator Badge Navigator Badge The Navigator Badge is a military qualification badge of the United States Armed Forces which was first created during the Second World War. The current USAF badge is designated by Air Force Instructions as the Navigator/Observer Badge and is issued to rated officers in both rating categories.The... |
 |
The USAF awards navigator ratings at three levels: Navigator, Senior Navigator, and Master Navigator, for active duty officers and officers considered "rated assets" in the Air Reserve Components. After 2009 only Combat Systems Officers receive ratings formerly awarded to navigators, as the occupational field is being phased out. The following additional criteria are required for rating as a USAF navigator:
| Rating | Basic requirement | Flight time | Alternative flight time |
| Master Navigator | *15 years as rated navigator, and *Permanent award of senior navigator rating, and |
3000 total hours, or | *2300 hours primary and instructor time, or *144 months OFDA |
| Senior Navigator | *7 years as rated navigator *Permanent award of navigator rating |
2000 total hours | *1300 hours primary and instructor time, or *72 months OFDA |
| Navigator | *Graduate of USAF Undergraduate Navigator Training (UNT)/Specialized Navigation Training (SUNT), or *Graduate of USN Naval Flight Officer course, VT-29 (Advanced Navigation Training Course) |
400 hours primary navigator time | None Reviewed by Aeronautical Rating Board and approved by Major Command |
Air Battle Manager ratings
| Air Battle Manager Badge Air Battle Manager Badge The Air Battle Manager Badge is a military badge of the United States Air Force which is issued to officers who have been trained and qualified for airborne command and control, air surveillance, electronic warfare, and airborne weapons capabilities... |
The USAF awards Air Battle Manager
Air Battle Manager
Air Battle Manager is a rated flying position in the United States Air Force.-History:Air Battle Manager has been a rated career field since October 1, 1999. This means that ABMs are career aviators who receive flight pay and must actively fly a certain number of months to maintain their rating...
ratings at three levels: Air Battle Manager, Senior Air Battle Manager, and Master Air Battle Manager, for active duty officers and officers considered "rated assets" in the Air Reserve Components. The following additional criteria are required to be rated as a USAF air battle manager:
| Rating | Basic requirement | Flight time | Alternative flight time |
| Master Air Battle Manager | *15 years as rated ABM, and *Permanent award of senior ABM rating, and |
3000 total hours, or | *2300 hours primary and instructor time, or *144 months OFDA |
| Senior Air Battle Manager | *7 years as rated ABM, and *Permanent award of ABM rating, and |
2000 total hours, or | *1300 hours primary and instructor time, or *72 months OFDA |
| Air Battle Manager | *Graduate of E-3 E-3 Sentry The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system developed by Boeing as the prime contractor. Derived from the Boeing 707, it provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications, and is used by the United States Air Force , NATO, Royal Air Force , French Air Force... Formal Training Unit course,FTU is an umbrella term for both current Undergraduate ABM Training (UABMT) and previous Programmed Flying Training (PFT) in a flying unit or *Graduate of E-8 E-8 Joint STARS The Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System is a battle management and command and control aircraft of the United States Air Force... Formal Training Unit course, or *Graduate of UABMT under new syllabus |
No time required | |
Observer ratings
| Observer Badge Navigator Badge The Navigator Badge is a military qualification badge of the United States Armed Forces which was first created during the Second World War. The current USAF badge is designated by Air Force Instructions as the Navigator/Observer Badge and is issued to rated officers in both rating categories.The... |
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The USAF awards observer ratings at three levels: Observer, Senior Observer, and Master Observer, for active duty officers and officers considered "rated assets" in the Air Reserve Components. The insignia is identical to USAF Navigator/CSO and is typically awarded to officers who have completed training as NASA Mission Specialist Astronauts and are not otherwise rated as USAF pilots or navigators. The following additional criteria are required to be rated as a USAF observer:
| Rating | Basic requirement | Flight time | Alternative flight time |
| Master Observer | *15 years as rated observer, and *Permanent award of senior observer rating, and |
3000 total hours, or | *2300 hours primary and instructor time, or *144 months OFDA |
| Senior Observer | *7 years as rated observer, and *Permanent award of observer rating. and |
2000 total hours, or | *1300 hours primary and instructor time, or *72 months OFDA |
| Observer | *Graduate of NASA NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research... Mission Specialist Mission Specialist A Mission Specialist is a position held by certain NASA astronauts during Space Shuttle missions. A Mission Specialist is assigned to a limited field of the mission, such as for medical experiments or technical quests.... training |
No time required | |
Flight Surgeon ratings
Flight Surgeon Badge Flight Surgeon Badge (United States) The Flight Surgeon Badge is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces which has existed since the Second World War.The Flight Surgeon Badge is presented to those members of the military who are both qualified medical officers and certified flight surgeons. The original Flight Surgeon... |
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The USAF awards flight surgeon
Flight surgeon
A flight surgeon is a military medical officer assigned to duties in the clinical field variously known as aviation medicine, aerospace medicine, or flight medicine...
ratings at three levels: Flight Surgeon, Senior Flight Surgeon, and Chief Flight Surgeon, for active duty officers and officers considered "rated assets" in the Air Reserve Components. The following additional criteria are required for rating as a USAF flight surgeon:
| Rating | Basic requirement | Flight time | Alternative flight time |
| Chief Flight Surgeon | *15 years rated service as flight surgeon, and *Permanent award of senior flight service rating, and *1 year current active service as flight surgeon, and |
750 logged hours, or | 144 months OFDA |
| Senior Flight Surgeon | *7 years rated service as flight surgeon, and *Permanent award of flight surgeon rating. and *1 year current active service as flight surgeon, and |
350 logged hours, or | 72 months OFDA |
| Flight Surgeon | *Graduate of Aerospace Medicine Primary Course, and *Unrestricted medical license Medical license In most countries, only persons with a medical license bestowed either by a specified government-approved professional association or a government agency are authorized to practice medicine. Licenses are not granted automatically to all people with medical degrees... , and *Awarded Air Force Specialty Code Air Force Specialty Code The Air Force Specialty Code is an alphanumeric code used by the United States Air Force to identify an Air Force Specialty . Officer AFSCs consist of four characters and enlisted AFSCs consist of five characters. A letter prefix or suffix may be used with an AFSC when more specific identification... 48XX |
No time required | |
Pilot-Physicians
Flight surgeons may also perform duties as Pilot-PhysicianPhysician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s (Air Force Specialty Code 48VX). The purpose of pilot-physicians is to provide "integrated operational and aerospace medicine guidance" in the research, development, testing, and evaluation of Air Force systems and missions to realize the greatest effectiveness and cost savings.
Pilot-physicians were previously assigned only to an operational flying squadron in their respective aircraft, with their main assignment as a pilot, but also with clinical duties seeing patient
Patient
A patient is any recipient of healthcare services. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, veterinarian, or other health care provider....
s, usually the flight medicine clinic, depending on the pilot-physician's medical specialty. On 21 April 2011 the Pilot-Physician Program (PPP) was completely revised to make "the most of the special resources of Air Force officers who are simultaneously qualified both as pilots and flight surgeons," with a senior pilot-physician selected by the Air Force Surgeon General
Surgeon General of the United States Air Force
The Surgeon General of the United States Air Force is the senior-most Medical Service officer in the U.S. Air Force. In recent times, this has been a Lieutenant General who serves as head of the United States Air Force Medical Service...
to be Program Director, and assignment of designated command, staff, research, training, and education billets as well as duty in operational units. A P48VX specialty code is assigned to those on aeronautical orders as a pilot-physician and assigned to one of these designated PPP billets. Pilot-Physicians are entitled to conditional flight pay (ACIP), that is, only if assigned to an active flying position and flying a prescribed number of hours monthly.
In addition to being a rated pilot and a rated flight surgeon, a pilot-physician must have completed at least three years of operational flying and one year as an operational flight surgeon, with a provision for assigning applicants without flight surgeon operational experience to a base where they would likely become a "first assignment pilot-physician". The revised program allows flight surgeons access to undergraduate pilot training and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) pilot training (one slot per year); allows participation of flight surgeons with experience as navigators, electronic warfare officers, RPA sensor operators, and flight test engineers as navigator-physicians or flight test-physicians; and authorizes pilot-physicians to compete for assignment to USAF Test Pilot School
U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School
The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School is the Air Force's very advanced flight training school that trains experimental test pilots, flight test engineers, and flight test navigators to carry out tests and evaluations of new aerospace weapon systems and also other aircraft of the U.S. Air Force...
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Pilot-physicians are defined by four core competencies to achieve program objectives:
- Providing expert guidance through the synthesis of operational and medical experience,
- Conducting research by applying operational insights to studies; basic and applied science; relevant research, development, test & evaluation (RDT&E); and operational test & evaluation (OT&E),
- Teaching aircrew, senior Air Force leaders, and medical personnel on subjects of particular expertise, and
- Conducting analysis to provide recommendations for operational systems, environments, and mishaps; and solutions to human performance problems.
Pilot-physicians are eligible for advanced ratings as both flight surgeons and pilots. They may apply toward advanced pilot ratings any USAF pilot years of aviation service, months of operational flying duty, and total flying hours accrued before achieving flight surgeon status. After attaining status as a pilot-physician, all hours flown as a pilot, and months of operational flying duty credit accrued as a pilot, are "dual-credited" toward both advanced pilot and flight surgeon ratings as long as the officer is on aeronautical orders as an active pilot-physician.
See also
- Badges of the United States Air ForceBadges of the United States Air ForceBadges of the United States Air Force are military awards authorized by the United States Air Force that signify aeronautical ratings, special skills, career field qualifications, and serve as identification devices for personnel occupying certain assignments...
- Military badges of the United StatesMilitary badges of the United StatesMilitary 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...
- Obsolete badges of the United States militaryObsolete badges of the United States militaryObsolete 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...