Flying officer#United Kingdom

{{short description|Junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries}}

Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the UK Royal Air Force.{{cite web |url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/commissionedranks.cfm |title=Ranks and Badges of the Royal Air Force |access-date=2007-12-01 |year=2007 |publisher=Royal Air Force |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110709184204/http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/commissionedranks.cfm |archive-date=9 July 2011 }} The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.

Flying officer is one rank above pilot officer and one below flight lieutenant.

It is equivalent to the rank of sub-lieutenant in the navy and lieutenant in other services.

The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force was "Section Officer" before this organisation adopted common ranks with male officers.

Canada

The rank was used in the Royal Canadian Air Force until the 1968 unification of the Canadian Forces, when army-type rank titles were adopted. Canadian flying officers then became lieutenants. In official Canadian French usage, the rank title was {{lang|fr|lieutenant d'aviation}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.castlearchdale.net/id37.html |title=The RCAF |website=www.castlearchdale.net |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603201652/http://www.castlearchdale.net/id37.html |archive-date=3 June 2009 |url-status=dead}}

United Kingdom

{{Infobox military rank

| name = Flying officer

| image =

| image_size = 100px

| caption = Command flag

| image2 = British RAF OF-1b.svg

| image_size2 = 50px

| caption2 = Shoulder and sleeve insignia

| image3 =

| image_size3 =

| caption3 =

| country = {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| service branch = {{air force|United Kingdom}}

| abbreviation = Fg Off / {{smaller|FLGOFF}} / {{smaller|FGOFF}}

| rank =

| NATO rank = OF-1

| Non-NATO rank =

| formation = {{start date|1919|08||df=y}}

| abolished =

| higher rank = Flight lieutenant

| lower rank = Pilot officer

| equivalents = {{unbulleted list|{{nowrap|Lieutenant (Army; Marines)}}|Sub-lieutenant (Navy)}}

| history = Royal Naval Air Service

}}

=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 (entitled flight sub-lieutenants) and Royal Flying Corps lieutenants becoming lieutenants in the RAF. However, with the creation of the RAF's own rank structure in August 1919, RAF lieutenants were re-titled flying officers,{{cite book |last=Hobart |first=Malcolm C |date=2000 |title=Badges and Uniforms of the Royal Air Force |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ATMDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT29 |publisher=Leo Cooper |page=26 |isbn=0-85052-739-2}} a rank which has been in continuous use ever since.

=Usage=

The rank title does not imply that an officer in the rank of flying officer flies. Some flying officers are aircrew, but many are ground branch officers. Amongst the ground branches some flying officers have command of flights.

In the RAF, aircrew and engineer officers are commissioned directly into the rank of flying officer, while ground branches are commissioned as pilot officers for an initial period of six months. Time served in the rank of flying officer varies depending on branch before automatic promotion to flight lieutenant; aircrew and BEng qualified officers will serve for a period of 2½ years, MEng qualified engineers for 1½ years, and all other ground branches for 3½ years. A graduate entrant who has an MEng but is joining a ground branch other than engineer will serve 3½ years as a flying officer – the early promotion for MEng engineers is designed as a recruitment incentive. The starting salary for a flying officer is £39,671 per year.{{cite web|title=Rates of Pay, 2015|url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/community/mura-raf-community/assets/file/regulars%20pay%202015.pdf|website=raf.mod.uk|access-date=1 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921212831/http://www.raf.mod.uk/community/mura-raf-community/assets/File/Regulars%20Pay%202015.pdf|archive-date=21 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}

In many cases the rank of flying officer is the first rank an air force officer holds after successful completion of his professional training. A flying officer might serve as a pilot in training, an adjutant, a security officer or an administrative officer and is typically given charge of personnel and/or resources. By the time aviators have completed their training, they will have served their 2½ years and typically join their frontline squadrons as flight lieutenants.

=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.

File:UK-Air-OF1A.svg|An RAF flying officer's shoulder insignia

File:File-UK-Air-OF1A-mess-insignia.svg|An RAF flying officer's sleeve mess insignia

File:RAF-Fg Off-OF-1.png|An RAF flying officer's sleeve on No.1 dress uniform

Gallery

File:British RAF OF-1b.svg|(Royal Australian Air Force){{cite web |title=Badges of rank |url=https://www.defence.gov.au/images/Badges_of_rank.pdf |website=defence.gov.au |publisher=Department of Defence (Australia) |access-date=31 May 2021}}

File:British RAF OF-1b.svg|(Bangladesh Air Force){{cite web |title=OFFICER'S RANKS |url=http://www.joinbangladeshairforce.mil.bd/index.php/main_controll/ranks_structure_baf?1=1&pagemenu=ranks_structure_baf&submenu=1&leafsub=0 |website=joinbangladeshairforce.mil.bd |access-date=11 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219212643/http://www.joinbangladeshairforce.mil.bd/index.php/main_controll/ranks_structure_baf?1=1&pagemenu=ranks_structure_baf&submenu=1&leafsub=0 |archive-date=19 February 2020}}

File:08.Ghana Air Force-1LT.svg|(Ghana Air Force){{cite web |title=Rank Structure |url=http://gafonline.mil.gh/airforce/index.php/subhome/rank-structure |website=gafonline.mil.gh |publisher=Ghana Air Force |access-date=3 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121080703/http://gafonline.mil.gh/airforce/index.php/subhome/rank-structure |archive-date=21 January 2018 |date=2018 |url-status=dead}}

File:Indian IAF OF-1b.svg|(Indian Air Force){{cite web |title=For Officers |url=http://www.careerairforce.nic.in/life_airforce/lifeair_cargraph_officers.html |website=careerairforce.nic.in |publisher=Indian Air Force |access-date=23 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225210317/http://www.careerairforce.nic.in/life_airforce/lifeair_cargraph_officers.html |archive-date=25 February 2012}}

File:08-Namibia Air Force-FLGOFF.svg|(Namibian Air Force){{cite magazine |title=Government Notice |magazine=Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia |date=20 August 2010 |volume=4547 |pages=99–102 |url=http://www.lac.org.na/laws/2010/4547.pdf |access-date=20 December 2021}}

File:Nigeria-AirForce-OF-1b.svg|(Nigerian Air Force){{cite book |last1=Smaldone |first1=Joseph P. |editor1-last=Metz |editor1-first=Helen Chapin |editor-link=Helen Chapin Metz |title=Nigeria: a country study |series=Area Handbook |date=1992 |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |lccn=92009026 |pages=296–297 |edition=5th |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/frdcstdy.nigeriacountryst00metz_0/?sp=340 |access-date=21 October 2021 |chapter=National Security}}

File:Pak-air-force-OF-1b.svg|(Pakistan Air Force)

File:British RAF OF-1b.svg|(Sri Lanka Air Force){{cite web |title=Commissioned Officers |url=http://www.airforce.lk/ranks.php |website=airforce.lk |publisher=Sri Lanka Air Force |access-date=24 September 2021}}

File:British RAF OF-1b.svg|(Royal Air Force){{cite web |title=RAF Ranks |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/raf-ranks/ |website=raf.mod.uk/ |publisher=Royal Air Force |access-date=21 September 2021}}

File:TaT-Air Guard-OF-1b.png|(Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard){{cite web |title=Rank Chart (Commissioned Officers) |url=http://69.0.195.188/HQ/Our-Organisation/Ranks-Chart-(Commissioned-Officers).aspx |website=69.0.195.188 |publisher=Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force |access-date=27 May 2021 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}