Got my Captain's Bars....

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

And that's the problem.  Even though they sound logical, their grade titles have nothing to do with their actual jobs now.

They never did across the board.  An intelligence officer might be a Flying Officer, but not aircrew-rated.

A doctor, dentist, legal officer or padre might be a Squadron Leader, but not command a squadron.

And do you still call junior officers in the Commonwealth air forces "Pilot Officers" and "Flying Officers" when they're not pilots, nor do they fly?

The ranks are still that way (Australian example shown).



However, Canada has not used that system since 1968, and India has done away with Pilot Officers.

[Brit_in_CAP]

It is Squadron leader but I always liked the sound of Major, personally!

I always thought that Commonwealth air force ranks were the most logical-sounding.

However, they haven't reflected operational situations since probably the end of the 1950's.

And that's the problem.  Even though they sound logical, their grade titles have nothing to do with their actual jobs now.

And do you still call junior officers in the Commonwealth air forces "Pilot Officers" and "Flying Officers" when they're not pilots, nor do they fly?

They never did.

Brief history.  The structure comes from the enforced marriage between the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918.

Neither parent retained any air element at that stage, and the first CAS, Major General, later Viscount, Trenchard, wanted to show that his new service was wholly independent of the parents - there was *huge* jealousy at the time.

Various proposals were considered but the final version was to have officer insignia that was based on the Navy and enlisted insignia based on the Army with ranks being renamed to reflect the new service (Flight Sergeant instead of Staff Sergeant, for example).

The officer ranks sightly reflected roles in that initially squadron leaders commanded squadrons, both flying and ground-based, and wing commanders commanded wings.  Over the years that has changed in the flying units but remains extant on ground-based units.  Groups captains might have commanded two or more flying wings in WW2.  Station Commanders are generally assigned based on the unit size - my friend commanded a station as a squadron leader.

Fun fact for you.  The original uniforms were made from a large order of cloth intended for the Tsar of Russia (Imperial Guard I think).  By 1918 that was a moot point, and the Soviet's weren't buying.  That cloth was used to make distinctive uniforms for the new service and the color was later to be adopted as 'RAF Blue'.  It is also close in coloration to a liquid used by the medical staff to treat body lice...which led to the RAF's derogatory nickname of 'crabfats' or simply 'crabs'...