Air Force Rank
While some air forces use the army rank system, the British Royal Air Force and many other Commonwealth air forces use another rank system in which flight lieutenant ranks with an army captain and naval lieutenant, a flying officer ranks with an army lieutenant, and a pilot officer with an army second lieutenant.
| NATO OF-2 / US O-3 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thai Flight lieutenant |
UK Flight lieutenant |
Australian Flight lieutenant |
Indian Flight lieutenant |
||||
| NATO OF-1a / US O-2 | |||||||
| Canada Lieutenant |
Germany Oberleutnant |
Mexico Teniente |
Poland Porucznik |
Romania Locotenent |
Spain Teniente |
Sweden Löjtnant |
US First Lieutenant |
| NATO OF-1b / US O-1 | |||||||
| Canada Second lieutenant |
Germany Leutnant |
Mexico Subteniente |
Poland Podporucznik |
Romania Sublocotenent |
Spain Alférez |
Sweden Fänrik |
US Second lieutenant |
In the US Air Force, the Third Lieutenant Program refers specifically to a training program at active duty air force bases for cadets of the Air Force Academy and Air Force ROTC the summer before their fourth and final year before graduation and commissioning. A single silver or subdued pip is used to designate this rank.
The Royal Air Force also has an acting pilot officer designation, the most junior commissioned rank in the British armed forces. It is functionally equivalent to third lieutenant (OF-1c / O-0).
Read more about this topic: Lieutenant
Famous quotes containing the words air, force and/or rank:
“Hamlet. The air bites shrewdly, it is very cold.
Horatio. It is a nipping and an eager air.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The force that through the green fuse drives the flower
Drives my green age; that blasts the roots of trees
Is my destroyer.
And I am dumb to tell the crooked rose
My youth is bent by the same wintry fever.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“Its whether will ye be a rank robber’s wife,
Or will ye die by my wee pen knife?
Its I’ll not be a rank robber’s wife,
But I’ll rather die by your wee pen knife.
He ‘s killed this may and he ‘s laid her by,
For to bear the red rose company.”
—Unknown. Babylon; or, The Bonnie Banks o’ Fordie (l. 9–14)