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Flying officer (Fg Off or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force.[1] The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2019) |
 | The examples and perspective in this deal primarily with the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (February 2024) |
Flying officer is immediately senior to pilot officer and immediately below flight lieutenant. It is usually equivalent to the rank of sub-lieutenant in the navy and of the rank of lieutenant in other services.
The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force was "section officer".
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 lieutenant d'aviation.[2]
| Flying officer | |
|---|---|
 Shoulder and sleeve insignia | |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Service branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Abbreviation | Fg Off / FLGOFF / FGOFF |
| NATO rank code | OF-1 |
| Formation | August 1919 |
| Next higher rank | Flight lieutenant |
| Next lower rank | Pilot officer |
| Equivalent ranks | |
| Related articles | |
| 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,[3] 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.[4]
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.
An RAF flying officer's shoulder insignia
An RAF flying officer's sleeve mess insignia
An RAF flying officer's sleeve on No.1 dress uniform
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