Flight sergeant

Last updated

A Royal Air Force flight sergeant RAF Flight Sgt.jpg
A Royal Air Force flight sergeant

Flight sergeant (commonly abbreviated to Flt Sgt, F/Sgt, FSGT or, currently correctly in the RAF, FS [1] ) is a senior non-commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force [2] and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structure. It is equivalent to a staff sergeant or colour sergeant in the British Army, a colour sergeant in the Royal Marines, and a chief petty officer in the Royal Navy, and has a NATO rank code of OR-7. [3] In the RAF, flight sergeant ranks above chief technician and below warrant officer.

Contents

History

The rank was introduced into the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in 1912 and passed to the Royal Air Force on its formation in 1918. RFC flight sergeants wore a four-bladed propeller between the chevrons and the crown.

On 1 July 1946, aircrew flight sergeants were redesignated aircrew I and replaced their chevrons with three six-pointed stars within a wreath and surmounted by an eagle and a crown. This proved unpopular however, and in 1950 they reverted to their old rank and badge, although flight sergeants aircrew wear an eagle between chevrons and crown.

Between 1950 and 1964, the rank of chief technician was equivalent to flight sergeant and was held instead of that rank by technicians, but now chief technician is a junior rank [4] (still held only by technicians), although classified by NATO in the same grade.

Current usage

Apart from the RAF, the rank of flight sergeant is also used by many Commonwealth air forces, including the Royal Australian Air Force, [5] the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the Sri Lanka Air Force, [6] the Ghana Air Force,[ citation needed ] the South African Air Force, [7] the Air Force of Zimbabwe [8] and the Royal Thai Air Force. [9] It was also used in the former Royal Rhodesian Air Force. In Canada, since the unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, this rank has been replaced by warrant officer. It is also used in the Irish Air Corps [ citation needed ], where it is equivalent to the Irish Army rank of company sergeant. The flight sergeant rank in the Indian Air Force was replaced with the rank of junior warrant officer (JWO)[ citation needed ], which ranks below a warrant officer and above a sergeant.

In the RAF, the rank insignia is three downward pointing chevrons below a crown. [10]

Flight sergeant is also used in many cadet organisations around the world, such as the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, [11] Australian Air Force Cadets, [12] and Royal Canadian Air Cadets. [13]

Rank insignia

See also

Related Research Articles

Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned officer ranks, the most senior of the non-commissioned officer (NCO) ranks, or in a separate category of their own. Warrant officer ranks are especially prominent in the militaries of Commonwealth nations and the United States.

Sergeant (Sgt) is a rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, serjeant, is used in The Rifles and other units that draw their heritage from the British light infantry. Its origin is the Latin serviens, 'one who serves', through the Old French term serjant.

Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services.

Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. Sergeants Major serve as the senior enlisted advisor to the commander.

Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal.

Flying officer is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.

Squadron leader is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.

Group captain is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.

Air commodore is a air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure.

Flight lieutenant is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank originated in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in 1914. It fell into abeyance when the RNAS merged with the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War but was revived in 1919 in the post-war RAF. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.

Pilot officer is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Training Corps</span> British volunteer youth organisation, primarily focussing on military aviation

The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer youth organisation; aligned to, and fostering the knowledge and learning of military values, primarily focusing on military aviation. Part of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC), the ATC is sponsored by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the wider Ministry of Defence (MoD). The majority of Air Training Corps staff are volunteers, though some staff are paid for full-time work; including Commandant Air Cadets, who is a Royal Air Force officer as part of a Full Term Reserve Service commitment.

Officer cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air Squadron; however, these are not trainee officers with many not choosing a career in the armed forces.

Leading aircraftman (LAC) or leading aircraftwoman (LACW) is an enlisted rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence.

The term used in the Royal Air Force (RAF) to refer to all ranks below commissioned officer level is other ranks (ORs). It includes warrant officers (WOs), non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and airmen.

Before Unification as the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the Canadian military had three distinct services: the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Canadian Army. All three services had a Regular (full-time) component and a reserve (part-time) component. The rank structure for these services were based on the services of the British military, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, and the British Army. The change to a "Canadian" rank structure meant that many of the traditional (British) rank titles and insignia were removed or changed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniforms of the Royal Air Force</span> Standardised military dress

The Royal Air Force uniform is the standardised military dress worn by members of the Royal Air Force. The predominant colours of Royal Air Force uniforms are blue-grey and Wedgwood blue. Many Commonwealth air forces' uniforms are also based on the RAF pattern, but with nationality shoulder flashes. The Royal Air Force Air Cadets wear similar uniforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrant officer (United Kingdom)</span> Non-commissioned rank in the British Armed Forces

A warrant officer (WO) in the British Armed Forces is a member of the highest-ranking group of non-commissioned ranks, holding the King's Warrant, which is signed by the Secretary of State for Defence.

The following table displays the ranks of the Community Cadet Forces, the Combined Cadet Force, the Volunteer Cadet Corps, and the Girls Venture Corps Air Cadets. This table is based on equivalent Rank Structures within the Cadet Forces as detailed in regulations of the SCC, RMC, and the Air Cadets.

References

  1. ↑ "MOD Acronyms and Abbreviations" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Government Publishing Service. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "RAF Ranks" . Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Key to Rank codes April 2019". GOV.UK. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "RAF rank seniority" . Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "RAAF Ranks" . Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  6. ↑ "Sri Lanka Air Force". www.airforce.lk. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "The South African Air Force". www.saairforce.co.za. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Ranks and Badges in the AFZ". Air Force of Zimbabwe Website. Air Force of Zimbabwe. 2020. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  9. ↑ "RTAF queries suspicious payments made to squadron in Surat Thani". nationthailand. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "RAF Rank Insignia" . Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  11. ↑ "RAFAC Ranks" . Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "AAFC Ranks" . Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  13. ↑ "Cadet Ranks". 364 Lancaster Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "Badges of rank" (PDF). defence.gov.au. Department of Defence (Australia). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "Air Corps Rank Markings". military.ie. Defence Forces (Ireland). Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  16. ↑ "Badges of Rank". nzdf.mil.nz. New Zealand Defence Force. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  17. ↑ "Rank Insignia". af.mil.za. Department of Defence (South Africa). Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  18. ↑ "Non-Commissioned Ranks". airforce.lk. Sri Lanka Air Force. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  19. 1 2 "RAF Ranks". raf.mod.uk. Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.