This article is about the air force rank. For the film, see Flight Lieutenant (film). Flight Lieutenant is a 1942 film starring Pat O'Brien as Sam O'Doyle a disgraced commercial pilot who works to regain the respect of his son ( Glenn

A Flight Lieutenant's sleeve/shoulder insignia

Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt in the RAF; FLTLT in the RAAF and RNZAF, F/L in the former RCAF) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force^[1] and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The Royal New Zealand Air Force ( RNZAF) is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. An officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority It ranks above Flying Officer and immediately below Squadron Leader. Flying Officer ( Fg Off in the RAF FLGOFF in the RAAF FGOFF in the RNZAF F/O in the former RCAF and frequently in the RAF is a junior commissioned Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "Lieutenant". In informal usage, a flight lieutenant is sometimes referred to as a "flight lieuy".

It has a NATO ranking code of OF-2, and is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy or a Captain in the British Army or the Royal Marines. The North Atlantic Treaty Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. The Royal Marines ( RM) are the marine corps and amphibious Infantry of the United Kingdom and along with the Royal Navy

The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) (until 1968) and Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS) (until 1980) was Flight Officer. Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service ( PMRAFNS) is the Nursing branch of the British Royal Air Force. The title Flight Officer can refer to a functional (occupational job title as an aircrew member or it can refer to a military rank previously used by the U

Origins

The rank insignia of a Royal Naval Air Service Flight Lieutenant

On 1 April 1918, the newly created RAF adopted its officer rank titles from the British Army, with Royal Naval Air Service Lieutenants (titled Flight Lieutenants and Flight Commanders) and Royal Flying Corps Captains becoming Captains in the RAF. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British The Royal Flying Corps (RFC was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. In response to the proposal that the RAF should use its own rank titles, it was suggested that the RAF might use the Royal Navy's officer ranks, with the word "Air" inserted before the naval rank title. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) For example, the current rank of Flight Lieutenant would have been Air Lieutenant. Although the Admiralty objected to this simple modification of their rank titles, it was agreed that the RAF might base many of its officer rank titles on Navy officer ranks with differing pre-modifying terms. The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. It was also suggested that RAF Captains might be titled as Flight-Leaders. However, the rank title Flight Lieutenant was chosen as Flights were typically commanded by RAF Captains and the term Flight Lieutenant had been used in the Royal Naval Air Service. A flight is a Military unit in an Air force, Naval air service or Army air corps The rank of Flight Lieutenant has been used continuously since 1 August 1919. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

Usage

Although in the early years of the RAF a Flight Lieutenant commanded an aircraft flight, it is rare that a Flight Lieutenant is in command of a flying unit in the modern air force. Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in Armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines An Admiral of the Fleet or Fleet Admiral is a military Naval officer of the highest rank For other meanings see Field Marshal (disambiguation Field marshal is a military officer rank Marshal of the Air Force may be used as a generic term for a rank in some Air forces which use a similar title with their air force's name inserted as their most senior rank Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks of the highest Naval officers Air Chief Marshal ( Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a senior Air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force (RAF Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority Lieutenant General is a Military rank used in many countries The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the This article is about the air force rank Air marshal (or Sky marshal) is also the term given to federal security agents who travel undercover aboard commercial Rear admiral is a Naval Commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Air Vice-Marshal ( AVM) is an Air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. Commodore is a Military rank used in many navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy captain, but is less than This article refers to the military rank For the Doctor Who character known as the Brigadier see Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Air Commodore ( Air Cdre in the RAF, AIRCDRE in the RNZAF and RAAF, A/C in the former RCAF) is a rank in For information specifically on the Royal Navy rank of captain see Captain (Royal Navy. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Group Captain ( Gp Capt in the RAF and Indian Air Force, GPCAPT in the RNZAF and RAAF, G/C in the former Commander is a Military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Wing Commander ( Wg Cdr in the RAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, W/C in the former RCAF) is a commissioned Lieutenant Commander ( Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy) is a Commissioned officer rank in many navies Superior Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services Sub-Lieutenant is a military rank It is normally a junior officer rank Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services Flying Officer ( Fg Off in the RAF FLGOFF in the RAAF FGOFF in the RNZAF F/O in the former RCAF and frequently in the RAF is a junior commissioned A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. A Sergeant Major is a rank or appointment in many militaries around the world A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. A Petty Officer is a noncommissioned officer or equivalent in many navies. Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world Leading Rating (or Leading Rate) is the most senior of the junior rates in the British Royal Navy. Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and also by some police forces or other uniformed organizations Seaman as a rate refers to one of the lowest rates in a Navy. A Private is a Soldier of the lowest Military rank (equivalent to NATO Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in Aircraftman ( AC) or Aircraftwoman ( ACW) is the lowest rank in the Royal Air Force and the Air forces of several other Commonwealth A flight is a Military unit in an Air force, Naval air service or Army air corps However, ground flights which are administrative sub-divisions of squadrons are ordinarily commanded by Flight Lieutenants. In the Air Training Corps, a Flight Lieutenant is usually the Officer Commanding (OC) of a squadron. The Air Training Corps ( ATC) is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. A squadron is a small unit or formation of Cavalry, armour, Aircraft (including Balloons) or Warships Army

Insignia

The rank insignia consists of two narrow blue bands on slightly wider black bands. Insignia (the plural of Latin insigne: emblem symbol is a Symbol or Token of personal power, Status or Office This is worn on both the lower sleeves of the tunic or on the shoulders of the flight suit or the casual uniform. flight suit is a full body garment worn while flying a powered Aircraft such as Military airplanes and helicopters The rank insignia on the mess uniform is similar to the naval pattern, being two band of gold running around each cuff but without the Royal Navy's loop.

Other air forces

The rank of Flight Lieutenant is also used in a number of the air forces in the Commonwealth, including the Bangladesh Air Force, Ghana Air Force, Indian Air Force, Pakistan Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Bangladesh Air Force (বাংলােদশ িবমান বািহনী Bangladesh Biman Bahini in Bangla) is the tactical and strategic air branch The Ghana Air Force ( GAF) is the Air force of the African nation of Ghana. The Indian Air Force (Devanāgarī भारतीय वायु सेना IAST Bhartiya Vāyu Senā is the air arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the Pakistan Air Force ( Urdu: پاک فضائیہ, Pak Faza'ya) ( PAF) is the Aviation branch of the Pakistan armed forces The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The Royal New Zealand Air Force ( RNZAF) is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. It is also used in the Egyptian Air Force, Hellenic Air Force, Royal Air Force of Oman, Royal Thai Air Force and the Air Force of Zimbabwe. The Egyptian Air Force, or EAF (القوات الجوية المصرية) is the aviation branch of the Egyptian armed forces. The Hellenic Air Force ( HAF) (in Πολεμική Αεροπορία ( ΠΑ) Polemikí Aeroporía, literally "Military Aviation" The Royal Air Force of Oman ( RAFO) is the air arm of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces History The Sultan of Oman's Air Force The Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF ( Thai: กองทัพอากาศไทย Kong Thab Akat Thai is the Air force of the Kingdom of Thailand The Air Force of Zimbabwe ( AFZ) is the Air force of Zimbabwe. The Royal Canadian Air Force used the rank until 1968, when the three armed services were unified and Army-type ranks were adopted; Flight Lieutenants became Captains.

Notable flight lieutenants

• Jerry Rawlings, Ghanaian politician who twice served as that country's president. Jerry John Rawlings (born Jeremiah Rawlings John June 22, 1947 in Accra) was twice the Head of state of Ghana and was the 1st
• Sir Patrick Moore, British astronomer. Sir Alfred Patrick Caldwell-Moore, CBE, HonFRS, FRAS (born 4 March 1923 in Pinner) known as Patrick Moore, is
• Arthur C. Clarke, British author and inventor
• Christopher Lee, British actor, served in RAF Intelligence during World War II
• Alex Coomber, British skeleton racer. Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE (16 December 1917–19 March 2008 was a British Science fiction Author, Inventor, and Christopher Frank Carandini Lee CBE, CStJ (born 27 May 1922 is a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated Saturn Award-winning English Actor World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Alexandra "Alex" Coomber (born Alexandra Hamilton on 28 December 1973 is British skeleton racer who competed in the late 1990s and early 2000s
• Roald Dahl, Welsh childrens writer

See also

• RAF officer ranks
• Comparative military ranks
• Lieutenant (for pronunciation)

References