U.S. Air Force Aeronautical Ratings

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

U.S. Air Force aeronautical ratings are military aviation skill standards established and awarded by the United States Air Force for commissioned officers participating in aerial and space flight. USAF aeronautical badges, commonly referred to as "wings" from their shape and their historical legacy, are awarded by the Air Force in recognition of degrees of achievement and experience. Officers earning these badges are classified as rated officers.

For all categories of aeronautical ratings, to be eligible for the rating and to wear the appropriate badge, an officer must be medically qualified to fly and also be qualified by flying status proficiency. Certified flight officers who develop medical conditions that disqualify them from flying are classified DNIF (Duties Not Including Flying). DNIF may be temporary or permanent. Officers placed on permanent DNIF status are either cross-trained into another career field, or separated from the Air Force, depending on the severity of their medical condition.

The Astronaut "qualifier" is awarded only by the Air Force Chief of Staff for rated officers formally qualified to perform duties at least 50 miles above the earth's surface and who have participated in at least one operational mission, and has a distinctive Astronaut Badge, consisting of a qualifier device superimposed on their rated badge.[1]

The five categories of aeronautical ratings are:[2]

Contents

[edit] Background

Aeronautical ratings were established in March 1912 by the U.S. Army. Before that time most pilots of the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps soloed by the "short hop method" (also known as "grass-cutting"), in which student pilots, flying alone, learned to handle airplane controls on the ground, taxied in further practice until just short of takeoff speeds, and finally took off to a height of just ten feet, gradually working up to higher altitudes and turns. The practice resulted in the first pilot death only a month into training. At least three of these pilots had been previously instructed by Glen Curtiss at North Island field, California. Concurrently, two pilots (Henry H. Arnold and Thomas DeWitt Milling) were instructed by the Wright Brothers and certified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) in July 1911.

To establish formal standards of certification, the Army created the military aviator rating and certified 25 officers as "qualified", recognized as pilots in the Army Register. The first rating was awarded to future General of the Air Force Henry H. Arnold, in July 1912.[3] On 27 May 1913, the War Department issued General Order (GO) No. 39, authorizing a badge for military aviators, and again Arnold received the first.

In 1914, Congress established the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, replacing the Aeronautical Division. Two levels of qualification were specified in War Department Bulletin 35 on 4 May 1914, with aviators below the rank of captain rated as Junior Military Aviator and those captain and above rated as Military Aviator. The Military Aviator badge was replaced on 15 August 1917 by creation of a new "wings" badge, the first sketches of which are attributed to Arnold in early 1917.

[edit] Pilot ratings

Pilot Badge

The USAF awards pilot ratings at three levels: Pilot, Senior Pilot, and Command Pilot, to active duty officers and to officers considered as "rated assets" in the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard (Air Reserve Components). Rating standards apply equally to both fixed-wing and helicopter pilots.

The following additional criteria are required to be rated as a USAF pilot:[4]

Rating Basic requirement Flight time Alternative flight time
Command Pilot *15 years as rated pilot, and
*Permanent award of senior pilot rating, and		 3000 total hours, or *2300 hours primary and instructor flight, or
*144 months Operational Flying Duty (OFDA)
Senior Pilot *7 years as rated pilot, and
*Permanent award of pilot rating, and		 2000 total hours, or 1300 hours primary and instructor flight
Pilot *Graduate of USAF pilot training program, or
*Graduate of other US military pilot training if ordered by USAF, or
*Graduate of other US military pilot training if equivalent to USAF program, or

*Graduate of helicopter training in other US military and		 400 hours primary and instrument flight




400 hours in rotary flight time and instrument qualification

[edit] Navigator ratings

Navigator Badge

The USAF awards navigator ratings at three levels: Navigator, Senior Navigator, and Master Navigator, for active duty officers and officers considered "rated assets" in the Air Reserve Components. The following additional criteria are required for rating as a navigator:

Rating Basic requirement Flight time Alternative flight time
Master Navigator *15 years as rated navigator, and
*Permanent award of senior navigator rating, and		 3000 total hours, or *2300 hours primary and instructor time, or
*144 months OFDA
Senior Navigator *7 years as rated navigator
*Permanent award of navigator rating		 2000 total hours *1300 hours primary and instructor time, or
*72 months OFDA
Navigator *Graduate of USAF Undergraduate Navigator Training, or

*Graduate of USN Naval Flight Officer course, VT-86 (Advanced Navigation)		 400 hours primary navigator time None


Reviewed by Aeronautical Rating Board and approved by Major Command

[edit] Air Battle Manager ratings

Air Battle Manager Badge

The USAF awards Air Battle Manager ratings at three levels: Air Battle Manager, Senior Air Battle Manager, and Master Air Battle Manager, for active duty officers and officers considered "rated assets" in the Air Reserve Components. The following additional criteria are required to be rated as an air battle manager:

Rating Basic requirement Flight time Alternative flight time
Master Air Battle Manager *15 years as rated ABM, and
*Permanent award of senior ABM rating, and		 3000 total hours, or *2300 hours primary and instructor time, or
*144 months OFDA
Senior Air Battle Manager *7 years as rated ABM, and
*Permanent award of ABM rating, and		 2000 total hours, or *1300 hours primary and instructor time, or
*72 months OFDA
Air Battle Manager *Graduate of E-3 Formal Training Unit course[5], or
*Graduate of E-8 Formal Training Unit course		 No time required

[edit] Observer ratings

Observer Badge

The USAF awards observer ratings at three levels: Observer, Senior Observer, and Master Observer, for active duty officers and officers considered "rated assets" in the Air Reserve Components. The following additional criteria are required to be rated as a USAF observer:

Rating Basic requirement Flight time Alternative flight time
Master Observer *15 years as rated observer, and
*Permanent award of senior observer rating, and		 3000 total hours, or *2300 hours primary and instructor time, or
*144 months OFDA
Senior Observer *7 years as rated observer, and
*Permanent award of observer rating. and		 2000 total hours, or *1300 hours primary and instructor time, or
*72 months OFDA
Observer *Graduate of NASA Mission Specialist training No time required

[edit] Flight Surgeon ratings

Flight Surgeon Badge

The USAF awards flight surgeon ratings at three levels: Flight Surgeon, Senior Flight Surgeon, and Chief Flight Surgeon, for active duty officers and officers considered "rated assets" in the Air Reserve Components. The following additional criteria are required for rating as a USAF flight surgeon:

Rating Basic requirement Flight time Alternative flight time
Chief Flight Surgeon *15 years rated service as flight surgeon, and
*Permanent award of senior flight service rating, and
*1 year current active service as flight surgeon, and		 750 logged hours, or 144 months OFDA
Senior Flight Surgeon *7 years rated service as flight surgeon, and
*Permanent award of flight surgeon rating. and
*1 year current active service as flight surgeon, and		 350 logged hours, or 72 months OFDA
Flight Surgeon *Graduate of Aerospace Medicine Primary Course, and
*Unrestricted medical license, and
*Awarded Air Force Specialty Code 48XX		 No time required

[edit] Pilot-Physicians

Flight surgeons may also perform duties as Pilot-physicians. Pilot-physicians are primarily assigned to an operational flying squadron in their respective aircraft, with their main assignment as a pilot, but also with clinical duties seeing patients, usually the flight medicine clinic, depending on the pilot-physician's medical specialty. While the number of available positions is not specifically authorized, the numbers are small because of service commitments required for both USAF pilot training (10 years) and USAF-sponsored medical training (4 years), and because of authorized limits of pilot slots in specific aircraft types. Pilot-physician is also an alternative track for NASA astronaut candidates.[6]

Pilot-physicians are eligible for advanced ratings as both flight surgeons and pilots. They may apply toward advanced pilot ratings any USAF pilot years of aviation service, months of operational flying duty, and total flying hours accrued before achieving flight surgeon status. After attaining status as a pilot-physician, all hours flown as a pilot, and months of operational flying duty credit accrued as a pilot, may be "dual-credited" toward both advanced pilot and flight surgeon ratings as long as the officer is on aeronautical orders as an active pilot-physician. Hours flown as a flight surgeon, however, may be applied only towards advanced flight surgeon ratings.[7]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Air Force Instruction (AFI) 11-402, Paragraph 2.2.2
  2. ^ AFI 11-402. Paragraph 2.2 defines the categories of aeronautical ratings and Paragraph 2.4 the authority making the award.
  3. ^ John T. Correll, "The First of the Force", AIR FORCE Magazine, August 2007, p. 50.
  4. ^ AFI 11-402 Table 2.1. This table defines requirements for all five categories of ratings.
  5. ^ FTU is an umbrella term for both current Undergraduate ABM Training (UABMT) and previous Programmed Flying Training (PFT) in a flying unit
  6. ^ AFI 11-405 Pilot-Physician Program
  7. ^ AFI 11-402, Paragraph 2.9

[edit] References

[edit] See also