A flight commander position is that of leading a constituent portion of an aerial squadron in aerial operations, often into combat. That constituent portion is known as a flight, and usually contains six or fewer aircraft, with four being a common number. The tactical need for commonality in performance characteristics of aircraft usually insures that all aircraft under a flight commander's command and control in air operations are the same or very similar types.
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Historically, the role of a flight commander in fighter aircraft has been that of principal attacker in air to air combat, with the other airplane or airplanes in a flight supporting and protecting him from counter-attack as a wingman or wingmen. This delineation of roles came into being very early in the history of aerial warfare, as Oswald Boelcke, Roderic Dallas, and Mick Mannock all derived the basic tactics of successful air to air combat from their flying experiences during World War I circa 1916.
As a result, the flight commander position has traditionally been rated as approximating that of an army or marine captain, with the wingmen being both junior and subordinate to him. However, rank inflation has taken place in many air forces, and that rating may no longer hold true.
The Royal Naval Air Service of World War I used Flight Commander as the title of a rank approximately equivalent to the ground services rank of captain. In turn, beginning with Britain's Royal Air Force, the term also became sometimes used as a title for the military rank of flight commander. Strictly speaking, the position and the rank are not interchangeable. It should be kept in mind that the position of flight commander can be held by a variety of military ranks. In turn, the rank of flight commander does not always imply leadership in the air; in point of fact, a commissioned officer ranked as a flight commander can even be assigned to non-flying duties.
Military hierarchy of air forces