Rank given upon specialisation courses completed

[nicolas75]

Hello to all,

 

A quick and dumb question about grade ratings when out of school

 

When you were taking specialisation course to be a Pilot, a Navigator etc ... upon wich criterias does a qualified student is appointed to be “Flight Officer” “2nd Lieut” or “1st Lieut” ?

 

- When results are known, does the 10 first are 1st Lieut, then 20 next are 2nd lieut etc ... ?

- Or maybe based on each student situation, he’s appointed on what it could be expected to him in responsabilities, knowledge ?

- Then maybe F/O did not have the minimum education diplomas to be directly promoted to Officer ?

 

It seems there were very few F/o on BG or FG, so why don’t they tranied them a bit more to be upgraded to Lt ?

 

Thanks

[Cobrahistorian]

Hello to all,

 

A quick and dumb question about grade ratings when out of school

 

When you were taking specialisation course to be a Pilot, a Navigator etc ... upon wich criterias does a qualified student is appointed to be “Flight Officer” “2nd Lieut” or “1st Lieut” ?

 

- When results are known, does the 10 first are 1st Lieut, then 20 next are 2nd lieut etc ... ?

- Or maybe based on each student situation, he’s appointed on what it could be expected to him in responsabilities, knowledge ?

- Then maybe F/O did not have the minimum education diplomas to be directly promoted to Officer ?

 

It seems there were very few F/o on BG or FG, so why don’t they tranied them a bit more to be upgraded to Lt ?

 

Thanks

 

Nicolas,

 

Not a dumb question at all! Things were a little different from the way they are today. Pilots mostly enlisted as Aviation Cadets or went into the Flight Officer program. Upon graduation, they were commissioned as a 2Lt or appointed a Flight Officer. From there, they would be posted to a flying unit, where they would further hone their skills, preferably before the unit went to war.

 

Flight officer pilots flew in all types of aircraft during WWII, I've seen plenty of P-47 drivers who were F/Os. Towards the end of the war, they started commissioning all of the F/Os and making them Lieutenants, but I don't think it ever fully happened.

 

Jon