>>>>>I think whence came the US
AAF, thence the USAF, nicht wahr?
>>>>
>>>>ah-yup
>>>
>>>But they didn't take the ranks: Flt Lt, Wing Commander, Squadron leader, Air Commodore
>>
>>Does the Flt Lt keep the rank when on solid ground?
>
>Even if he's not a pilot/navigator to start with. Equiv to 1st Lt, I think.
>
>In fact, the equiv of Sgt-major is Flight Sergeant (I think), and he may be ground crew.
>
>Forgot, the lowest officer rank, equiv to 2nd Lt, is Flying Officer, and he could be a stores supervisor.
I meant to say that naming a unit "flight" is just linguistic abuse, calling for mockery. What's it, a flight of stairs, or a noun derived from "flee"? Or "lt Dumsby is not in flight at the moment, he's in the squadron which is in flight; his previous flight is on the ground now" etc etc... really Heller and Hot Shots stuff.