# Are all military pilots officers (non-NCO)?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-military-pilots-officers-non-nco/751917>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 11, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-military-pilots-officers-non-nco/751917 "2016-04-11T19:20:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-military-pilots-officers-non-nco/751917/81 "2016-04-17T23:17:15Z")

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> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> SF and Marines do, however. Apparently, some SF WOs lead combat teams. Given the age at which one can be expected to make enter WO, that’s got to be tough physically.
> 
> How come physicians/lawyers/nurses aren’t WOs? That would seem more fitting than commissioned officer since they are hired for their specialty and will typically remain within their specialty for their whole career.

I don’t know what nurses and lawyers do in the modern world, but Physician is traditionaly a command position. Apart from surgeons, the traditional role of a hospital doctors is to make decisions: somebody else does the action. In the English tradition, surgeons were tradesmen, a distintion marked by the traditional title of “Mr” for surgions, and “Dr” for other doctors. In the modern world, surgeons are doctors before they start surgical traiing, so they are “officers” first.

Regarding SF, old guys don’t recover as fast, but they feel less pain. Athletes peak as sprinters when young, but the distance racers are older, long distance is older still, and ultra-marathon is sometimes people that are ~old~. British army officers are rotated through SF, so that they learn what it’s about. Enlisted roles stay in until retirement.

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-military-pilots-officers-non-nco/751917/82 "2016-04-18T09:20:46Z")

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Relevant Pprune thread about the rank of ‘Master Pilot’ [here](http://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/577401-what-rank-master-pilot.html).

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-military-pilots-officers-non-nco/751917/83 "2016-04-18T13:26:29Z")

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Nice site, judging by a quick glance. Is it a big one among pilots? Different feel than the others?

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-military-pilots-officers-non-nco/751917/84 "2016-04-18T13:33:07Z")

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> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> Nice site, judging by a quick glance. Is it a big one among pilots? Different feel than the others?

IANAP so couldn’t really tell you.

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