If that’s the way it is now great, that’s the way it should always have been. However, in WWII the guy with the Command Pilot wings was always the aircraft commander by default. And, by the way, Command Pilot wings were rare. I never saw anyone with them except in pictures and I don’t think anyone with less than command of, say, the Bombardment Division or the Fighter Command of an Air Force like the 8th or 9th or even above that level had them.
Nobody in our group even came close to having them, nor as I recall, did the Wing Commander. Of course, 60 years ago there was a lot less historical time in which people could have accumulated the time required for even Senior Pilot wings. The guy with 1000 hours was way up there. I’m not kidding. During the 30’s the military was so strapped for money that people really didn’t get all that much flying time. Even during the war time didn’t accumulate all that fist. A tour of duty in B-26’s in the 9th AF was 65 missions. At four hours/mission, which was typical, you got roughly 260-280 hours during a tour. In the 1940’s flying was still pretty new. You have to remember that General Hap Arnold, AF Commander in WWII was taught to fly by the Wright brothers.
Yep, I figured it was something like that…in WWII Command Pilot wings actually meant you commanded something, rather than just met some flight hour/years flying gate.
Nowadays you get Senior pilot after 7 years of rated flying (ie after flight school) and a minimum of 1500 hours; Command pilot comes with 13 years of flying (no hours requirement).
Here’s a totally speculative thought that came into my head. I believe that in addition to the regular federal military/reserve/national guard structure, each state has an Adjutant General appointed by the governor to command that state’s national guard (when it is in state and not federal service). I think that the state Adjutant Generals are of brigagier general or major general rank, and that the appointments are pure state appointments outside of the regular military structure. I would guess that is possible for a state governor to appoint an Adjutant General without prior military experience, and that officer’s pay would be based on the federal tables. Perhaps the reason for the entries for O-7 and O-8 are to cover this eventuallity.
I knew a man in the Marines in Vietnam who was a E-2 PFC in January 1969 and an E-6 Staff Sgt. in mid 1970. Another friend ran into him in mid 1971 at Camp Pendleton California and he told him that they had offered him E-7 Gunnery Sgt. if he’d re-enlist. But he wasn’t going to because the Marine Corps’ involvement in Vietnam was down to about 0 by then and they wouldn’t send him back.