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Common military ranks
Officers
Navies	Armies	Air forces
Generalissimo
Admiral of the Fleet	Marshal / Field Marshal	Marshal of the Air Force
Admiral	General	Air Marshal
Commodore	Brigadier	Air Commodore
Captain	Colonel	Group Captain
Commander	Lt. Colonel	Wing Commander
Lt. Commander	Major / Commandant	Squadron Leader
Lieutenant	Captain	Flight Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Flying Officer
Ensign	2nd Lieutenant	Pilot Officer
Midshipman	Officer Cadet	Officer Cadet
Seamen, soldiers and airmen
Warrant Officer	Sergeant Major	Warrant Officer
Petty Officer	Sergeant	Sergeant
Leading Seaman	Corporal	Corporal
Seaman	Private	Aircraftman

Aircraftman (AC), or Aircraftwoman (ACW), is the lowest rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of several other Commonwealth countries.

Aircraftman ranks below Leading Aircraftman and has a NATO rank code of OR-1. It is presently a training rank only and no airmen in productive service hold this rank. Aircraftman do not wear any rank insignia.

Contents 1 History 2 Usage 2.1 Royal New Zealand Air Force 2.2 Royal Air Force 3 See also

[edit] History

The rank was introduced on the formation of the RAF in 1918, replacing the Royal Flying Corps rank of Air Mechanic 2nd Class. There were two grades: Aircraftman 1st Class (AC1) and Aircraftman 2nd Class (AC2; also colloquially known as an "AC plonk").

[edit] Usage

[edit] Royal New Zealand Air Force

In the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the rank is known as "Aircraftsman", regardless of the person's sex, in line with Seaman in the Royal New Zealand Navy.

[edit] Royal Air Force

In RAF slang, Aircraftmen are sometimes called "erks". The word "erk" is likely a phonetic spelling of an east-Londoner's pronunciation of the abbreviation, "airc".^{[citation needed]}

The spelling "Aircraftsman", despite being seen even in official documents, is incorrect in the RAF.

[edit] See also

• RAF enlisted ranks

	Ratings and Other Ranks of the British Armed Forces
	OR-1	OR-2	OR-3	OR-4	OR-5/OR-6	OR-7	OR-8	OR-9
Royal Navy:		AB		LH	PO	CPO	WO2	WO1
Royal Marines:		Mne	LCpl	Cpl	Sgt	CSgt	WO2	WO1
Army:	Pte	Pte	LCpl	Cpl	Sgt	SSgt / CSgt	WO2	WO1
Royal Air Force:	AC	LAC - SAC - Jnr Tech		Cpl	Sgt	Chf Tech - Flt Sgt		WO / MAcr