| Flight (military Unit) |
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In the United Kingdom Royal Air Force and the air forces of the Commonwealth , from where much air force terminology emanated, an aircraft flight, in the first decades of air forces, was commanded by a Flight Lieutenant , a rank equivalent to Captain in other air forces and armies, or a naval Lieutenant . More recently, however, it has become common for a flight to be led by a Squadron Leader — a formal rank not to be confused with a squadron commander — the equivalent of a Major or (naval) Lieutenant Commander in other services. A flight is usually divided into two Sections, each containing two to three aircraft, which share ground staff with the other section, and are usually commanded by a Flight Lieutenant. An air force ground flight is roughly equivalent to an army Platoon and may be commanded by a Flight Lieutenant, Flying Officer, Pilot Officer or Warrant Officer . (The names of ranks are still used, even though a ground flight contains no aircrews.) The British Army Air Corps and other army air corps also have flights. The United States Air Force has two types of flights. A numbered flight is a unit with a unique base-, Wing - or Numbered Air Force -wide mission, such as training or finance, not large enough to warrant designation as a Squadron . Numbered flights are quite rare. An '''alphabetic flight''' is an operational component of a flying or ground squadron, not a unit; alphabetic flights within a squadron normally have identical or similar functions and are normally designated A, B, C, D and so on within the squadron. Flights in the USAF are generally authorized between 20 and 100 members, are normally led by a company-grade officer ( Lieutenant or Captain ) and/or a Flight Chief, usually a senior Noncommissioned Officer in the rank of Master Sergeant . EXTERNAL LINK |
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