Royal Canadian Air Force Ranks Quiz

Answer: Pilot Officer

'Pilot Officer' was the lowest commissioned rank for an air force officer and the rank granted upon completion of pilot training. In Canada's other official language, the rank was called 'sous-lieutenant d'aviation'.


When 'Unification' occurred in 1968, the ranks used by the army were adopted across the board, and all uniforms (for Air, Land and Sea) became army-style rifle green uniforms.

Distinct Army, Navy and Air Force uniforms would return in the 1980s, but the adopted army ranks remained.

Answer: Flying Officer

A 'Flying Officer' wasn't necessarily a flying officer, as the rank was held by ground-based officers as well as those tasked with piloting airplanes. But it was the next step up the ladder of air force officer advancement.

In French, the rank was called 'lieutenant d'aviation'.

Answer: Flight Lieutenant

The rank of 'Flight Lieutenant', like the Captain of today, was largely held by actual pilots who had no other personnel under their command, although they are also often found in administrative roles as leaders of subdivisions within a ground-based unit or 'flight'.

The equivalent French rank was 'capitaine d'aviation'.

Answer: Squadron Leader

As the title suggests, a 'Squadron Leader' was traditionally in command of a squadron (defined as 'a basic tactical air force unit, subordinate to a group and consisting of two or more flights' - the Free Dictionary).

The French translation of the rank is 'commandant d'aviation'.

Answer: Wing Commander

A 'Wing Commander' was generally in command of a wing, which is usually comprised of three or four squadrons (and all associated personnel). In Canada, the RCAF is organized into (as of the writing of this quiz) 14 'Wings' across the country (the air force equivalent of a 'Canadian Forces Base').

The 'Wing Commander' commissioned rank in French was 'lieutenant-colonel d'aviation'.

Answer: Group Captain

Where a 'Group' would typically consist of a number of 'Wings', a 'Group Captain' was not typically in command of Group, but rather a ground training facility or Wing. In the RCAF today, it is typically a Colonel who commands a Wing, while a Lieutenant-Colonel has a lesser role than its previous Wing Commander moniker.

A 'Group Captain' en français was a 'colonel d'aviation'.

Answer: Air Commodore

Like the 'Brigadier-General' rank, 'Air Commodores' are the junior level of the general officers (one star), and as such are typically at higher levels of command (such as Canada's National Defense Headquarters).

The French equivalent to 'Air Commodore' was 'commodore de l'air.

Answer: Air Vice Marshal

Traditionally, the 'Air Vice Marshal' would have been in command of a Group, although (again), the general ranks in Canada have more to do with policy and program development at NDHQ than with actual direct command of personnel (apart from their personal staffs).

In French, the 'Air Vice Marshal' rank was 'vice-maréchal de l'air'.

Answer: Air Marshal

'Air Marshals' were the second-most senior rank in the RCAF, and as such were given senior appointments and roles. The position of 'Chief of the Air Staff' was held by an 'Air Marshal'.

The French equivalent rank was 'maréchal de l'air'.

Answer: Air Chief Marshal

The rank of 'Air Chief Marshal' was the highest possible rank in the RCAF, and in RCAF history, only two people ever held the rank of Air Chief Marshal - Lloyd Samuel Breadner (promoted in 1945 upon retirement) and Frank Robert Miller (promoted in 1961 with appointment to Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff).

There have been RCAF generals since Unification, but those were the only two to hold the older rank.

'Air Chief Marshal' in French translates as 'maréchal en chef de l'air'.