airmann.
/ˈɛːmən/, U.S. /ˈɛrmən/ 1. A man engaged in the flying or operation of an aircraft, esp. as a pilot or member of an air crew. Also: a member of an air force.
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society > travel > air or space travel > people who fly in aircraft or spacecraft > [noun] > person in control of aircraft or spacecraft > person in control of aircraft
aeronaut1784
airman1873
aviator1887
aviationist1895
birdman1908
flyer1934
microlighter1982
1873 Cassell's Mag. 8 135/2 The airmen were running..and the balloon was pitching so much as almost to make Bob feel a little air-sick.
1910 Times 4 May 11/6 Already people are asking what we are to call the new navigators of the air; and a correspondent yesterday made the simple and sensible suggestion that we should call them ‘airmen,’ on the analogy of seamen.
1920 Act 10 & 11 George V c. 30 §41 (5) The expression ‘airman’ means a man of the regular air force.
1935 Times 21 Jan. 17/2 Mr Stuve was also an enthusiastic airman, and he lost the sight of one of his eyes during a flight through an insect flying into it.
1955 Ann. Amer. Acad. Polit. & Social Sci. 299 21 No responsible airman in the last decade has asserted that air power can do everything by itself.
1993 M. B. Graham Mantle of Heroism i. 70 For every airman, from commanding officer..down to the youngest machinist, it was a special event.
2002 G. Mccafferty They had no Choice ii. 25 Another message included a short note from a grounded airman telling his wife that he was safe and well.
2. Military. A male member of the Royal Air Force below NCO rank (cf. airwoman n.); a male or female member of the U.S. Air Force below NCO rank.In the U.S. Air Force Airman is the second lowest enlisted rank, between Airman Basic and Airman First Class.
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society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > airman > [noun]
airman1918
society > travel > air or space travel > people who fly in aircraft or spacecraft > [noun] > person in control of aircraft or spacecraft > person in control of aircraft > air force pilot
skyfighter1915
airman1918
1918 Times 26 Aug. 3/4 A light blue uniform has been approved for Warrant Officers, N.C.O.'s, and Airmen of the Royal Air Force.
1927 T. E. Lawrence Let. 2 Dec. (1938) 553 Airmen mustn't fly machines:—that is a privilege of officers; and R.A.F. officers are very unlike R.A.F. airmen.
1934 Lancet 30 June 1377/1 The term ‘airman’ in the R.A.F. is used to designate ‘other ranks’ as distinguished from officers. It does not, per se, imply flying capacity.
1955 Intelligence Activities: Rep. to Congr. (U.S. Comm. Executive Branch Govt.) ii. ii. 41 Recognizing the need for continuing Intelligence training, the Air Force has established such a program for officers and airmen.
1973 Harvard Law Rev. 86 575 The district court held that the regulation as applied to Airman Robinson violated the due process clause, and issued a permanent injunction against her discharge.
1991 J. A. Phelps Chappie vii. 55 The goal was the activation and training of an entire fighter group of black airmen and officers.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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