What was Roald Dahl’s RAF rank when he was commissioned after training as a pilot?

Roald Dahl’s RAF rank when he was commissioned after pilot training was Pilot Officer.

Dahl joined the Royal Air Force in 1939, after working for Shell in East Africa. He trained as a pilot and was commissioned as a pilot officer before being posted to No. 80 Squadron in the Middle East. His wartime flying career included combat operations against Italian forces.

In 1940, Dahl’s aircraft crash-landed in Libya. He suffered severe injuries and spent months recovering before returning to flying duties. The experience later became part of the wartime material used in his autobiographical writing.

RAF ranks can be easy to mix up because “pilot officer,” “flying officer,” and “flight lieutenant” are all real Royal Air Force ranks. Dahl’s early commissioned rank was Pilot Officer; it should not be confused with his later service status or with the generic description “RAF pilot.”