Despite an uptick in the middle 1980s, the number of active duty Air Force aircraft and the number of officers with aeronautical ratings--pilots and navigators--have been falling steadily for many years.
n At the peak of World War II, almost 46 percent of the officer force wore wings. Today, it's about 24 percent.
n In the 1950s, pilots accounted for more than 40 percent of the total officers. Today, they are 17 percent.
n The number of active duty pilots has fallen by 91 percent since World War II-but the drop in the number of active duty aircraft has been even steeper, down more than 92 percent.
n/a = not available
Sources: Army Air Forces Statistical Digest, World War II, 1945; A History of the United States Air Force, 1907-1957 ©1957, The Air Force Association; Air Force Magazine Almanac issues, 1987-2001.