When does a trainee become a fighter pilot?
She’s not a trainee, she has her wings of gold
Having the wings is just the first step, you're considered a trainee until completing training to be an operational pilot, once they have completed RAG training. The RAG (replacement air group), also known as a fleet replacement squadron (FRS), is the last stop on the training pipeline for pilots. This is where pilots become proficient on their assigned aircraft. They learn the ins and outs as well as the dos and don'ts of their specific aircraft. The aviators will encounter very similar stages to those they completed in the advanced flight training stage they have just graduated from. For all pilots that will be operative from ships, carrier landing flights will be among the most routine, as well as practicing emergency situation and combat flying. I'd have thought that anyone in the military sporting pilot wings could be described as a fighter pilot, fighting being the military raison d'être.
Congratulations Lass, be thinking of you tomorrow when they pin you with those Wings of Gold. Hope you get the posting/aircraft you wish for.