Most pilots I know don't give 2 hoots if they are an officer or an NCO.
Pay me enough, treat me well, give me the authority to do my job, and you can give me any rank you choose.
I joined to be a pilot. The RAF told me I had to be an officer. I don't know of anybody who applied to be an officer, and were told they had to be a pilot.
Rank and authority are often confused on a flightdeck.