Airman 1st Class (A1C) is the third enlisted rank (E-3) in the United States Air Force, just above
Airman and below
Senior Airman. The rank of Airman First Class is considered a junior enlisted rank, with the noncommissioned officers (NCO) and senior noncommissioned officers (SNCO) above it.
Promotion to A1C occurs upon one or more of the following: 10 months time in the grade of Airman (or earlier for airmen with specific specialties), completion of three years of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), completion of two years of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), the General Billy Mitchell Award in Civil Air Patrol, completion of 45 or more college credit hours, or agreeing to an extended length enlistment (normally at least 6 years). An A1C is considered to be fully adjusted to military life, and his or her duties focus on honing job skills.
From 1947 to 1952 the rank was known as corporal, and from 1952 to 1967 as airman 2nd class.
Because of their two stripes, an Airman First Class is often nicknamed "Dragonfly Wings."
