Aircrew

/ˈɛːkruː/ noun

Definition

The group of people who operate an aircraft during flight, including pilots, co-pilots, flight engineers, and cabin crew.

Etymology

Compound of 'air' and 'crew' (from Old French 'creue'), emerging in the early 20th century to describe the specialized team needed to fly modern aircraft.

Kelly Says

Before 'aircrew' became standard in the 1930s-40s, there was no efficient single word for this crew, so it's a genuinely useful linguistic invention that filled a gap created by aviation technology.

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