In 1947, the U.S. Army Air Forces became its own separate service as the U.S. Air Force. The Air Force use the same pilot's badges as the earlier USAAC / USAAF design except that starting in the mid-1990s, they began to be made of chrome metal or sterling silver rather than the dull alloy wings used by the Army or the Air Force from 1947 to the mid-1990s.
Air Force regulations state that the basic rating denotes completion of specified training and that the advanced ratings denote experience levels.