Air Force Pilot Badge

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.