This informal moniker refers to a male aviator, particularly one flying military or high-performance aircraft. It traditionally carries connotations of bravado, glamour, or an arrogant attitude associated with fighter pilots. While it originated as a straightforward descriptor for aircrew, ground crews and mechanics often use it sarcastically to describe pilots who act entitled or lack mechanical knowledge about their machines.
Heard on the job
The flyboys want us to turn this bird around in twenty minutes, but they wrote up three pages of squawks.
Insider tip
Mechanics often use this term behind a pilot's back when the aviator breaks a perfectly good aircraft and expects it fixed instantly.
Also heard as
- jet jockey
- throttle jockey