Editing Observer Badge (section)

==US Air Force Observer rating==
[[File:United States Air Force Navigator Observer Badge.svg|thumb|250px|U.S. Air Force Navigator/Combat Systems Officer/Observer Badge]]
With the creation of the [[United States Air Force]] in 1947, aviation observers were phased out and replaced by more highly trained specialists known as Aircrew personnel. The [[Aircrew Badge]] was created prior to the [[Second World War]]; but had only been awarded to enlisted personnel. Since the creation of the USAF [[Officer Aircrew Badge]] (an unrated award), the Navigator-Observer Badge has been issued to otherwise unrated officers who complete NASA Mission Specialist training with the [[USAF Aeronautical Ratings|aeronautical rating]] of '''Observer'''. On completion of an operational mission they may then apply to the [[Air Force Chief of Staff]] for the [[Astronaut]] qualification that permits them to wear the USAF Navigator / Combat Systems Officer version of the [[Astronaut Badge]].

===Civil Air Patrol===
[[File:CAP Observer Technician Badge.png|250px|thumb|Air Force Auxiliary, Civil Air Patrol Observer Badge]]
The title "Observer" is still used regularly in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, better known as the [[Civil Air Patrol]].  Civil Air Patrol observers may act as the mission commander for aircrews engaged in search and rescue, homeland defense reconnaissance, or other Air Force-authorized missions, serving as the liaison between the sortie and mission base.  Observers are trained in air navigation, radio communications, and other technical subjects such as aerial direction finding.  The Civil Air Patrol badge for an observer looks almost identical to the CAP pilot badge, except that the observer device has an additional ''O'' or thin circle atop the central CAP emblem.