From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids
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For other uses, see Navigator (disambiguation).
A navigator is the person onboard a ship or aircraft responsible for the navigation of the vessel. On aircraft, the position may also be referred to as a flight officer. The navigator's responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the captain (or pilot) while en route, and ensuring that hazards or obstacles are avoided.
A navigator can also be a navigational computer, system or software (automotive navigation system).
In the United States Air Force, the Navigator Badge is earned by officers so qualified. Depending on the aircraft and job responsibilities, navigators in the Air Force may also be referred to as Weapons System Officers (WSO) or Electronic Warfare Officers (EWO). In the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, the equivalent position is known as a Naval Flight Officer (NFO).
In the Royal Air Force, the term navigator is always used for the holder of this position in aircraft, including the backseat crew member in two-seater aircraft. Like pilots, navigators are always commissioned officers. They wear the single-wing aircrew brevet, with a capital 'N' in the centre.
Shipborne Navigators in the U.S. Navy must be Surface Warfare qualified.