How to Make a Fantasy Airforce Hierarchy That Works Well

A series of 4 gray boxes with 3 red question marks, representing the fantasy airforce hierarchy, lined up from top to bottom. A black line connects the higher one to the lower one and repeats until it reaches the bottommost one. In the background is the blue sky with several white clouds and black birds flying.
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Sunfire

CONTENTS

Introduction

It’s no surprise that out of the different branches of the fantasy military, the army and navy appear in many fictional worlds. The airforce, while it hasn’t been around as long as the other two, it’s nevertheless already made a significant impact in how kingdoms wage war. One reason for this is because the fantasy airforce hierarchy just works so well.

The hierarchy of the airforce is far more dynamic compared to the other two. It’s because those flying craft or beasts literally have to make split-second decisions right on the spot. They can’t simply call in and await orders, not when they’re pressed for time. This makes for far more tense moments as the pilots have to decide what to do and hope that they made the right call.

The fantasy airforce hierarchy is similar to its counterparts in that there’s a clear structure of who holds what positions and the responsibilities that come with them. The clear chain of command makes it simple for instructions from the higher ups to be implemented with all due speed. This serves the airforce well especially when in a time-crunch.

Not surprisingly, the type of airforce seen varies by world. For instance, worlds set in medieval times are not going to have bombers, jet planes, and so on. Dragons and airships rule the skies in these worlds. This significantly shapes the hierarchy that appears in these areas.

The fantasy airforce hierarchy impacts the world in a meaningful way, regardless of it dragons or planes dominate the blue skies. It issues and implements orders that have the potential to change the world in both obvious and unexpected ways.

This is article number twelve in the series delving into the fantasy military. If you want to see more, they can be found on our blog page!

Basics of the Fantasy Airforce Hierarchy

When featuring an airforce in the world you’re creating, there are several things to take into account. Have a clear understanding of the positions that fill it, the duties assigned to each one of them, and how they interact with each other goes a long way in making one that does the job and feels natural to your audience.

When it comes to the positions of a fantasy airforce hierarchy, many creators go with ones found in the real world. Positions like captains, wing commanders, squadron leaders, and so on are core in establishing said hierarchy. Be sure to clearly communicate what they do so that your audience knows and understands why they’re doing what they’re doing.

A bunch of flying red question marks in light gray clouds with wings. The question marks are flying high up in the skies as seen with the blue sky and white clouds. They represent the various types of fantasy occupations.

There are some creators who forgo real-world positions, instead opting to compose their own. There’s no harm in going down this route should you decide that’s something you want to do. The only thing is that you’ll have a bit more work to explain them to your audience but the payoff will be worth it, for they’ll be more interested in exploring your fictional world.

There’s a natural tension between different positions of a fantasy airforce hierarchy. Those on the lower end need to follow the orders from their superiors, lest they be kicked out of the airforce entirely. The higher ups need to ensure that they go to great lengths to minimize the risks of the missions they assign to their subordinates without sacrificing the integrity of said missions.

Exploring the interpersonal relationships within the hierarchy is an excellent way to delve into the inner workings of the airforce. Different people have different personalities and the positions they’re in will dictate how they treat those both higher and lower than them. Your audience will gain insight into why the people who work in the airforce make the decisions they do.

How the Fantasy Airforce Hierarchy Varies by the World

Since it is one of the newest branches of the military, the airforce hasn’t made as much of an impact as the army and navy have but it’s already made some significant contributions to the world. The thing of it is, within the genre there is a deep diversity of worlds, set in different periods of time, and not all of them feature an airforce.

The airforce that appears in these realms are heavily dictated by the circumstances of said worlds. For example, medieval-based worlds won’t have planes like helicopters, bombers, and so on. Thus, it’s critical that you match it to the world your story takes place in. That also means you’ll need to adjust the fantasy airforce hierarchy as well.

Fantasy cities are important in the genre. This image depicts a city with a castle on a hilltop above it. The city has both rectangular- and square-shaped buildings with a wavy roof on each one. The buildings come in four colors: light yellow, brown, light blue, and white. The roofs come in the following colors: dark blue, red, light black, and dark brown. Many of these buildings have windows and some have a visible door. The road itself runs down the middle of the image, swaying to the right and then the left, ending at the doorstep of the castle. The road also meets two others, one that runs to the left, and the other to the right. Behind the city is a grassy field with blades of grass scattered throughout. A river cuts through the field, meandering from the left edge to the right edge of the image. The castle itself is white with gray shadows. It has four red turrets and diamond-shaped windows. The sky above is a bright blue with two white clouds. Some birds are flying on the left side, above the castle, and the right side. It also features a fantasy marketplace.

Worlds set in medieval times and earlier tend to have a looser hierarchy. While the positions within the hierarchy are still quite firm, implementing them is another story. There’s not just as many people as in later eras, not to mention that communications across vast distances aren’t instantaneous. Days or weeks could very well pass between the time an order is issued and it’s received by its intended recipient. Here, locals are empowered to make decisions in the absence of receiving said orders.

For worlds that occur in the industrial and afterward, the hierarchy is more rigid. The set of responsibilities for each position is more specific and inter-organizational communication is quicker than before. This means orders across long distances reach their recipients in a shorter period of time, increasing the odds they’ll be done faster.

How do you make a fantasy airforce hierarchy work in your own world? The period of history it is in isn’t the only thing that dictates the hierarchy seen in yours. You have a number of other factors such the objects the airforce uses to soar in the skies. Pilots riding dragons are expected to develop a relationship with them since they’ll be doing missions together which means these beasts will be part of the hierarchy. Only you can come up with these factors yourself, after all it’s your world and you’re the one making the rules that govern it.

How the Fantasy Airforce Hierarchy Influences the World

The role the hierarchy plays in the world is strictly based off on the chain-of-command. Modeled after the real world, those within the airforce work diligently to accomplish missions and maintain the peace in the skies. War is another story and that’s when the airforce has the most impact on the world.

The chain-of-command in the fantasy airforce hierarchy shapes the decision-making process. This affects the world in that the subordinates are implementing their superiors’ orders whether it’s dealing with nuisance enemy fighters or doing some maintenance before a major mission. The airforce constantly evaluates the state of the realm and whatever issues that arise that affect the skies, it’ll look into them and determine the best course of action to deal with them.

In peacetime, the hierarchy works overtime to ensure that there’s no trouble in the skies. The higher ups issue orders to their subordinates to patrol the skies and to report everything out of the ordinary. Whatever reports of unusual activity they receive, they assess whether it poses a threat to the safety of the skies and move quickly to neutralize it.

Times of war is when the fantasy airforce hierarchy is in full swing. The skies becomes a major front in the war, meaning securing and maintaining control becomes of them becomes the  airforce’s top priority. Having full control of the skies enables the airforce to conduct strikes and devastating attacks on the enemy without having to worry about being hit from the skies.

Securing control can pose its own challenge though. Depending on what the enemy is fielding, the airforce could be dealing with enemy ships or airborne beasts like dragons. Each one of them requires a strategy to defeat. It’s up to the top brass to figure it out and then relay it to their subordinates so that they can eliminate them with minimal to no casualties.

Tying it all Together

The hierarchy is essential to the airforce in that it’s what enables things to get done and in a timely manner. As part of the military, the airforce’s main duty is to safeguard the skies and is committed to do whatever it takes to keep the skies open. All positions within the hierarchy work in unison to achieve that.

Each position in the fantasy airforce hierarchy has a set of duties assigned to it. A continual stream of clear and concise communication between different positions is key to success and enables the airforce to attain its objectives with ease. Of course, there’s inherent tension between the upper and lower rank and file which can make even the simplest missions a tad more complicated.

The world the story takes place in determines the type of airforce hierarchy seen in it. Medieval-styled worlds feature dragons and airships whereas in later eras like the modern, planes rule the skies. In the former, the hierarchy is looser compared to that of the latter.

On the world stage, the fantasy airforce hierarchy shapes it by the actions the positions within it take. The orders issued by the top brass are then carried out by their subordinates which can affect the world in dramatic ways. For example, the airforce could take full control of the skies, making it impossible for enemy forces to take to the skies or launch a series of bombing runs that cripple an opponent kingdom’s cities severely.

The hierarchy of a fantasy airforce can lead to some interesting storylines but only if you use it correctly. It’s up to you to create one that your audience enjoys!

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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,

Sunfire

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