And it is important to note that the civilian aviation sector copied over civilian maritime sector.

The person in charge of the aircraft is the Captain, followed by numbers officers. This is similar to what happens in shipping. The chief flight attendant on an aircraft is the purser, which is the chief steward on a naval ship. There used to be Chief Engineer positions on some aircraft, similar to Chief Engineer positions on naval vessels.

The only reason the Air Force has its rank structure currently is because it branched off the Army.