'aircraftsman' originates from the combination of 'aircraft' and 'man', where 'aircraft' refers to any machine capable of flight and 'man' refers to a person.

'aircraftsman' evolved from the term 'airman', which was used to describe any person involved in aviation.

Initially, it meant 'a person involved in aviation', but over time it evolved to specifically refer to a non-officer member of the air force.