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In reference to the flightless bird of New Zealand, the noun kiwi (also with capital initial) designates a non-flying member of an air force. The following definition is from Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases (London: George Routledge and Sons, Ltd., 1925), by Edward Fraser and John Gibbons [page 137]:
KIWI, A: Air Force slang for a man on ground duty and not qualified for flying service. (From the name of the flightless bird of New Zealand).
These are, in chronological order, the earliest occurrences that I have found of the noun kiwi used in the sense of a non-flying member of an air force:
1-: From a diary note, dated Paris, France, Tuesday 22nd January 1918, published in One Man’s War: The Story of the Lafayette Escadrille (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1929), in which the U.S. military aviator Weston Birch ‘Bert’ Hall (1885-1948) recounted his experiences as a Lafayette Escadrille pilot during the First World War [chapter 32, pages 289 & 290]:
Visited the Avenue Montaigne Headquarters. It is full of non-flying aviators. The American pilots call them Kiwis in honor of the South African [sic] bird who, in spite of its enormous wings, never really gets off the ground. There is a distinct feeling of animosity between the Kiwis and the sure-nuf pilots. Lufbery is afraid that if he goes to Issoudun, he will be classified as a Kiwi.
2-: From Note and Comment, published in The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) of Tuesday 26th March 1918 [page 8, column 2]—RNAS stands for Royal Naval Air Services:
In the Royal Flying Corps and the R. N. A. S. the airmen have, of course, added many new words to the language, and given new significance to old words and names. For instance, ex-pilots who are engaged on ground jobs are called Penguins, as indicating that they have wings, but do not fly. This Antarctic non-flying bird also inhabits a region where it has ice underfoot at all times. Those equipment and other ground officers who have never been airmen are named after the Kiwi, a wingless bird, which also is a native of ice-floored regions. The airmen appear to have quite a playful humor at times.
3-: From New Language They Are Coining in France: Glossary of Words and Phrases Invented by the Fighting Men at the Front Which Sometimes Puzzle Newspaper Readers, published in The Sun (New York City, New York, USA) of Sunday 4th August 1918 [Magazine section: page 9, column 3]:
KEE WEE BIRDS—Men in non-flying section of the aviation corps. (From Kiwi, a wingless bird of New Zealand.)
4-: From In the Air, published in the Rutland Daily Herald (Rutland, Vermont, USA) of Wednesday 21st August 1918 [page 4, column 3]:
Non-flyers among the officers of the Air Service are called kiwis. The kiwi is an Australian [sic] bird whose wings are so rudimentary that it cannot fly. The nickname is not loved by those who bear it, but that doesn’t interfere a bit with its use.
Major Gen. W. L. Kenly, the new director of military aeronautics, means to do away with the nickname. That is, he means to have no non-flying officers in the service. All are to qualify as aviators, or take flights until they know from experience exactly what flying means. Surgeons are already being trained, and presently it will be required of chaplains.
“They’ll be the first real sky pilots,” Major Gen. Kenly suggests.
5-: From the Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, Arkansas, USA) of Sunday 15th December 1918 [page 30, column 7]—in U.S. military slang, loot designates a lieutenant:
We Presume The Loot Did Not Respond
“Yes, sir, it was a darned mean trick,” said a Little Rock young man, who until his discharge this week was a captain in the aviation service.
He was telling of how three aviators last night humiliated a second lieutenant in the non-flying aviation service, who was entertaining three damsels at dinner at the Hotel Marion.
The ex-captain was dining with a friend and perhaps he alone appreciated the joke, except for the victim and the perpetrators.
“You know the fliers look down with supreme contempt upon the non-flying aviation officers,” he said. “They call them ‘kiwis.’ To fully appreciate that you should look up the word in the dictionary. You will find that the kiwi is an Australian [sic] bird of extremely filthy habits which cannot fly nor sing, but which utters ear-splitting shrieks. If you want to start a fight with an aviation officer just call him a kiwi and you’ll get what you’re looking for.
“This non-flying officer was at a table with three pretty girls. At a near-by table were three young officers with wings on their uniforms. Evidently they were indignant at the selfishness of the non-flier in keeping all three girls to himself. They got their heads close together in a conference. Then one of them went out into the lobby, but returned immediately. Five minutes later a negro bellhop entered the dining room.
“‘Ca-a-a-ll fo’ Lootenent Kiwi! Ca-a-a-ll fo’ Lootenent Kiwi,’ he sang out.
“The face of the non-flying officer turned a brilliant crimson. The three young fliers tried unsuccessfully to conceal their unholy joy.
“It was funny, but I still maintain it was a darned mean trick.”
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