Wiktionary
desk pilot
n. (context US military English) A serviceman relegated to menial deskwork, often due to poor physical and mental abilities.
Usage examples of "desk pilot".
And the taint will stay with you throughout your life, because I am a brilliant historian and commentator and you are, at best, a mediocre desk pilot.
Hed never seen combat and was pretty much a career desk pilot from what Streicher could tell about the man, and he compensated with an anal attention to detail that might pass on a dark night for career dedication.