Crossword Genius

In war Eric is involved flying bombers perhaps (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

aircrew

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'in' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't understand how they can define each other.

'war eric is involved flying bombers perhaps' is the wordplay.
'war eric' can be anagrammed to 'AIRCREW'.
But, I am not sure how this is indicated.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for aircrew that I've seen before include "Craft workers" , "Plane operators/workers" , "Plane's operators" , "Flight personnel" , "Flying personnel" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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