The A330's "official" new name

[snippy]

At a briefing at the top secret Oxfordshire airbase yesterday we were told that the Future Tanker A330 was now going to be known as the KC30! Any one else been told this??

[Lima Juliet]

I'd heard the "Bumblebee" as it carries bee-pee - alright, I'll get my coat...! :\

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

KC30 sounds very American. Can't the Air Force name it after a town or something traditional? or would we have to own one to do that.

[Lima Juliet]

How about the Airbus "Swindon", then?

[Biggus]

You could call it the Nimrod K5...

After all, that name isn't being used any more, and it might be a constant reminder (embarrassment) to the politicians (and senior RAF officers?) who chopped it... ;)

[BEagle]

The RAAF's A330MRTTs are termed 'KC-30A', but have a boom and no centreline hose.

They also have different engines.

Logically, the RAF's aircraft should be the KC-30B; however, whether there should be Mk1 (2 hose) and Mk2 (3 hose) versions is moot.

[iRaven]

How about the WITNEY in honour of our Prime Minister or a track-suit wearer on Eastenders?

[Rigga]

...or VC30? - replacing the VC10 and the tristar

[Trim Stab]

VC-30B "Phoebus" might not be a bad choice. It cost a lot, and is a 'bus. But more significantly, it was the Latin byname for Apollo, the god of dvine power over distance, who sent or threatened from afar.

From the Encyclopaedia Britannica;


Apollo, byname Phoebus, in Greek religion (http://www.pprune.org/EBchecked/topic/244768/Greek-religion), a deity of manifold function and meaning, after Zeus perhaps the most widely revered and influential of all the Greek gods. Though his original nature is obscure, from the time of Homer onward he was the god of divine distance, who sent or threatened from afar; the god who made men aware of their own guilt and purified them of it; who presided over religious law (http://www.pprune.org/EBchecked/topic/497359/religious-law) and the constitutions of cities; who communicated to man through prophets and oracles his knowledge of the future and the will of his father, Zeus (http://www.pprune.org/EBchecked/topic/656752/Zeus). Even the ... (100 of 673 words)

[Albert Driver]

Successor to the Iron Duck ....

...must be the Plastic Duck
:ok:

[fantom]

Never mind the name. Those fortunate enuff to fly the mighty 330 will not believe their luck.

[effects]

In this PC world what about the Bi-star

[ORAC]

Hmmm. Being a Frenchie type airplane, it would simplistically be called the Frog.

However, let us think laterally and call it "The Toad".

After all, it will live mostly on Tactical Toadlines, and when chicks want dropping off they be "toad" along to their drop off point. :cool:

[Willard Whyte]

Well, there's a town in the Orkney Is called 'Twatt'

[MATELO]

The "Alassio".

Staying true to form

[barnstormer1968]

If this will be the first Airbus tanker in RAF service, then it should really be known as
K mk1, or KC mk1.


But, if we have to keep the KC designation, maybe we should follow that with a very common British name.

KC Jones gets my vote:ok:

(See what I did there:E)

[Buster Hyman]

Exxon Valdez?

[GreenKnight121]

...or VC30? - replacing the VC10 and the tristar

Well... since its not made by Vickers, that's really unlikely.

[VC = Vickers Civil]

[BEagle]

Vickers Civil? As in VC-135 and VC-137.....:8??

KC30 KCMk1 would be a bit daft.....

[BBadanov]

Beags: "KC30 KCMk1 would be a bit daft....."

Yes it would, but you are mixing two different designation systems. You need a name to break them up, as with "C-130K Hercules C.3".

With base closures, how about using their names if UK has run out of major city names: :)

KC-30B Lyneham KC.1
F-35C Marham FG.1

Just an idea...
(and now the real stupid ideas will roll in)

[Farfrompuken]

How about "Airbus Type-Rater KC Mk1"?

Has a nice ring to it:E

Or Unfreezer KC1

More subtly, the Thor KC1.....

[Wyler]

The 'Bunter'.

As it is a flying tuck shop.

[Neptunus Rex]

Hmmm. Being a Frenchie type airplane, it would simplistically be called the Frog. Sorry, ORAC, you are wrong. With Rolls Royce Trents the standard A330 has more than 50% British content, as was gleefully pointed out to us on the first day of our conversion course at Toulouse.

[greenslopes]

Australian crews of our national airline call it "The Plunger"!
Damn these Airbus do some weird flight profiles!

[Jollygreengiant64]

Could someone explain to me why our tankers aren't being developed with booms yet we operate aircraft with the rooftop recepticle system (Forgive me for not knowing the name of it - think C17). I would have thought that now that one of the key ethos of the British armed forces was co-operation with other nations, being able to refuel their transport fleets and such would be a plus.

Though i may have just contradicted myself there.

Can anyone explain the reasoning behind the decision?

Thanks

[Yeller_Gait]

Could someone explain to me why our tankers aren't being developed with booms yet we operate aircraft with the rooftop recepticle system (Forgive me for not knowing the name of it - think C17). I would have thought that now that one of the key ethos of the British armed forces was co-operation with other nations, being able to refuel their transport fleets and such would be a plus.

you are absolutely correct in your assumptions, and the C17 and E-3D can use the boom, however, a simple question that will answer your question and give you the answer you seek.

"Which is cheaper, an Airbus with a boom, or an airbus without the boom?"

Y_G

[Jollygreengiant64]

I'd feared as much. Pity, would have quite liked the job of boom operator, what a view...

[Jig Peter]

Definitely NOT a "Frenchie" (in my long gone youth, that had another connotation ... ), but truly European, with big contributions from Hamburg, Nantes and St-Nazaire - Toulouse too - as well as Seville and Madrid, quite apart from the thrust from RR and lift from Broughton, (with help from Bremen).
Enjoy, you lucky people !!!

:ok::ok:

Forgot to include both Filton and the fact that the later deliveries will be with booms, which will alos be able to have a dangly drogue fitted, so "having it" both ways ???
:eek:

[iRaven]

C17 and E-3D


And you can add RAF RIVET JOINT, RN/RAF F-35 (JSF, JCA) and all our Euro-NATO allies that fly F-16.

No boom refuel? How's that for forward thinking then!!!

iRaven

[tonker]

"Hope on a rope" !!!

[kiwi grey]

I think that Dave-B and -C are fitted with a probe, only -A has a UARRSI.
All part of the commonality :E

[GreenKnight121]

Vickers Civil? As in VC-135 and VC-137.....http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/nerd.gif??

KC30 KCMk1 would be a bit daft.....

VC-10 is the Vickers corporate designation for what was initially designed as a civil airliner.

Since this was specifically cited by Rigga as the precedent for the "VC-30" proposal, that is the meaning it would have... that the UK's Airbus 330 tankers are somehow Vickers products.


As BBadanov said... "you are mixing two different designation systems."


VC-135 and VC137 are American government designations, where the VC indicates "transport aircraft, modified for staff use".

Thus, VC-30 would indicate that the primary purpose of the aircraft is transporting bigwigs, with no mention of delivering fuel mid-air.


If you want to use the American system, then it has to be KC... "transport aircraft, modified for aerial refueling use".

US Military Aviation Designation Systems (http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/index.html)


Otherwise, use the UK government system.

[Arm out the window]

In the tradition of some large aircraft are called the (Something)lifter, eg Starlifter etc, I suggest KC-30 Shirtlifter, as it is packing a big load and waiting for its mates to sneak up behind it and plug in.

Just a thought.

[BEagle]

I understand that the F-35A can also be fitted with a probe - the Canadian version will require one, for example.

Yes, GreenKnight121, I did actually know that. The 'VC' designation can sometimes be used to one's advantage in the US....

"Say, what kinda airplane is that?"
"VC10"
"What's that?"
"Well, you know the difference between a KC-135 and a VC-135?"
"Yessir!"
"Well, same with us!"

Cue priority arrival and red carpet! Particularly if the Eng has shoved a crew flag up through the sextant mount...:E

[brakedwell]

Cartertonne KC 1 :cool:

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Makes it sound quite heavy, in a metric sort of way.

[TBM-Legend]

NAAFI KC Mk 1
:}:}:}:}:}

[ZH875]

Not Cancelled Yet KC Mk 1

[Art Field]

How about KC Jones or Rumpole KC. There will be enough legal battles in its operation.

[D-IFF_ident]

KC-30A for Boom and wing-mounted Pod variant.

KC-30B for Pod only variant.

KC-30C for Pod and FRU variant.

If the RAAF hadn't changed the name of their MRTTs from KC-30Bs to KC-30As, the FSTAs would presumably be called KC-30As and KC-30Cs...

The NATO name is thought to be 'The A330 MRTT "Galloping Cow"'

So what of the UAE, Saudi and the aircraft previously sold as the KC-45?

:cool:

[Lima Juliet]

Guys, what about the obvious KC Anthe Sunshineband you could then sing "na, na, na, na, na, nana, na, baby get it up, get it, baby get it up" to the Jet Jocks.

Or there's KC Kasem the man who did the voice of Shaggy in the original Scooby Doo (a great Pub Quiz question that one).

Has anyone seen my coat?

LJ

[Easy Street]

How about the A330 KCT Mk 1?

'T' for Resettlement Training!

[BBadanov]

LJ: Guys, what about the obvious KC Anthe Sunshineband you could then sing "na, na, na, na, na, nana, na, baby get it up, get it, baby get it up"

And I always though it was "give it up" - what a sheltered life I have led :bored:

[207592]

Snippy said "At a briefing at the top secret Oxfordshire airbase yesterday we were told that the Future Tanker A330 was now going to be known as the KC30!" If there is really to be a tanker, why not just call it "The Tanker"?

[lurkio]

How about "The Civilianator", after all you will be able to get a job out here with a useful rating if you leave.

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

I still think that maintaining the RAF tradition of naming "commodity movers" after towns would be the path to follow. It is the persistance of a tradition that marks it as a tradition rather than some passing fad or habit. Keeping Manufacturer's Type Nos or Government requirement Nos is all well and good (and a gift from the Heavens to spotters keen to demonstrate their wealth of knowledge) but it is totally souless.

When did we stop giving aircraft real identities? the '60s? Interstingly, at the time, the AVRO 748 (and 780) was entering service as the Andover while the Vickers VC10 was entering as the, err, VC10. Was it because the Vickers Ventnor lacked a certain appeal?

The Navy is strong on tradition and it is a source of cohesion when things aren't going well. Is the Air Force really that keen to be simply fashionable? Have the marketing people really taken over?

How about the Airbus Axminster KC MK 1? Would that upset the neighbours in Witney, though?

[Willard Whyte]

How about a break from the rather wimpish way of naming some our aircraft and adopt a more punchy policy.

[STATLER]

What about 'A30 drive thru'

A place to drop by for a high calorific top up, the folk inside are on high calorific staff food thats the same day on day and its a place where you go to gain worth while experience for life on the outside!

[SOSL]

Hi, Willard.

Ref your post #14: Twatt is actually on the Mainland of the Shetland Isles; not Orkney. Interestingly it used to be a Royal Naval Air Station!

Rgds SOS

Hang on, it's just ocurred to me there might be 2 Twatts :oh:

[brakedwell]

Hang on, it's just ocurred to me there might be 2 Twatts

I've met dozens of Twats :ouch:

[XR219]

KC30 KCMk1 would be a bit daft.....

No more daft than VC10 CMk1 surely?

In any case, KC-30 isn't an official US DoD designation, it's an Airbus invention. The A330 KC-X proposal got the official designation KC-45A before it was canned.

[Willard Whyte]

SOSL, I just googled a search of rude place names and posted one up. Since it was a legit photo I didn't bother checking for accuracy of location, it hardly matters after all.

[barnstormer1968]

As no one seems to have like my 'KC Jones'. then how about it has one name for home service, and another for trips to the U.S.?

For U.S. trips, how about the 'Airbus look at what you could have 1'

[barnstormer1968]

As no one seems to have liked my 'KC Jones'. then how about it has one name for home service, and another for trips to the U.S.?

For U.S. trips, how about the 'Airbus look at what you could have 1'

[XV277]

Bearing in mind the terms of it's aquisition, I always thought the Nevernever KCmk1 .

Does also raise the point as to what we will call the Rivet Joint - surely not Rivet Joint Rmk1?

[arandcee]

In deference to the PFI system what about 'The Merchant Tanker'?

[mad_jock]

RNAS Twatt Airfield otherwise known as HMS Tern is in the Orkenys and was closed in 1949 and disposed of in 1957.

Its near the Kitchener Cairn.

All thats left now is a the tower which is ontop of a bunker type thing which looks a bit like an ammo dump.

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/T-V/images/Twatt_45a.jpg
http://www.controltowers.co.uk/T-V/images/Twatt_45b.jpg

[Willard Whyte]

"Twatt" it is then, wherever the hell it may be.

Does that make all the probe aircraft 'cocks' then.

[Wokkafans]

Inseminator for the probe version and Dutch Cap for the drogue? :eek:

[Nopax,thanx]

Maybe it's time to resurrect the "Scruggs Wonderjet"

1967 | 1372 | Flight Archive (http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%201372.html)

Plus ça change, mes amis........:rolleyes:

[Lonewolf_50]

Why not just call it La Pompa?

[PURPLE PITOT]

French town? Condom!:ok:

[haltonapp]

How about, "Bus ticket" because I'm sure all those who are chosen to fly and service it will take their qualification and leave! Something similar happened when the Tristar entered service, but then it was mainly pilots and fe's, this could be a cheap way for techies to get a licence and with a type on it.

[moggiee]

The version that carries people is the AirBUS A330 so why not just call it AirTANKER?

Mind you, the VC10 never got a "name" so why does this need one? A330 KC1 sounds OK to me.

[qwertyuiop]

The Albino.

Its a big white elephant!

[Wensleydale]

I know that "Bassett" is already in use, but calling the aircraft the "Wooten" might be a way of saying thank you?

Just a thought.....

[SOSL]

It seems there are two Twatts in the Northern Isles. One in Shetland, postcode ZE2 and one in Orkney, postcode KX17. Apparently there are no other Twatts in the rest of the UK.

Rgds SOS

[Lyneham Lad]

Apparently there are no other Twatts in the rest of the UK.

...and there was me thinking there was quite a population of them residing in certain large buildings in central London! :E

Sorry; hat, coat, door...

[Martin the Martian]

There's a lot of them at Westminster.:E

How about Airbus Aberdeen KC. Mk1? After all, that's where our oil industry is based, and it might help the SNP to get over the loss to the local economy when Kinloss closes.

By the way, I thought I read somewhere that the RC-135 is to be designated Sentry R. Mk2, though I could have imagined that.

[Wensleydale]

By the way, I thought I read somewhere that the RC-135 is to be designated Sentry R. Mk2, though I could have imagined that.


There appears to be enough confusion at Waddington FWHQ without that!:uhoh:

[thowman]

What about the PFI-30?