Aircraft registration question

[cdtaylor_nats]

A question for some of you military types. The flight plans filed for Oceanic show aircf=raft registrations such as nnnnXX where n is a digit between 0 and 9 and X is an alphabetic character

The question I have been asked is - "Are flights with the registrations '000172', '000172A' and '000172AQ' the same aircraft or different ones.

Do the letters at the end have any significance?

Thanks.

[L J R]

Pass.

Next Question Geometry Please

[rej]

Hang on, is cdtaylor_nats asking us a question on calculus?

[FEWNCOP]

Must admit, I wasn't aware that ac registration was included on a flight plan (and I write a lot!!)

Not meaning to put a dampener on anything, but are you sure that you mean registration?

[Pub User]

It's a good while since I wrote a flight plan, but seem to recall that the registration should be included in the 'other info' field, if it's not the same as the callsign.

However, I think the military are exempt this particular tribulation, so this may be the wrong forum to ask.

[SilsoeSid]

"Are flights with the registrations '000172', '000172A' and '000172AQ' the same aircraft or different ones."

I would hazard a guess that they are the same aircraft on a different route. For example a flight to say JFK may be BA747A outbound, and BA747B inbound.
Just my tuppence worth.


I don't think it is because the military are exempt, it's just that the a/c registration and callsign will usually differ. Therefore the requirement to enter the a/c reg in the 'other info' box, eg. REG/XZ123

Individual pilots are assigned a c/s by their respective unit that stays with them until posted out, but they would fly any of the units a/c (qualified on type of course) using their individual c/s. eg, AAC123 could be flying Lynx XZ456 to Wattisham, then return to base with XZ789, but would use the c/s AAC123 for both trips.

(Things may be different in the RAF/FAA, perhaps they use mission/sortie numbers.)

Hope it helps,

SS

[Bill O'Average]

Individual pilots are assigned a c/s by their respective unit that stays with them until posted out, but they would fly any of the units a/c (qualified on type of course) using their individual c/s. eg, AAC123 could be flying Lynx XZ456 to Wattisham, then return to base with XZ789, but would use the c/s AAC123 for both trips.
But never your c/s Sil. Did you ever evolve above duty ground runner/P2?

If ever a man was born to only to have on the auth matrix 'Comp wash only' then that man was SS.

[SilsoeSid]

Nice to hear from you once more Bill, :rolleyes:
(Still trying to trash threads I see!)

Glad you're back safely!

You need an auth for a comp wash ? :confused:
I suppose technically a maintenance auth, but even then one wouldn't need a callsign. ;)

"Did you ever evolve above duty ground runner/P2?"

You know full well :ok:

[Pontius Navigator]

From what I can remember what you are talking about is flight number callsigns.

Each Britmil aircraft is given a 4 digit callsign from a batch allocation. At a secret AD base 4 aircraft in a formation might be given callsigns 4401 4401 4403 4404 for an overseas flight. These flight numbers were supposed to be fixed to the airframe for the duration of the 'states' flight out of the state.

For a FJ formation, for simplicity they may have used 4401 A-B. They needed the individual callsigns in case of diverts or lame duck etc as the ATC system would not accept two active callsigns such as 4401 at the same time.

The FP letters would be RR for Rafair.

At least that was the case 10 years ago.