Airline Call Signs
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: North by Northwest
Posts: 478
Easier to put the link (look at the comments below the top 10)
https://aerosavvy.com/airline-call-signs/
Big Bird
Browntail (early UPS) - can imagine the jokes in ATC on that one
Bearskin
Sasquatch
Moonshine
Sandbar
many more - have a look.
https://aerosavvy.com/airline-call-signs/
Big Bird
Browntail (early UPS) - can imagine the jokes in ATC on that one
Bearskin
Sasquatch
Moonshine
Sandbar
many more - have a look.
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,840
Originally Posted by Wycombe
Incorrect, "Giant" is Atlas Air I believe. They do fly charters for MAC though.
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: South Africa
Age: 83
Posts: 1,326
The trusty Valletta!
A shorter journey and nearer to home, but just as looked forward to was 'The NAAFI Kite'. A once a month Valletta from Benson to Istres/Orange.
It carried our stores and Duty Free, some idiot decied that 'stores' had a higher priority than Duty Free so when it landed there was a dash to open the door and see how many cylinders of oxygen it was carrying.
Too many, and our Duty Free was delayed until next month.
A shorter journey and nearer to home, but just as looked forward to was 'The NAAFI Kite'. A once a month Valletta from Benson to Istres/Orange.
It carried our stores and Duty Free, some idiot decied that 'stores' had a higher priority than Duty Free so when it landed there was a dash to open the door and see how many cylinders of oxygen it was carrying.
Too many, and our Duty Free was delayed until next month.
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NI
Posts: 1,015
Originally Posted by ZOOKER
Manx, Euromanx and Spacegrand were also heard above The Irish Sea over the years.
On the subject of phonetics, Air France's RT callsign is actually AIR FRANZ to ensure that les étrangers pronounce it correctly.
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Everywhere
Posts: 480
I know it's not an airline callsign however one of our Air Force Squadrons used "Wombat" followed by the task number as a callsign.
The Wombat is a vegetarian nocturnal marsupial that eats roots and leaves. Apparently the squadron members identified closely with this.
Ansett Air Freight also had the wombat painted on the nose of their Electra freighters in the 70's and early 80's.
CC
The Wombat is a vegetarian nocturnal marsupial that eats roots and leaves. Apparently the squadron members identified closely with this.
Ansett Air Freight also had the wombat painted on the nose of their Electra freighters in the 70's and early 80's.
CC
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NI
Posts: 1,015
Originally Posted by DaveReidUK
It's actually "AIRFRANS".
Another one from the depths of memory was GILL or JILL for Gill Air. Not sure how it was formally written as I only heard it on frequency. However 99% of the time it was announced as "THE GILL ___"
Many Aer Lingus pilots are still keen on prefixing as "THE SHAMROCK ___" which might be cute if flying to some remote outstation but is redundant on Dublin approach.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: 18nm NE grice 28ft up
Posts: 1,129
Originally Posted by jensdad
Ah Yes, before the Do228 I remember the old Fisheries Patrol Islanders coming into Newcastle, for fuel presumably, calling up as 'Watchdog'.
I think it was Scot Airways Embraers that used to use the callsign "Granite."
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Newcastle
Posts: 866
Originally Posted by dont overfil
I think it was Scot Airways Embraers that used to use the callsign "Granite."
It was someone based at Aberdeen, maybe Business Air? (I think they ended up being BMI regional?) You're right, definitely someone with Embraers.
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Róisín Dubh
Posts: 1,244
“Beeline” is the callsign for Brussels airlines, so those speedbird tugs are just asking for an incident.
There’s a bizjet company with callsign “Batman” (designator EXH), another; “Gotham” (GTH).
One of the Swiss medevac crowds uses “Red Angel” (IFA).
On the subject of Speedbirds saying “the” before the callsign, most airlines have people who do that in my experience.
Anybody ever notice how many ACA pilots say “Air Canada’s 123”? I always found that an odd idiosyncrasy.
I remember coming across HiFly Malta’s callsign in the DOCs once, thought it was brilliant but have forgotten it now. Edit: It’s ”Moonraker”, although I’ve never heard it in live ops.
There’s a bizjet company with callsign “Batman” (designator EXH), another; “Gotham” (GTH).
One of the Swiss medevac crowds uses “Red Angel” (IFA).
On the subject of Speedbirds saying “the” before the callsign, most airlines have people who do that in my experience.
Anybody ever notice how many ACA pilots say “Air Canada’s 123”? I always found that an odd idiosyncrasy.
I remember coming across HiFly Malta’s callsign in the DOCs once, thought it was brilliant but have forgotten it now. Edit: It’s ”Moonraker”, although I’ve never heard it in live ops.
Last edited by Una Due Tfc; 31st Jan 2018 at 23:59.
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Daws Heath Essex
Posts: 446
If I remember correctly, and apologies if already posted, BIA British Island Airways used to be 'Britisland' and British United Air Ferries sometimes prefixed their flight nos with VF. although often air traffic just used the aircraft registration, ie. GASDC etc.
Join Date: Aug 1998
Location: London, UK
Posts: 1,964
“Beeline” is the callsign for Brussels airlines, so those speedbird tugs are just asking for an incident.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: The foot of Mt. Belzoni.
Posts: 1,996
'Granite' was Business Air, the c/s reflecting Aberdeen -'The Granite City', where they were based. Their fleet were SAAB 340s.
Three of the SAABs would arrive at EGCC from Scotland almost simultaneously 2 or 3 times a day, all with similar call-signs. I think they had a QC facility and used them for freight at night?
Three of the SAABs would arrive at EGCC from Scotland almost simultaneously 2 or 3 times a day, all with similar call-signs. I think they had a QC facility and used them for freight at night?
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 12,645
Originally Posted by Groundloop
I think you will find that BA and its forerunner BEA have had the Bealine callsign for well over 50 years so how on earth did Brussels get allocated Beeline.
Ground vehicles don't, as a rule, use ICAO callsigns/designators (since many of them don't belong to airlines) and the types of transmissions they make are unlikely to be confused with those from live aircraft, so there aren't really any safety implications.
Heathrow clearly agree and hence allow its continued use.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: 18nm NE grice 28ft up
Posts: 1,129
Originally Posted by ZOOKER
'Granite' was Business Air, the c/s reflecting Aberdeen -'The Granite City', where they were based. Their fleet were SAAB 340s.
Three of the SAABs would arrive at EGCC from Scotland almost simultaneously 2 or 3 times a day, all with similar call-signs. I think they had a QC facility and used them for freight at night?
Three of the SAABs would arrive at EGCC from Scotland almost simultaneously 2 or 3 times a day, all with similar call-signs. I think they had a QC facility and used them for freight at night?
