Airline Call Signs
Those on the UK Beverley Squadron in the UK in the 60’s will recall that the call signs for use only in the UK were allocated by the ‘Siggies’
The Wg Cdr in charge of the Air Transport Development Unit (ATDU) had a very slight speech impediment and his allocated callsign was always ABC or whatever followed by 66 which the said Wg Cdr Shandy S pronounced as schlix schlix
The Wg Cdr in charge of the Air Transport Development Unit (ATDU) had a very slight speech impediment and his allocated callsign was always ABC or whatever followed by 66 which the said Wg Cdr Shandy S pronounced as schlix schlix
They had (may still have) a couple of King Air 200s based at Walney Island.
Sadly, the explanation is more earthly - VSEL (Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd, latterly part of BAE Systems Marine) to whom the prefix (VSB) and callsign (Vickers) is still allocated.
They had (may still have) a couple of King Air 200s based at Walney Island.
They had (may still have) a couple of King Air 200s based at Walney Island.
Clipper 1 was the westbound service, in line with Pan Am's system, which had odd numbers for all westbound flights. On a slightly related point, I recall being in the USA and hearing Pan Am Express Dash 7s and ATR-42s using "Pan Am" as their callsign.
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'round the world'
Clipper 1 & 2 were not true round the world services as Pan Am had no internal US rights. So Clipper 1 turned round in 'Frisco becoming Clipper 2 and returned New York West bound.
Not just the Bedford Ferry operated by Transport Flight (Devons - not Doves - and occasionally the Dakota and latterly Navajo Chieftains); all RAE Farnborough pilots in Experimental Flying Department (comprising Experimental Flying Squadron [A, B and C Flights], Transport Flight and IAM Flight) had a personal number preceded by 'Nugget' whilst Met Research Flight at Farnborough initially used Nugget but in the late 80s became 'Metman'(MRF).
When the Farnborough Experimental Flying Wing (as it became in the '90s) moved to Boscombe in '94 they became 'Gauntlet' followed by the pilot's personal number.
Dunsfold test pilots used 'Hawker' followed either by a letter (Hawker Delta - Duncan Simpson) or a number (Hawker 97 - John Farley).
One that always puzzled me was 'Bluebell One', usually a Varsity operating out of West Malling; what did it do?
When the Farnborough Experimental Flying Wing (as it became in the '90s) moved to Boscombe in '94 they became 'Gauntlet' followed by the pilot's personal number.
Dunsfold test pilots used 'Hawker' followed either by a letter (Hawker Delta - Duncan Simpson) or a number (Hawker 97 - John Farley).
One that always puzzled me was 'Bluebell One', usually a Varsity operating out of West Malling; what did it do?
Last edited by chevvron; 19th Jan 2018 at 02:56.
When they converted some Sea Vixens to drones at Farnborough, the test pilot used a 'Rushton' callsign, flying up from Tarrant Rushton to either test fly them or ferry them to Llanbedr.
I never knew that Northeast had two callsigns, Mooncrest. Thanks for that info! About 10 or 15 years ago I was listening to my airband (don't tell the feds) and about the time the last Heathrow-Toon Shuttle (Shuttle 12T) was due in I heard an old fella calling up as 'Northeast 12T' . Turns out it was an ex-Northeast captain's last flight before retirement. A nice touch, but did they get the callsign wrong?!
they did not merge with Channel AW - who went bust
Northeast did then obtain the 2 ex Channel Tridents which were YB and YE to join their own YC/YD
YA having gone to air ceylon as Channel did not NTU all 5
YD was w/off in Spain
all the a/c were Trident OneE's not 2e's
Cambrian had a jet fleet of ex channel and autair 1-11 400's
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One that always puzzled me was 'Bluebell One', usually a Varsity operating out of West Malling; what did it do?
WL 681 was indeed a Shorts operated aircraft. My father Peter Harrison was Chief TP for Shorts Flying Services Division and operated WL 681 on equipment trials from Rochester 1953 to 1964 and from West Malling 1964 until he retired in 1977. Bluebell 1 was his call sign taken from the small village near Rochester airfield, Bluebell Hill where we lived. He is still with us today and at 92 remains an avid reader of Flight each week.
While at West Malling they also operated two other Varsitys. When I can get to his log books I will post the serial numbers.
Nick Harrison
While at West Malling they also operated two other Varsitys. When I can get to his log books I will post the serial numbers.
Nick Harrison
"Flystar" for Astraeus. And "Red Dragon" is correct for Air Wales. "Starjet" was used by Novair, I'm pretty sure. They succeeded Cal-Air which used "Caljet".
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“EuroFlite”. Hope it counts as an ‘airline’. Early to mid 1980’s. Scheduled service originally from / to Luton LTN EGGW & Brussels BRU EBBR. Starting with Cessna 404 Titan and graduating to a E110 Bandeirante Eventually also serving East Midlands EMA EGNX
Middle east Airlines used to use 'Cedarjet' do they still? The flight numbers 202 LHR-Beirut are unchanged from the 1960s when it was a B720.
BWIA were Bee Wee or West Indian
i also remember LHR ATC shortening some call signs as well Scandi and Lufty being the ones that stick in my mind.
Defunct because they are no longer around would include
TWA -Transworld
Seaboard and Western -Seaboard
Flying Tiger line-Tiger- very cool
National Airlines (National One being the daily LHR-MIA DC8 later 10 always with a pilot with a southern accent and the WW2 style girls name under the flight deck windows to fit in with their entirely non PC advertising)
Happy days back then with a great variety of aircraft types and unusual airlines operating funny schedules like Iraqi Airways Viscounts only on Sundays (about 6 stops from Baghdad) and Aerolinas Argentinas Comets who I think were also Sunday visitors.
Very different to the endless parade of A320 series and T7s which seem to take up about 75% of movements today
BWIA were Bee Wee or West Indian
i also remember LHR ATC shortening some call signs as well Scandi and Lufty being the ones that stick in my mind.
Defunct because they are no longer around would include
TWA -Transworld
Seaboard and Western -Seaboard
Flying Tiger line-Tiger- very cool
National Airlines (National One being the daily LHR-MIA DC8 later 10 always with a pilot with a southern accent and the WW2 style girls name under the flight deck windows to fit in with their entirely non PC advertising)
Happy days back then with a great variety of aircraft types and unusual airlines operating funny schedules like Iraqi Airways Viscounts only on Sundays (about 6 stops from Baghdad) and Aerolinas Argentinas Comets who I think were also Sunday visitors.
Very different to the endless parade of A320 series and T7s which seem to take up about 75% of movements today