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Old 13th Feb 2018, 21:56
  #121 (permalink)  
 
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Icelandair used to use the full airline name eg Icelandair 230/1 as the callsign into Glasgow , until one of their 727 pilots started abbreviating it to "Iceair "and the airline adopted it themselves !
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Old 14th Feb 2018, 07:15
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One callsign that surprises me is BOEING, particularly in 2016 there was a 787 heading to Farnborough with BOE787 as the callsign. There were several hundred in service by that time and calling 'BOEING 787 contact Scottish on 129.1' seemed to have potential for much confusion.

Airbus have AIRBUS INDUSTRIE which is marginally better, but why not something catchier and less confusable? EUROPLANE or something.
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Old 14th Feb 2018, 09:52
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Can anyone give me the callsign used by East African Airways (1946 - 1977) ??
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Old 14th Feb 2018, 10:06
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Originally Posted by Planemike
Can anyone give me the callsign used by East African Airways (1946 - 1977) ??
oooh was it simba?
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Old 14th Feb 2018, 10:42
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Originally Posted by chevvron
I heard some upstart airline using 'Bealine' the other day; shouldn't be allowed as whoever it is can't be anything like BEA.
Brussels Airline use it.
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Old 14th Feb 2018, 11:23
  #126 (permalink)  
 
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There is a company using PC12's with Mosquito as their call sign - very apt.
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Old 14th Feb 2018, 11:58
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Originally Posted by Planemike
Can anyone give me the callsign used by East African Airways (1946 - 1977) ??
You could ask here: Home | East African Airways I'd like to know myself, and it may be in Peter Davis' book, but I cannot check that right now.
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Old 14th Feb 2018, 13:38
  #128 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Jhieminga
You could ask here: Home | East African Airways I'd like to know myself, and it may be in Peter Davis' book, but I cannot check that right now.
Sadly very little traffic on that website......pity !!! Do not recall it being mentioned in PD's book.

Rog747....... Simba certainly sounds possible.
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Old 14th Feb 2018, 15:13
  #129 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Planemike
Can anyone give me the callsign used by East African Airways (1946 - 1977) ??
FWIW, Wikipedia suggests "EastAf".

Edit: As does this, which appears to be independent of all the Wiki clones.
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Old 15th Feb 2018, 08:40
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David....... Thank you...!!! PM
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Old 15th Feb 2018, 10:18
  #131 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by paulc
There is a company using PC12's with Mosquito as their call sign - very apt.
Jetfly of Zurich; often operate in/out of Fairoaks.
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Old 15th Feb 2018, 14:27
  #132 (permalink)  
 
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Perhaps it's just me but BEALINE never seemed a good callsign, particularly for non-native English-speakers ( being the majority of Europe ). Be-ah-line? Be-aline? Beeline? Too many potential pronunciations.

Brussels Airlines's straight BEELINE is much better.
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Old 16th Feb 2018, 14:59
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Bit of a long shot but the German airline Sudflug (taken over by Condorflug in 1968), IATA prefix SZ, I remember someone many years ago giving me "Bluebird" as their callsign, although I've never managed to confirm this. The logo on the tail, which at first sight I thought was meant to represent a clock, is probably meant to be a blue bird, so the callsign may be correct. Anyone confirm?

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Old 16th Feb 2018, 19:48
  #134 (permalink)  
 
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I think “Bluebird” is correct for Sudflug. It is a long time ago, but I think I remember D-ABAC flying over Guernsey in the mid 60s using that callsign.
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Old 16th Feb 2018, 22:03
  #135 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by DaveReidUK
FWIW, Wikipedia suggests "EastAf".

Edit: As does this, which appears to be independent of all the Wiki clones.
Definately EastAf. I used to hear them when Nairobi was our main destination.
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 08:29
  #136 (permalink)  
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Euroberlin, the 51% Air France 49% Lufthansa airline, used the callsign EuroBear, a brown bear being on the coat of arms of Berlin. On hearing this, there was an unidentified drawl - but clearly from one of the Good Ole Boys who used to hustle those PanAm 727s up and down the air corridors at unfeasible speeds - "Huh ... funny way of sayin' Looft-Hansaw!"

chevvron, with your considerable experience in ATC you must know, surely, that the reply to the female controller asking if she can turn you on at four miles is: "Madam, I have never had the pleasure, but you may most certainly try." In your most obsequious tone of voice. Which would probably get you into trouble, in this day and age. Come to think of it. Sadly.
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 09:12
  #137 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by El Bunto
Perhaps it's just me but BEALINE never seemed a good callsign, particularly for non-native English-speakers ( being the majority of Europe ). Be-ah-line? Be-aline? Beeline? Too many potential pronunciations.

Brussels Airlines's straight BEELINE is much better.
A callsign is only ever spoken that's why it's called a callsign. In normal operations you would never see it written.
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 09:48
  #138 (permalink)  
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Let's get this straight. BEA's callsign was indeed BEELINE. The address of their HQ at Ruislip was Beeline House - it changed from Keyline House, because BEA's orginal logo was a flying key. No, I don't know why.
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Old 17th Feb 2018, 11:36
  #139 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Georgeablelovehowindia
Let's get this straight. BEA's callsign was indeed BEELINE. The address of their HQ at Ruislip was Beeline House
I beg to differ.

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Old 17th Feb 2018, 12:01
  #140 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by kcockayne
I think “Bluebird” is correct for Sudflug. It is a long time ago, but I think I remember D-ABAC flying over Guernsey in the mid 60s using that callsign.
Thanks for confirming. Numerous online searches didn't provide an answer. Bluebird was also the name of an Icelandic cargo airline early in the 2000's and now a Greek airline, both operating 737-300's.
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