USAFE Call Signs? 1960's & 1970's.
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USAFE Call Signs? 1960's & 1970's.
Evening All
Anyone know what call signs the USAF used whilst in UK during the 60's & 70's. Eg B-47s F100s, C-130s, F-111s, Phantoms.
Regards
Glider 90
Anyone know what call signs the USAF used whilst in UK during the 60's & 70's. Eg B-47s F100s, C-130s, F-111s, Phantoms.
Regards
Glider 90
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Fortactical callsigns USAFE used 4-6 letter pronounceable words which were, IIRC, randomly generated with a 1-2 digit number. e.g. RATCH 1 to 5; SPONG etc.
After some embarrassing incidents they set it to avoid call signs such as PENIS. There was the occasion a pair of F-111s asked to contact UH and get them to confirm what they should use. The answer from base ops was to tell the to adopt the callsigns STUPID 1 and 2.
looking here the system doesn’t seem to have changed much.
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a403713.pdf
After some embarrassing incidents they set it to avoid call signs such as PENIS. There was the occasion a pair of F-111s asked to contact UH and get them to confirm what they should use. The answer from base ops was to tell the to adopt the callsigns STUPID 1 and 2.
looking here the system doesn’t seem to have changed much.
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a403713.pdf
Last edited by ORAC; 13th Aug 2018 at 10:00. Reason: Sp
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Today's Memory Quiz from GLIDER 90 
I should remember more, because I spent about 7 years at Eastern Radar (RAF Watton) in the 70s talking to thousands of them!! Sadly, very few callsigns are emerging from the dim recesses of my brain ... how annoying! The only ones I immediately recall are:
STEAD ... Alconbury RF-4
AKEE ... Upper Heyford F-111
Hopefully other responders will fill some gaps for Lakenheath, Bentwaters/Woodbridge, Wethersfield, Sculthorpe etc. Mildenhall C-130s generally used 'Air Force nnnnnn', IIRC.
I shall continue pondering. PS: I distantly recall SPONG and RATCH, but can't think who used those.
I should remember more, because I spent about 7 years at Eastern Radar (RAF Watton) in the 70s talking to thousands of them!! Sadly, very few callsigns are emerging from the dim recesses of my brain ... how annoying! The only ones I immediately recall are:
STEAD ... Alconbury RF-4
AKEE ... Upper Heyford F-111
Hopefully other responders will fill some gaps for Lakenheath, Bentwaters/Woodbridge, Wethersfield, Sculthorpe etc. Mildenhall C-130s generally used 'Air Force nnnnnn', IIRC.
I shall continue pondering. PS: I distantly recall SPONG and RATCH, but can't think who used those.
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Can’t say. Controlled a lot of the F-4s because their secondary role was AD and they did a lot of 135 intercepts before or after their range slots. A-10s of course never had that role. Controlled a lot going to a towline, but can’t remember the callsigns.
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F-111s used Re-run and Lay during 1976/77.
Stead and Akee were F4s I think.
Bruin was another c/s in use but I can't say what type.
Hobby & Vice were A10s.
Stead and Akee were F4s I think.
Bruin was another c/s in use but I can't say what type.
Hobby & Vice were A10s.
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Copied RERUN and LAY for UH.
I remember when someone tells me the answer!!
STEAD was deffo 10TRW RF-4 at ALC. Endless singleton sorties that saturated the controller at ERD!!
Who was AKEE? Was that LAK F-111s??
I remember when someone tells me the answer!!
STEAD was deffo 10TRW RF-4 at ALC. Endless singleton sorties that saturated the controller at ERD!!
Who was AKEE? Was that LAK F-111s??
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We are cooking with gas!
Some I now remember from 70-77, but not all.
My “best” callsign was at Strubby in c. 1966, from a TF-100 who had just ejected off the Lincolnshire coast. He came up on 243.0 from his PLB and just said “This is Wiggins, anybody there?” The rest of the story I posted somewhere else in this Forum. He was rescued, but his partner didn’t make it, and subsequently Wiggins resurfaced on F-111 at LAK in the 70s ... sadly I never got to meet him.
Mayday call from a military aircraft
Some I now remember from 70-77, but not all.
My “best” callsign was at Strubby in c. 1966, from a TF-100 who had just ejected off the Lincolnshire coast. He came up on 243.0 from his PLB and just said “This is Wiggins, anybody there?” The rest of the story I posted somewhere else in this Forum. He was rescued, but his partner didn’t make it, and subsequently Wiggins resurfaced on F-111 at LAK in the 70s ... sadly I never got to meet him.
Mayday call from a military aircraft
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Coo, AKEE11. That brings back memories. Late '70's, RAF Leeming. ATC Supervisor (a pratt, but that's another story) accepts a commitment to use Leeming as a Weather Diversion for 76 (YES 76) F1-11's, on exercise. The fact that Leeming was fully committed as a Weather Div anyway was ignored. The smug look on his face was soon wiped as across the airwaves came "Leeming Approach, Akee 11, diverting your field due weather".
The other 75 (thankfully) didn't arrive.
The other 75 (thankfully) didn't arrive.
