PPRuNe Forums - RAF gives names to aircraft...sometimes?

PPRuNe Forums (https://www.pprune.org/)

- Aviation History and Nostalgia (https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia-86/)

- - RAF gives names to aircraft...sometimes? (https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/329812-raf-gives-names-aircraft-sometimes.html)

RAF gives names to aircraft...sometimes?

Talking of names for things...I thought it was RAF policy to name all aircraft it operated regardless of whether they already have a well known 'tag' ( DC3 to Dakota for example). However the BAe 125 and BAe 146 remain mere numbers.

Has this tradition fallen away? If not why not use the USAF's example of recycling old names? "Anson" for the BAe 125 and ... er.... Hastings? for the BAe 146

Original DH.125 nav trainer, as opposed to the later and flashy VIP HS.125 was called the Dominie

Of course - the Domine... even more reason for them to transfer the name ( although doesn't that name have teaching connotations that make it apt for a flying classroom? So maybe a variant would be better, say Domino? Dominatrix? ( whoops scrub the last one ):)

The original HS125s operated by 32 Squadron 'A' Flight were civvy aircraft, leased in from Hawker Siddeley, which is perhaps why they weren't named.

On the other hand, the HS748 Series 2A aircraft operated by 'B' flight and VIP flights in overseas commands, being owned by the RAF, were named after the Andover that was loosely based on the HS748 design.

Lightning, Jaguar, Tornado, Typhoon, Harrier,Merlin, Hawk.
Not to be confused with
An American a/c, a car, a WW11 "prototype", a WW11 fga a/c, a bird, an engine and a generic bird of prey.
watp,iktch

Well I guess there was no such thing as a 'made up' name for an aircraft - or was there? ... er Hawker Audax??? Whats an Audax? ( apart from latterly - a bicycle event of some kind ). Everything else seems to be a derivative of birds, beasts, town names etc....

....anyone know better?

Latin for 'Boldness', I seem to recall from far off schooldays.
(cf audacious)

Yep-Audax=Bold, good name for Pprune!!.:)

Apparently the Audax was an army co-operation variant of the Hart and the modifications included a retractable hook (very much like a carrier arrester-hook) which could be lowered to deliver and receive written messages.

Upon seeing one for the first time and being told it was called an "Audax" a rather grizzled ex-Royal Flying Corps flight-sergeant was heard to say;

"That's not an Audax, that's an 'art wiv an 'ook "

denis555 makes a valid point. Conventionally (but who cares about conventon any more!), the VC10s, Tristars and C17 (not even a Manufacturer's Type No) should have been named after a Town or City; but they haven't. Furthermore, the Gnat, Jetstream and Hawk broke the tradition (habit for the more pedantic fish heads) of trainers being named after school/college things. Arguably, Tornado 1/4s should have had "bomber" names not common to the 2/3 fighters. Historically, a Boston (bomber) wasn't that different from a Havoc (fighter) other than weapon fit and role.

Thanks GBZ. I never knew there was any sort of naming tradition with RAF aircraft (but would love to know why a prop a/c was christened Jetstream.
I always thought the naming convention only applied to NATO names for Soviet a/c, i.e. F for fighters, B for Bombers, etc.

Merlin is also a bird of prey Chiglet.

Course, aircraft names were always an emotive subject. Who could forget the furore over the Hawker Sprohibited and the English Electric Blanket? Then there was the US controversy over much maligned Convair Belt.

Quote:

but would love to know why a prop a/c was christened Jetstream.

The prop is driven by a jet engine, isn't it! :ugh:

Gainesy, one mustn't forget the Blackburn Arna.

Big Tudor, even if it hadn't been powered by Astazous, Pistonstream doesn't really have quite the same ring to it... (though it does remind me of the shameful behaviour exhibited by a group of us after exiting the Fighting Cocks PH in St Albans once...)

Quote:

For the 1930's airframes, the naming of RAF Aircraft was based on a quite strict criteria (Towns / Cites for Bomber/Transports etc), abet with the odd exception. Of course with the advent of purchases of US aircraft / off the shelf and civil types in mass, the manufactures names tended to get picked i.e Tiger Moth, Liberator, Fortress. I’ve looked into the naming of a piece of kit I worked on once from the files at Kew. The manufacturer put the name forward, MoS (running the development programme) agreed with the manufacturer. The RAF Engineering Authority who was going to be in charge of it wished to be named with the letters SA at the start (Saturn, was the first choice if memory serves), to reflect its mission and HQ Fighter Command (the user) wanted to name it after a Snake!!! In the end, the Defence Minister picked the manufacturer’s name (the kit in question was the Bloodhound SAM).

Jetstream, A High Alltitude, High Speed wind....
AFAIR, the "original" HP39, was mooted as a USAF/USN medevac a/c, so why not "Jetstream"?

Gainsey, wos using words of one sylabub, sorree:O
watp,iktch

Tredders, I'll see your Blackburn Arna and raise you a Gloster Phobia.:p

Jetstream was always known as Wetdream wan't it?

Fairey Nough, Gainesy :)

What county have H.P. and Fairey Aviation got in common?
watp,iktch

Middlesex.

H.P 25 Hendon, Torpedo Bomber, 1924.

Fairey Hendon, Heavy Bomber, 1930.