Running out of rego’s
With quite a lot of commercial flight operations using the airline flight numbers these days for radio comms, the problems may be more likely administrative rather than operational.
Adding another letter on the end of the existing three letter suffix seems a reasonable solution. The British and the French operate thusly - and have done so for years - so any potential issues there would seem to have been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. Where ops require aircraft identification by rego rather than flight number (or military designation), more precise radio procedures may be required, and everyone needs to be alert for the possibility of potential errors, but surely we are up to that. The expansion of data base requirements at all levels to fit the extra character needed could be something of a challenge, but we came through Y2K pretty well unscathed. In any event - we already have RAAus aircraft in the operational mix using the 2+4 numerical combinations, so changes in the mainstream aviation system should be quite workable if and when they become essential.
Finally, from what read, I think ICAO may well need to be involved in any change anyway.
Adding another letter on the end of the existing three letter suffix seems a reasonable solution. The British and the French operate thusly - and have done so for years - so any potential issues there would seem to have been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. Where ops require aircraft identification by rego rather than flight number (or military designation), more precise radio procedures may be required, and everyone needs to be alert for the possibility of potential errors, but surely we are up to that. The expansion of data base requirements at all levels to fit the extra character needed could be something of a challenge, but we came through Y2K pretty well unscathed. In any event - we already have RAAus aircraft in the operational mix using the 2+4 numerical combinations, so changes in the mainstream aviation system should be quite workable if and when they become essential.
Finally, from what read, I think ICAO may well need to be involved in any change anyway.
Thread Starter
The format 1AA is apparently the most likely because Australia is issued a limited number of ICAO transponder codes and 3AB for example fits into the algorithm used to create the HEX codes for the transponder codes assigned to Australia.
So the original VH-AAA to ZZZ lasted us nearly 100 years. That’s not bad.
I still find it hard to believe that we have nearly 17,576 aircraft in Australia though, given CASA’s determination to make sure there’s none.
I still find it hard to believe that we have nearly 17,576 aircraft in Australia though, given CASA’s determination to make sure there’s none.
Right,
So I had a very pleasant conversation with the Aircraft Registrar person himself this morning, Craig, the top banana, who called me himself, personally. He's been the Registrar for about 5 months now following Jurgen's departure from CASA.
Would anyone be surprised to hear that until he arrived on the scene, somewhere between nothing and not much had been investigated or even realised for this looming problem. Certainly nothing was actively in the works.
CASA are planning to switch to three digit alpha-numberic, eg
2 Alpha Bravo, or
Alpha 2 Bravo, or
Alpha Bravo 2 - whatever you like, or CASA will go fishing and give you whatever comes out.
"Planning" to do all this, DAS has seen the proposals, not yet signed off on the deal, but they don't have a lot of time to spin their wheels on this as we all know.
There will be no zeros (no confusion with Oscar.)
There will be no ones (no confusion with India.)
Some specific sequences will be blocked, such as something to do with Q (Q codes...) Dunno why, there's already a bus load of Q rego's.
Airservices has been involved somewhat, don't anticipate any problems (other than some ATC education)
ICAO is cool with it.
Transponder mode S is it, code allocation whatever that hexispherical whatever number is called I forget (not the 1234) should continue OK.
Yes you will be able to reserve as usual. eg VH-AV8 I suppose. OH! what about RV8! CT4, loads of fun still to be had there.
Thanks also to S.7700 for a tipoff along these lines the other day. Hope this expands on what's happening. Keep fingers and shoelaces crossed that it happens in time.
TB5.
(Just waiting for Allan to arrive at the space station on board TB3.)
So I had a very pleasant conversation with the Aircraft Registrar person himself this morning, Craig, the top banana, who called me himself, personally. He's been the Registrar for about 5 months now following Jurgen's departure from CASA.
Would anyone be surprised to hear that until he arrived on the scene, somewhere between nothing and not much had been investigated or even realised for this looming problem. Certainly nothing was actively in the works.
CASA are planning to switch to three digit alpha-numberic, eg
2 Alpha Bravo, or
Alpha 2 Bravo, or
Alpha Bravo 2 - whatever you like, or CASA will go fishing and give you whatever comes out.
"Planning" to do all this, DAS has seen the proposals, not yet signed off on the deal, but they don't have a lot of time to spin their wheels on this as we all know.
There will be no zeros (no confusion with Oscar.)
There will be no ones (no confusion with India.)
Some specific sequences will be blocked, such as something to do with Q (Q codes...) Dunno why, there's already a bus load of Q rego's.
Airservices has been involved somewhat, don't anticipate any problems (other than some ATC education)
ICAO is cool with it.
Transponder mode S is it, code allocation whatever that hexispherical whatever number is called I forget (not the 1234) should continue OK.
Yes you will be able to reserve as usual. eg VH-AV8 I suppose. OH! what about RV8! CT4, loads of fun still to be had there.
Thanks also to S.7700 for a tipoff along these lines the other day. Hope this expands on what's happening. Keep fingers and shoelaces crossed that it happens in time.
TB5.
(Just waiting for Allan to arrive at the space station on board TB3.)
Let's hope we're spared the tackiness of personalised marks with letter combinations and 69. (Such as those that have become so popular with personalised automotive plates.)
No, because despite you in your Cessna saying "Tree Alfa Whiskey", your full callsign is VH3AW. The radio station, despite saying "Three Ayy Dubbelyoo" actually has a callsign VL3AW.
Knowing CASA and Australian government departments in general, I think CASA will need to create a whole new department with 20 managers and 500 pencil pushers to solve this massive predicament.
When I worked at a well known Sydney radio station in the 1980s the callsign of our car/portable radios was VH2TX, so I'm not sure that the number plus two letters proposal is a goer.
From todays CASA Briefing:
Coming soon: changes to aircraft registration marks
Aircraft registration marks in Australia are changing to include a new alphanumeric system.
We use the VH Australian Nationality Mark followed by 3 alpha characters. Soon we will be introducing a 3-character alphanumeric combination such as VH-2AB, VH-A9B, VH-A22.
Introducing a 3-character alphanumeric system will mean the availability of more than 20,000 additional marks.
This will give us enough marks for at least another 30 years.
This supply maintains the current look of the registration mark and allows for sequential reservations and selective individual marks.
Aircraft registration marks in Australia are changing to include a new alphanumeric system.
We use the VH Australian Nationality Mark followed by 3 alpha characters. Soon we will be introducing a 3-character alphanumeric combination such as VH-2AB, VH-A9B, VH-A22.
Introducing a 3-character alphanumeric system will mean the availability of more than 20,000 additional marks.
This will give us enough marks for at least another 30 years.
This supply maintains the current look of the registration mark and allows for sequential reservations and selective individual marks.
So many chances to make money by reserving rego’s. VH-QF1 and on and on. Or in GA VH-RV7, or VH-DH2, VH-C47, CH-C72. Or in the realm of personal plates VH-IM1, or for a certain personality VH-D1C. Of course CASA will have thought of this and set up reservation allocation rules. Surely…..I mean, what can possibly go wrong?
Perhaps I'm confused (happens a fair bit to be honest) but am I the only one thinking that one number and two letters will give you even less callsigns than three letters, there being 26 letters in the alphabet and only 8 available digits (not counting 1 or 0 as mentioned above)?
Ahhh... disregard, I see now that they can come in any order, so there's heaps more permutations - or is that combinations?
Ahhh... disregard, I see now that they can come in any order, so there's heaps more permutations - or is that combinations?