![]() ![]() These were not globally unique, so a one-letter company identifier (for instance, 'M' and two letters as a Marconi station) was later added. This pattern continued in radiotelegraph operation radio companies initially assigned two-letter identifiers to coastal stations and stations on board ships at sea. In order to save time, two-letter identifiers were adopted for this purpose. ![]() Because there was only one telegraph line linking all railroad stations, there needed to be a way to address each one when sending a telegram. The use of call signs as unique identifiers dates to the landline railroad telegraph system. A call sign can be formally assigned by a government agency, informally adopted by individuals or organizations, or even cryptographically encoded to disguise a station's identity. In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters-and historically as a call signal-or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. JSTOR ( March 2013) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. RAF Red Arrows pilots' individual callsigns are 'Red' plus a number (Picture: MOD).This article needs additional citations for verification. Other heavy bomber aircraft callsigns in the mission and used to destroy dams included Orange, Sugar, Popsie, Nancy and Apple. Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson, who led the daring raid and commanded the Lancaster Bomber nicknamed 'George', was simply known as 'AJ-G' over radio communications. The only caveat is with the RAF's Red Arrows display team which flies the Hawk T1 jets – each pilot is assigned individual callsigns, 'Red 1', 'Red 2' and so on.Īnother example is the 19 aircraft callsigns of the famous Op Chastise 'The Dambusters' raid carried out during the Second World War.Įach of the callsigns used during the operation was 'AJ' followed by the first letter of the nickname of each raiding aircraft. These callsigns would then be handed over to the next pilot on tour. Within the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force callsigns are allocated to the squadron or flight and not the individual flying the aircraft, although some UK military pilots may still have a nickname used among their colleagues.įor example, during Operation Herrick in Afghanistan, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters had the callsign 'Ugly', then followed by a number, used to identify each aircraft. F18 fighter jet with callsigns 'Grumpy' and 'Lamb' painted onto the fuselage (Picture: Alamy).Īccording to the US Department of Defense, aircraft callsigns were first used when radio became a commodity around 1930 and as radio communications grew in prominence during World War II, including callsigns for planes, ships and occasionally geographic points. There is also the rule that once a pilot has flown during a combat mission with their appointed call sign, it should never be amended. "Unless you've really done something to highlight yourself after you've been given a call sign, typically it will stay the same," said the former commanding officer of US Navy Fighter Weapons School (AKA Top Gun) Commander Chris Papaioanu. It's not like in the movies where pilots have cool callsigns – most pilots initially hate the callsign they are given.Ĭhanging a callsign is very rare and the original name can stick with a pilot throughout their career or whichever squadron they are posted to next. It adds: "Most current callsigns are still based on the same sources as in the early days of aviation – a derivative of a last name, physical features, personalities or pop culture." The Department of Defense says that while naming rituals vary from service to service and squadron to squadron, the main rules usually apply "throughout the aviation community, no matter the branch". ![]()
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