I am hoping that someone can put me out of my misery. Regarding the tail letters on Fleet Air Arm aircraft . Not sure if I am referring to Deck Codes, such as J for HMS Eagle, or actual shore airfields such as CU for RNAS Culdrose. Searched for the answer for over an hour and have given up. What do the letters VL represent, as seen on Seafire SX 336? Could it be Lossiemouth?
By: Graham Boak - 18th July 2015 at 18:42
FD was used for Ford. An aircraft at Ford carrying the letter J would be a visitor – long or short stay would depend on circumstances. The single letter codes belonged to the carriers – hence not EG for Eagle. The two letter codes belonged to the shore bases and other aircraft-operating ships (for example, EN was Engadine).
The Air Britain book The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm devotes 27 pages of very small print to the variations of such codes. 17 of these are devoted to post-war examples in three periods, but the summary above applies to all.
By: barry flahey - 18th July 2015 at 17:42
Very many thanks for the prompt info. While some of these codes seem to be constructed from letters included in the actual RNAS station.ie, Lossiemouth, Prestwick and Yeovilton others are much more
nebulous. RNAS Ford was J for example and J was painted on the foredeck of HMS Eagle and all its aircraft, though I wonder why J was chosen in lieu of FD or EG?
By: jack windsor - 18th July 2015 at 16:59
hi,
these are care of MAM 2004, nothing earlier I,m afraid,
code numbers. letters. unit. location. a/c types.
000-006 L 801SQ. YEOVILTON SEA HARRIER FA.2
010-020 CU 820SQ. CULDROSE MERLIN HM.1
122-129 R 800SQ. YEOVILTON SEA HARRIER FA.2
180-182 CU 849HQ. FLT. CULDROSE SEA KING AEW.7
183-185 L 849SQ B.FLT. CULDROSE SEA KING AEW.7
186-188 R 849SQ.A .FLT. CULDROSE SEA KING AEW.7
264-274 R 814SQ. CULDROSE MERLIN HM.1
300-308 PO 815SQ. YEOVILTON LYNX HAS.3/HMA.8
318-319 PO 815SQ. OEU. YEOVILTON LYNX HMA.8.
332-479 – 815SQ. YEOVILTON LYNX HAS.3/HMA.8
535-541 CU 700M. OEU. CULDROSE MERLIN HM.1.
560-573 CU 750SQ. CULDROSE JETSTREAM T2.
576-579 – FONA. YEOVILTON JETSTREAM T3.
580-585 CU 824SQ. CULDROSE MERLIN HM.1.
630-648 PO 702SQ. YEOVILTON LYNX HAS.3.
670-676 PO 702SQ. YEOVILTON LYNX HMA.6.
700-709 PW 771SQ. PRESTWICK SEA KING HAS.6.
710-719 VL 899SQ YEOVILTON SEA HARRIER FA.2.
720-724 VL 899SQ. YEOVILTON HARRIER T8.
730-731 VL 899SQ. YEOVILTON SEA HARRIER FA.2.
820-827 CU 771SQ. CULDROSE SEA KING HU.5.
Hope of use,
regards,
jack…
By: Robert Whitton - 17th July 2015 at 23:18
Lossiemouth was “LM”
By: Lynx815 - 17th July 2015 at 18:40
VL is the code for RNAS Yeovilton.
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July 17, 2015 at 6:27 pm