Could someone explain the issue of G numbers? Researching G-17-1, it seems to have been issued to ten different helicopters!
http://www.helis.com/database/index.php
dragonfly
wa/h/117 1952 117: Dragonfly 1A f/f 22 Sep 1952, d/d 29 Sep 1952. ex G-17-10. Returned from service in Indo-China. wfu Nov 1956.
dragonfly
wa/h/118 1952 118: Dragonfly 1A f/f 22 Sep 1952, d/d 29 Sep 1952. ex G-17-11. Returned from service in Indo-China. wfu Mar 1959.
dragonfly
wa/h/119 1952 119: Dragonfly 1A f/f 25 Sep 1952, d/d 30 Sep 1952. ex G-17-12. Engine failure while airborne, rotor disintegrated following …
scout
f.9617 1965 5X-UUW: ex G-17-1, delivered to Police Air Wing 1966. wfu 1969. Reported preserved.
wessex
wa199 1964 G-ASWI: Wessex 60, ex G-17-1, to G-ASWI /H.84, to VR-BDS, to G-ASWI, to VR-BDS, to G-ASWI, UK C of A expired 27 Oct 1981.
wasp
f.9589 1964 N-7036: ex UK RN as XT419. to G-17-1, then to FAMB 1977 (N-7018 ntu ?) as N-7036, w/o 21 Nov 1977.
sea king
wa 787 1974 N16-098: ff 30 Jun 1974, dd 2 Mar 1975 Ex G-17-1. First RAN Sea King delivered. On board HMAS Melbourne with HS-817 for the Silv …
s-58
58-265 1956 XL722: Ex USN 141602. Delivered by sea, re-assembled at the dockside and flown to Yeovil 24 Jun 1956 as G-17-1. XL722 in Jul 19 …
wasp
f.9541 1962 XS463: Prototype / pre-production Wasp, built at Hayes. ex G-17-1. To instructional airframe A2647. Now preserved at The Helico …
wasp
f.9589 1964 XT419: dd 23 Dec 1964 to RN as XT419. RAF Bahrein SAR Flt/422 by 1970, to G-17-1 sold to Brazilian Navy (FAMB).
By: Auster Fan - 27th February 2008 at 16:07
Wessex 60 G-ASWI was lost in a fatal crash in the North Sea in August 1981.
By: wieesso - 27th February 2008 at 10:39
Could someone explain the issue of G numbers? Researching G-17-1, it seems to have been issued to ten different helicopters!
Thanks for your question!
Now I have an answer for all the G-5-x numbers in my Heron research 🙂
Martin
By: pagen01 - 27th February 2008 at 09:22
The G number was the SBAC (Society of British Aircraft Companies) numbering system, and was usually issued to civil aircraft before they took up a proper civil registration, other aircraft before they received a foreign registration or serial, and prtotype and research types which fell into the grey area of being in between military and civil use. Ive heard this reffered to as B Class conditions registration system.
‘G’ is obviously the British civil registration leter, the first number is the one allocated to the manufacturer, in this case 17 to Westland, and the last number is the one given to a particular airframe.
48 was allocated to Bristol, G-48-1 being an early Sycamore.
Not exatcly sure when it started, but just pre-war seems likely, and it was definatly used right into the 1970s.
A good example of use were the many Canberras that had an ex RAF serial, were returned to BAC with a ‘G’ number, and then sold abroad with a foreign registration. A good example is WJ609 became G27-165 and was delivered to the Argentine Airforce as B-106. The 165 in that number is a good indication of how many aircraft BAC reworked for foreign sale!
By: Newforest - 27th February 2008 at 09:18
Yes, ta!:) Obviously a sort of trade plate number for a manufacturer rather that an individual identity for one aircraft.
By: Bruce - 27th February 2008 at 08:54
Does this help:
http://www.airlinecodes.co.uk/bclass.asp
Bruce
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February 27, 2008 at 8:37 am