Radio Callsigns

The police helicopter up here is x99 (xray nine nine.)

The breighton pink and black, or the blue and black as it was before the radical colour scheme of pl-965 must say i loved it.!

If you ever listen to the military air band up on 220mhz it’s all different, plus the hf band on 11.244mhz plenty of traffic.

Many years ago, when the Yanks were still at Upper Heyford, Sally B was flying down from the north and requested permission to transit the Heyford MATZ. The controller couldn’t understand the callsign of “Sally B” and asked the pilot to repeat it and also the the aircraft type, which he did.
“I’m sorry, I am not familiar with that aircraft type, sir.”
The pilot of Sally B gave him a history lesson and offered to do a flypast, which the controller declined. However, someone in the tower must have bent his ears because, two minutes later, he was back on the air accepting the offer. I think Sally B did two flypasts and then departed, en-route. A very choked up controller thanked Sally B for a “Great show.” I don’t he will ever forget what a B17 was!
One other callsign I used to love to hear would make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was Speedbird Concord.
Doug.

Slipper section was used in the 1980’s, Hawks I think, until the fun Police cottoned on…..

As long ago as that. Amazing!

Two tables of aviation company test call signs were published in Air-Britain Digest for Autumn and Winter 1999.

And a former colleague, a Javelin navigator in an earlier life, told me about the hoots of merriment at a briefing when the squadron callsign for the month was announced as “Auspice”. Think about it!

Same like Atcham,
On one of the very early Greenhams there was a Mossie blundering about in the murk who called up LATCC for a ‘check-steer’ for Greenham.
“Say type” says LATCC.
“Mosquito”
“Say again type”
“Mosquito”
After that all sorts of civil air traffic was rudely moved out of the way to accommodate the Mossie (must have been an ex-WW2 military controller at LATCC?)!!!

On the monthly change of R/T callsigns in the mid-50’s, Station Flight at Wattisham (or N Weald – age and infirmity overtakes memory!!) 11 Grp came up with “Codfish”. Station Commander stated, quite categorically, that he was not – under any circumstances – going to announce himself as “Codfish One”
HTH
Resmoroh

I have remembered that it was in an A-B Air World mag but haven’t found it yet!

Talking about “Lancaster” is going a bit off topic but such a callsign is ideal when there is only one likely to be flying. I recall that when “Swordfish” called Liverpool Approach one day, I heard a young female colleague responding: “Swordfish, what’s your type of aircraft?” Doh! I later gave her a brief run-down on Taranto, Bismarck, Esmonde VC etc! But not quite to the point of her eyes glazing over, as tends to happen in these scenarios …

Air-Britain (I think) published a full list of these company callsigns a few years back. I’ll have to see if I can find it. The tower at Yeovil used the callsign Judwin Tower until quite recently when it changed to Yeovil Tower. I had always presumed that Judwin was the local geographical name until I read the list. Warton still use the Tarnish c/s for Typhoons etc. Trivia maybe but fascinating all the same!

I think you would be hard pushed to find any subject that Air-Britain hasn’t tackled at some time.
As for ‘Judwin’ I believe it was an ancient local name, but have never been able to confirm this.
I think the company callsigns were an offshoot from the military list, No 607 Auxiliary Squadron used SILVERSAND, and I understand that the rule was that they had to consist of at least two syllables, please include the military list if you feel so inclined.

Doesn’t have a civil registration, has only PA474, and the other aircraft have their own serials.

No i didn’t think it did thanks……..

The BBMF Lancaster is “lancaster” probably much easier than G-**** if it carries one.

Doesn’t have a civil registration, has only PA474, and the other aircraft have their own serials.

The BBMF Lancaster is “lancaster” probably much easier than G-**** if it carries one.

When on arrival to a airshow im listening on my transeiver the lanc seems to acknoledge the call then the rest of the display use either spitfire,hurricane dakota etc, must say these military pilots very proffesional.

The red arrows now that is deffo worth listening to on there display……..

From here in Leeds i can here the BBMF taking off from coningsby and can track them on there display usually with no probs of a 250m mile range.

Handley Page was certainly Hanair at the end

Air-Britain (I think) published a full list of these company callsigns a few years back. I’ll have to see if I can find it. The tower at Yeovil used the callsign Judwin Tower until quite recently when it changed to Yeovil Tower. I had always presumed that Judwin was the local geographical name until I read the list. Warton still use the Tarnish c/s for Typhoons etc. Trivia maybe but fascinating all the same!

Vickers-Supermarine was GLASSJAR (confirmed by the late Dave Morgan, and famously re-used in the David Lean film The Sound Barrier).

English Electric was TARNISH.