Here’s one for the real historians amongst us.
I am intrigued by the serial number system used by the RAF. Can anyone tell me the following:
1. When was the system introduced, what was the first serial number issued, and what sort of aircraft was it assigned to? I assume it was something like A0001, but that doesn’t look right.
2. When did the single letter/four digit system exhaust itself and what was the last number assigned to? (Z9999?)
3. When did the first two letter/three digit number system commence, what was it (AA000?) and what was it assigned to?
4. What are the numbers up to now?
5. Any ideas where they go when the current series is exhausted?
Regards
Wombat
By: ken_murray - 22nd October 2002 at 15:37
RE: RAF serial numbers
browsing the net today for some other info I tripped over the following site: http://www.ukserials.fsnet.co.uk/
which may answer some of your questions.
Can anyone tell me what typeface is used to apply the serial number to the airframe? the ukserials site just mentions ‘a specific font’. reason I ask is I am getting back to plastic modelling after many years and have discovered that there is decal film to make your own transfers on both laser and inket printers.
thanks
ken
By: keithmac - 21st October 2002 at 19:48
RE: RAF serial numbers
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 21-10-02 AT 08:30 PM (GMT)]OK Wombat, now you’ve got the basics of the British System. A few more snippets: Aircraft obtained on lend lease from the USA did not have blocks missing, because the Americans openly published information on aircraft production, so there was no point. One Curtiss Cleveland flew with a maintenance no. 2669M although technically it could only carry this number after it had been permanently grounded. Some civil aircraft, such as Avro Yorks carried military serials while employed on military air trooping charters in the 1950’s. The RAF have operated aircraft which carried their original USAAC serials, Kittyhawks are an example. The USAAC operated aircraft with RAF serials, a good example being the Airacobra, which the RAF tried, did’nt like much and gave back to the Americans or sent to Russia in large numbers. Many aircraft donated to other countries retained their original British serials after they entered service with their new owners and had been formally struck off British charge, the 9 Chipmunks given to the Kenya Air Force are an example.
We are now also giving aircraft serial numbers to Flight Simulators because of the Maintenance Job Card System operated by the RAF. Simulators are treated as aircraft because many of the spares used on the simulators are aircraft spares and can move between the two!
By the way, the number system is a UK military system used by the RAF, Royal Navy, Army and all branches of the Ministry of Defence.
If your confused, try looking at the American systems – they make ours look easy!
KeithMac
By: Nitram - 21st October 2002 at 08:16
RE: RAF serial numbers
Z9836 was numerically the last in the Z series, part of an order for 200 Blenheims delivered between May and October 1941.(part of the order was cancelled, hence no Z9999 and no AA100). The AA series started with AA281 one of 63 Defiants delivered between May and July 1941.
You should have noticed that Z9836 was delivered after AA281, that is because the numbers were allocated sequentially when the initial order was placed, but do not directly relate to when the aircraft entered service. The first AA aircraft was delivered in June 1940 (AE444)!
The blanks in the numbering system do confuse the enemy (me too)It works like this:
As a dilligent Luftwaffe Intelligence Officer in Berlin you want to know how many of the new Fighter the British have. From the wreckage scattered around France, The Low Countries Etc you find serials xx100, xx103, xx109, xx110, xx115, xx130, xx131 and xx134. Therefore there must be at least 35? What you don’t know and can never know for certain is that there is a block of ten missing from 120-129, therefore there are only 25 in service.
Simplistically that is how it works. Of course it doesn;’t work any more due to Open Government and all those anoraks standing in the viewing areas at places like Waddington
By: Wombat - 21st October 2002 at 07:19
RE: RAF serial numbers
Guys
Thanks for the info so far. I’m intrigued by the attempt to confuse the enemy by omitting large blocks of numbers. How could this have worked – what would the purpose have been? Basically, how would the Germans have applied any knowledge regarding serial numbers?
It seems a bit “airy-fairy” to me. Any ideas?
Also, any idea when each series changed (from Z9999 to AA100?)
Wombat
By: keithmac - 20th October 2002 at 20:00
RE: RAF serial numbers
Hi Wombat. The British Military serial system was intoduced at the beginning of WW1 with a block of 200 numbers issued to be applied retrospectively to aircraft on Royal Navy charge. The numbers commenced at 1 which was a Short Biplane. This series continued until it reached 9999, then restarted at A100. This series continued to Z9999, then recommenced at AA100. Some letters are not used, for instance “O” which could be confused with Zero. M was not used in the original sequence, but was applied as a suffix in a separate series to aircraft downgraded from flying but used for instruction,i.e. 8807M. During the war large blocks of numbers were not used in order to confuse the enemy, and this practice of leaving out blocks of numbers continues to the present. N was used twice, for naval flying boats the first time and later as part of the sequence A1000-Z9999. We are now at ZJ and no decision has been made as to where we go next. Somehow I think that it will remain a 5 figure alphanumeric code as all RAF maintenance record cards and computer records use this system and changing it could be expensive!
KeithMac
By: Ross_McNeill - 19th October 2002 at 21:12
RE: RAF serial numbers
Hi Wombat,
The J series J1 to J9999 was allocated from the Armistice of 1918. Some aircraft from the Great War remained in service to about 1920 and these are known to have borne the serials in C, D, E, F and H range but records have been destroyed by flooding.
To confuse the later serial sequence various seaplanes of the 1920s were also allocated N and S ranges
The Z range stopped at Z9999 and restarted at AA100.
Serial blocks were assigned to batches of similar type production and could cover several months of aircraft so the date of serial letter change is tied to the day that particular aircraft was taken into service.
Regards
Ross
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October 19, 2002 at 8:47 pm