Question for fighter pilots

[DirtyProp]

How did you earn your callsign? Let's hear it!
Here are some very interesting stories:

https://www.quora.com/How-do-fighter-pilots-typically-earn-their-call-signs/answers/4444997

[Bob Viking]

My own callsign (earned when I was on exchange in Canada) wasn’t that interesting. Us Brits usually just have nicknames instead of callsigns.

My all time favourite though is a Brit and probably known to many on this forum. It's 'Fatal'. It sounds cool and punchy until you realise it's because his name is Al. And he's slightly portly.

BV

[BANANASBANANAS]

Going ever so very slightly off thread but there was a pilot at our base whose nickname was 'Bisto' - because he was thick and rich.

Back on thread, I believe one of our USA colleagues was awarded the callsign 'Mudslide' after a 'physiological incident' while in the cockpit!

[Commander Taco]

Colleague of mine earned his down in Pensacola. An RCAF F-18 squadron engaged in a planned joint exercise with the Marines out in the MFA over the gulf. Before the battle started, a weather delay called while a big CB moved off. Everyone in a hold. Then, our hapless hero thought he heard the call that the war was on. It wasn’t. He went in (simulated) missiles and guns a blazin’. Almost totally ruined the exercise. His new callsign, and the one he retired from the RCAF with: Trigger.

[212man]

I like the nickname of the well known former Chinook pilot - Paul ‘Foo’ Kennard!

[Captain Dart]

I knew a ‘Far’ Cannell.

[bobward]

Having read many books on aviation, there seems to be a series of 'traditional' nicknames for pilots, based on their names.
One WW2 history quotes :'Shady' Lane, 'Dusty' Miller, 'Tug' Wilson, plus 'Moose' Fulton etc.
My favourite, from a recent book on RAF F4's is 'Tommy'. Apparently it's based on the Who's Rock Opera of the same name, where Tommy is deaf, dumb and blind.
Certainly not woke or PC.

...and let's not forget 'Spock' who allegedly had a close encounter when refuelling from a Vulcan tanker way back.

[Deep Throat]

I like the nickname of the well known former Chinook pilot - Paul ‘Foo’ Kennard!
When I was at Odiham ...... Wasn't there also one who went by the nickname 'Wan' - not sure of the actual surname

[MPN11]

Dave "Isaac" Hunt on 20 Sqn in Singapore. Really nice guy!

[SpazSinbad]

My own callsign (earned when I was on exchange in Canada) wasn’t that interesting. Us Brits usually just have nicknames instead of callsigns.... BV
Similarly the RAN FAA A4G pilots selected their callsigns for formation and armament work whilst nicknames (used entirely instead of proper names) were spouted by 'the mob'. For me it was 'LUIG/LUIGI' as seen in the video. Usual greeting was "Geez LUIG what have you done now"? :} During those times "Geez Louise" was otherwise a common expression also.

My favourite callsign was SPASTIC selected by then LCDR Al Hickling ex-RN FAA (who sadly died recently) HICKLING, Alan - Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia (faaaa.asn.au) (https://www.faaaa.asn.au/obituaries/hickling-alan/)

Geez Luigi Joey S1E22-8sec

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vON5GoX29w

[Ninthace]

Saw a young UBAS chap with "Rodney" on his flying suit.
I assume t was his name, but who knows?

[Geriaviator]

To Bobward's list of non-PC names from the 50s/60s may I add Chalky (White) and Abdul (Turk)

[Addlepate]

To Bobward's list of non-PC names from the 50s/60s may I add Chalky (White) and Abdul (Turk)

ISTR Chalky is standard RN / Army for anyone with the surname 'White'?

[Barksdale Boy]

Om Red Flag 79, there was a USMC Skyhawk pilot who was always in trouble with his CO. to the extent that he was about to be sent back to his base - Hawaii. He seemed a decent sort and so we Brits said "Don't do that. We'll look after him." His callsign was " Skull". My personal highlight of the detachment was beating him at pinball.

What's wrong with Rodney?

[teeteringhead]

Knew of an RN helo pilot who was known as "SPLUNK". .....His name was Slemen!

[Mogwi]

ISTR Chalky is standard RN / Army for anyone with the surname 'White'?


“Knocker” White in the RN. Don’t ask me why. Also “Rattler” Morgan (after the cars).

No 1(f) used to have a formation callsign of “Green” and it gave us childish pleasure to shout “Green, bogies on your nose!”

Mog

[Bob Viking]

If we’re talking formation call signs 6 Sqn used to have (maybe still does) a formation call sign of Trouser.

When making the call on the Sqn ops frequency (Canopener) to tell the engineers we were landing shortly we all used to think we were comic geniuses when we made the call “Canopener, Trousers down in 5”.

We didn’t use it very often to be fair but it was memorable.

BV

[Dunhovrin]

Knew of an RN helo pilot who was known as "SPLUNK". .....His name was Slemen!
if that’s whom I think it is, in later years he was known as Animal due to a resemblance to a certain drummer.

I know this thread has drifted to nicknames but I recall some FJ formations with callsigns Slipper and Giver.

[reds & greens]

Dave "Isaac" Hunt on 20 Sqn in Singapore. Really nice guy!
Did he have a brother Warwick?

[Haraka]

"' Ori '" Ball of course

[wiggy]

bobward

“My favourite, from a recent book on RAF F4's is 'Tommy'. Apparently it's based on the Who's Rock Opera of the same name, where Tommy is deaf, dumb and blind.
Certainly not woke or PC.”

If it’s who (SWIDT) I think it is that’s just a part of the story…..did the book go into any greater detail..:E

[Sue Vêtements]

Wait - I thought you were all called things like Blue Leader and Blue Two ... or have I been watching the wrong war films?

I once worked with someone (Indian) called Kuppa and tried to explain to the rest of the team (Americans) why in England they'd be called Soupy . . . all to no avail though

[charliegolf]

Wasn't there a Wessex pilot nicknamed 'Wedge', 'cos he was the simplest tool known to man?

CG

[ShyTorque]

Our unit (Puma OCU) was scheduled to fly a low level formation training sortie. One of our staff pilots needed to go to RAF Wroughton (hospital) for a sensitive plumbing operation so it was authorised to include a landing to drop him there. He was a little embarrassed by the whole thing and tried to keep quiet why he was going.

However, he soon realised that we all knew. He was plugged in on headset in the cabin and on start up was not too amused by the formation checking in as “Snippet”.

[Captain Dart]

Female controller in the Tower at a base I was at fell into fits of laughter when Caesars One and Two taxied as Caesarian Section.

[Mogwi]

No 72 Squadron Wessex had a rather unpopular boss who always called his formations “Swift” after the squadron badge. What no one told him was that, when using a throat-mic, it came out loud and clear as “Sh1t”

Oh how we tittered!

Mog

[artee]

No 72 Squadron Wessex had a rather unpopular boss who always called his formations “Swift” after the squadron badge. What no one told him was that, when using a throat-mic, it came out loud and clear as “Sh1t”

Oh how we tittered!

Mog
A titter ran through the crowd...

[ShyTorque]

Once in Germany, on a quiet Sunday morning, I was tasked to fly back to Gutersloh from a field exercise. We were briefed to join up with three other aircraft arriving at a briefed RV from other field sites and fly back in tactical formation. A lot of our exercises were flown in radio silence, so all we had been given was the RV and our formation positions. On the way to the RV point we realised that we hadn’t been briefed on a formation call sign. We joined up using our standard procedures, changing from the tactical low level frequency as we spotted the other aircraft. As we joined up, the leaders’s voice came over loud and clear “MUPPET formation - check in!” using the voice of Kermit the frog. We got the idea, by the time the other two aircraft chose their characters I had to adapt the Swedish Chef’s voice. It had been a long week…

The two WRAF ATCOs on duty seemed to enjoy the joke as Kermit, Miss Piggy, Animal and the Swedish Chef all checked in.

[Lomon]

At Linton on Ouse two students called to join the circuit a few minutes apart, both trying to use the same callsign. The grumpy WO controller told them to adopt the callsigns Stupid 1 and Stupid 2.

[SpazSinbad]

LOL: “Vice Adm. Daniel “Undra” Cheever; Director, Air Warfare Division (N98)” https://www.navair.navy.mil/news/Future-Challenges-Opportunities-Discussed-Naval-Aviation-3-Star-Summit/Mon-06032024-1703

[Ascend Charlie]

"Tess" Teakle
"Far" Cannell
"Dulk" Hunt

[PlasticCabDriver]

“KLINGON formation going en route”
”KLINGON, roger, squawk 7000, live long and prosper!”
”Actually thats VULCAN formation, but thanks for joining in!”