Aeroplanes named after airports [ ? ]
Jun 10, 2020, 3:27 am
#1
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Aeroplanes named after airports [ ? ]
In today's Guardian there is a picture of parked BA aeroplanes, a close-up of their tails to be accurate. At the top of each vertical tail fin is a three letter code that seems to be an airport code. There are several visible including Bengkulu, Stebbins, and Leh were BA don't fly as far as I am aware and Leningrad where they do/did.
Is this a way of giving an aeroplane a name? And, if so, why?
The direct link is https://www.theguardian.com/business...y-report-warns
Is this a way of giving an aeroplane a name? And, if so, why?
The direct link is https://www.theguardian.com/business...y-report-warns
Jun 10, 2020, 3:39 am
#5
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Correct, it is so an aircraft can be identified from yet another position, I was told it mainly for when an aircraft is in a hanger and close by to others when the main full reg on the fuselage can't easily be seen. Plus my ATC friend says it is a way a tower can see a reg easily through binoculars too amongst other tailplanes - not sure how much peering out with binoculars an ATC person does nowadays though.
Jun 10, 2020, 4:28 am
#10
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Jun 10, 2020, 4:31 am
#11
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They do supposedly make these registration numbers meaningful in some way. For example the A350 were given registrations like G-XWBA G-XWBB and so forth. XWB being Extra Wide Body. Have a look at this https://travelupdate.com/registration-meanings-ba/ site. More knowledgeable posters can comment on the accuracy of some of these. Some really seem obvious like the G-NEO for the A321-NEO's, others seem more of a stretch of the imagination.
Jun 10, 2020, 4:32 am
#12
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Jun 10, 2020, 5:16 am
#14
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They do supposedly make these registration numbers meaningful in some way. For example the A350 were given registrations like G-XWBA G-XWBB and so forth. XWB being Extra Wide Body. Have a look at this https://travelupdate.com/registration-meanings-ba/ site. More knowledgeable posters can comment on the accuracy of some of these. Some really seem obvious like the G-NEO for the A321-NEO's, others seem more of a stretch of the imagination.
Jun 10, 2020, 5:20 am
#15
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Aircraft are individual bodies and need to be identified by large numbers of people in varied teams - this is the sole reason they’re numbered in so many places. Imagine the confusion if you said at T5A “go and put this box on the A319 over there” or “fill the A321 up with 10 litres of fuel”...