Yeah, and then she'd ask the FA for some duct tape to cover my mouth with! ;)

Does anyone know what nose # 744 have before they all become 81XX ? Is it 81XX means it is a 744-OB ? What about OA and OP ?

Ah, so my flight 4940 above was N440UA! Thanks.

But where is the nose number? You say I need to see out of the gate/boarding area, so I assume it's on the front of the aircraft. But I googled up a bunch of UA 747 pix and can't see any nose numbers on either side of them (but the tail numbers are clearly visible). :confused:

I go through phases - some months I am good about writing down every reg no., then other months I think, what's the bloody point?

The nose numbers are generally around the nose landing gear, in the lower half of the fuselage. As I said, they are four digits, and are painted in fairly small numbers (relative to the tail numbers), so you can only seem them from fairly close (like the windows on a gate area ;) )

AFAIK, the general format is as follows:

first digit = fleet type (same as the tail number)
second digit = sub-type (to distinguish between, say the different 777 configurations)
last two digits = the aircraft number in the fleet series (same as the tail number)

So if you know the number for your fleet type (i.e. "5" for 757s), then you only need the last two digits...

Nose numbers are located below the cockpit, under the cheatline - roughly half way between the cheatline and the nosewheel area. Anyway it's the only number there so you can't miss it. Sometimes it's also got an ETOPS marker (on a twin, obviously) if that's applicable.

The "take out the 2nd digit from the fleet / nose number" trick is generally OK, but not in all cases since the fleet numbers (first 2 digits) don't always match reality (eg: 8107, = N107UA, but 2366 = N766UA). It's basically the last 2 digits plus knowing the tail number registrations for each fleet (eg: 777's are N7xxUA *and* N2xxUA, 737's are N3xxUA & N9xxUA) so they don't always match up.

Just for interest with the 2nd digit - that refers to what I call the cabin configuration version number, or plane type -this is most useful when a fleet is undergoing upgrade like a seat swap or something - those numbers can tell you if you will get a nasty surprise on the inside or not.

Referring to the earlier question about the 744 OB's, OA's & OP's... my distorted memory suggests that the OA's (the high density equipment w/80? C, 270Y) were 80xx and the OP's (the low density pacific config) were 83xx's - though I could be wrong on that.

I have more info on this at home I'll try and scrounge it up.

I wonder whether there is something similar to this for International flights... IATA or someone should have some statistic....

The only way I'm aware of to find Int'l regs it to find someone with an ACARS log set up for the area you likely flew over. There are a few really good ones out there, but it's really hit or miss. That said, I have every reg (except a couple) I've been on for the past few years (over 100). I also keep track of the Out/Off/On/In times and mileages in my spreadsheet. It makes for some nice charts and such (keep track of average block and flight times). It's kinda weird when you realize you were just on the exact same aircraft last month between two entirely different cities (or the same ones for that matter).

dan

I have 2 links for ACARS sites that show reg numbers for flights over the UK (not just LHR bound planes) and an Australia flights. They are a little tricky to navigate, but very resourceful. PM me if you would like these links.

Also, this is a great site for all LHR arrivals/departures:

http://www.lhr-lgw.co.uk/

I do admit I keep a flight log with reg numbers. My wife thinks I'm a nerd, but I think it's way cool when I step on a plane that I was on 2 weeks ago and sit in the same seat.

-Ualisthebst

Thanks guys, I'm learning a ton.

Here's my table for UA then: If tail is NabcUA then the 'a' digit (first digit) indicates:

a digit aircraft type
------ ------------
1 744
2 777
3 733
4 320
5 752
6 767
7 777
8 319
9 735

But this leaves me perplexed... doesn't UA have more than 100 752s? And what number range to CRJs and EMs get? And what will they do with the rumored new 787s?

Yea, OA is the one with a lot of Y and small C, OB is like what it is now, OP is having large C and small Y, heard from someone OP was mainly for flights to NRT. But I want to figure out which nose # is for OA, OB, and OP, and how many planes in each configuration ? Thanks

Complete list of UAL aircraft by registration, type, MSN, delivery date, and status. Should be fairly up to date:

http://www.united-virtual.com/upload...+%20selcal.xls

Enjoy!

737-300
10XX
98XX
99XX

737-500
15XX
16XX

A319
40XX

A320
45XX Overwater Ted
46XX
47XX Overwater
48XX Ted
49XX Ted

757-200
54XX
55XX overwater ETOPS
56XX overwater
57XX premium service

767-300
63XX
67XX 2 cabin

777-200
23XX
25XX 2 cabin
26XX pacific
28XX
29XX

747-400
81XX

The "XX" can be found in the reg number. The reg number will always start with "N" and end in "UA". So from the post above, if you have a 757, which will have a reg code that starts with 5, and the nose number is 5440, then the reg number will be N540UA. That link above is really nice, and has a ton of good info in it. Unfortunately, it does not have nose numbers, but with my info and the other info posted here, you can figure it out. I have found this info out on this internet before as well, and even logic behind other airlines' reg numbers.

Question: on the link above, what does the column "SELCAL" mean?

Question: on the link above, what does the column "SELCAL" mean?

"SELCAL" means "selective calling", which is a technique that allows a ground radio operator to alert an aircrew that the operator wishes to communicate with that aircraft.

When the ground station operator wishes to communicate with an aircraft, he enters into the SELCAL encoder the 4-letter code of that aircraft, which is usually included in its flight plan, and transmits that code over an assigned radio channel. All aircraft monitoring that channel receive the SELCAL broadcast, but only those (preferably only one) that have been programmed with that 4-letter code will respond by sounding a chime or otherwise alerting the crew. The crew will then set their volume control higher to listen to the voice traffic and to assure that the message is intended for them.

Hope that helps.

We call them "N" numbers because the first number is an N..... from that information you can determine the aircraft type etc....

I also start a stop watch when we start a take off roll and use it to time the flight --- there's method in my madness because from the crew announcements I can tell precisely how much time is left in the flight and use that to determine how I'm going to use the time.....

Bob H