Do you track tail numbers?
 

I know some of you like to track the aircraft you fly in, just for the fun of it. Plane-spotters are even more gung-ho (and these days, more arrested).

I decided to write down the tail numbers of my flights this week; it wasn't too hard during the daytime, but at night, I can't see the tails well enough. I imagine bad weather makes it worse.

Is there somewhere on board where the tail number is listed? I was chatting with an FA this evening who said it was listed up front and she would go find it. She brought me a napkin with "4940" written on it.

The other numbers I collected were of the form N###UA, where ### is a three-digit number. So I thought she must be confused. Sure enough, I deplaned in the dark; even tho I couldn't read the tail number, it definitely wasn't 4940.

Ok, UA/aircraft gurus... what do I do? I'm not going to carry binocs with me, so don't go there.

While the "fun" of writing down the tail numbers of my flights is something my wife might allow me, I'm not sure I could handle it. (Isn't this a British sort of thing, anyway?)

I try to track as many of them as I can. The FAs are often pretty good about getting them if you don't see it prior to boarding.

OK, I'll own up. I do this. :eek:

It started innocently enough one day when I flew a 747 that, in addition to the nose and tail numbers, had the name of a customer painted on the fuselage. I got to wondering how many of United's fleet I had flown in. Naturally, I also wondered how often I had flown in the same plane more than once.

So I started compiling a list of the registration numbers for the planes I flew. I managed to find some great resources on the Internet, like one site that gave the nose number (4-digit) and the corresponding tail number (NxxxUA). Now I can't help myself! :o

The tail number is located on the certificate that is usually located behind glass over the door at 1L, unless it's a 747 in which case I have no idea where it is. (I've searched every inch of the 747s and I can't find it.) Anyhow, if you have trouble locating it, the Purser has the information on their manifest.

Not surprisingly, I have flown in the same aircraft more than once, sometimes in the same seat. One time I was on a weekend mileage run and sat in 2A on N306UA (a 737-322) from IAD-MIA, DEN-MIA, and MIA-IAD, all on different days.

I've been doing this for a while now -- and I'm proud to say I've flown all of UA's 744s except for 3 (which are parked in the desert at the moment).

For domestic flights, you can go to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics site (www.bts.gov) and they have a backlog of flights all the way to '97, I think.

Another way...is if you ask one of our resident UA contributors, they can access UA's internal system which has a very robust flight tracking interface -- just let them know your flight number, departure city, and travel date within 5 days of travel and they should be able to get it for you.

Lately, I've been tracking which 320s and 57s have functional empower so I can be forewarned if an upcoming flight will allow me to be productive or not. ;)

That sounds like the seed of an idea. Is there some way a functionality of FT could be used keep a sort of database of aircraft, maintained by FTers, listing this kind of info for various aircraft on different airlines?

Moderator?...

I started tracking tails last year when I flew a 747-400 for the first time. Ever since I was a kid in the 70s, I've been enamored of the 747 and I wanted to google and find out everything I could about the particular plane I flew on.

Now, every time I fly, usually through LAX, I look over to the gates and hangars to see if the 747s there are one of those I've flown on.

I've had to ask the cabin crew a couple of times for the tail number and haven't been arrested yet.

While my dear wife tolerates my mileage running (in trade for her using my Tivo space for General Hospital), she is adamant that I don't search out aircraft history while waiting in the terminal for a flight. She'd rather not know if the aircraft has had mechanical or structural repairs as the one time I found out we were about to fly on a plane that had a tail strike in it's history...

Just tell her UA is the largest consumer of duct tape... :D

A 747 Trick
 

In addition to the "usual" spots (such as on the flight deck, the nose gear etc.) there is a certificate on UA 744s at door 4-R (the rearmost door on the right side, next to the stairway up to the F/A rest area). I sometimes poke my head into the flight deck before takeoff and say hello to the crew and ask for the number, especially if I'm sitting upstairs. Most of the time they are very friendly.

I am not ashamed to say that I embrace my inner plane-spotting geek!

Another shortcut...
 

...that works well at night (when the tail numbers may be hard to see) is to look at the nose number (four digits). Take away the second digit, and you've got the tail number.

Admittedly, this doesn't work when the gate/boarding areas don't have windows out into the tarmac...

I guess you guys can figure out I track my tail numbers too ;)

So, how do you get the tail number BEFORE you are traveling (other than looking at it 5 mins before you walk on the plane)?

I send the resident UAers a box of Godiva's for Xmas. :D

(Except now I have to actually purchase them instead of the old 5-finger discount trick in int'l C galley.) :D

Oh, gotcha. When you said within 5 days of travel you meant ahead of time. Cool. ^

I do this, it's fun (in a weird sort of way). Especially when you discover you've been on the exact same a/c years apart to different cities.

Go to this site for help, but you need to give it 31 days after your flight for the info to pop up:

http://www.bts.gov/programs/airline_...ledStatistics/

And to find out info on your specific aircraft go here:

http://www.landings.com/_landings/pa...earch_nnr.html

I was thinking of you guys when I put a field for Tail #'s in CoMETS. :D