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Aviator call signs: The history & naming rituals

By same throughout the aviation community,
KATie LAnGe no matter the branch.
Most current call signs are still based
DOD News
on the same sources as in the early days
If you’ve been a fully trained military of aviation — a derivative of a last name,
pilot for more than a few months, chances physical features, personalities or pop cul-
are that you’ve scored yourself a call sign ture. Air Force Lt. Col. Keith Anderson said
by now. The call sign tradition is celebrated some call signs are intentional misspellings
by aviation communities across all mili- of common words to create an acronym ref-
tary branches. These pilot nicknames can erencing a story about the pilot. According
quickly identify an aircraft or individual, to Anderson and Navy Cmdr. Chris Papa-
and they also help to confuse the enemy, ioanu, most are based on the pilot screwing
who might be listening in on your com- something up.
munications. “Quite often, a call sign will be based
Nowadays, call sign naming rituals on a retelling of a mistake a young pilot
for fighter, bomber and other pilots are a made, with the rule being that the story
pretty formal process amongst the services,
which will be detailed later in this article.
But those rituals developed slowly over
time, and the origins of the tradition are
a bit murky. Several military historians
were interviewed for this story, and no one
could definitively say how pilot call signs Photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee
got their start. The Columbine II, a Lock-
An Unclear Origin heed Constellation, was
Some historians believe aircraft call the first aircraft to bear
signs were first used when radio became the call sign “Air Force
a commodity around 1930. As radio com- One” and flew the 34th
munications grew in prominence into World president, President
War II, so did call signs for planes, ships Dwight D. Eisenhower,
and occasionally geographic points, said from 1953 to 1954. The
National Naval Aviation Museum historian aircraft, officially retired
Hill Goodspeed. He said aircraft call signs in 1968, was named by
became common in the 1970s because they First Lady Mamie Eisen-
were short and added an extra level of hower after the state
identification, “particularly during times flower of Colorado, which
of intense, fast-paced operations.” is painted on the nose of
According to several historians, a lot of the aircraft.
individual aviators in the early days of
flight had nicknames, too, but they weren’t LEFT: Marine Corps Capt.
classified as call signs – they were generally John Beattie, a pilot as-
given early in a pilot’s career and revolved signed to Marine Attack
around his physical traits, personality or Squadron 214, disembarks
something pop culture-related. For ex- an AV-8B Harrier II after
ample, when nicknaming became popular conducting a flyover above
during World War II, Army Brig. Gen. David Pappy Boyington Field in
Lee Hill was from Texas, so his nickname Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, as
was “Tex.” Marine Corps Col. Gergory Boy- part of a cross-country
ington was nearly a decade older than the Photo by Marine Corps lance Cpl. Christian oliver Cachola flight, Aug. 12, 2017.
men serving in his command, so he was
known as “Pappy.” has to be at least 10% true,” Anderson said. embellished stories he told that reminded “When we make pilot in command, we
Some historians say that pilot call signs Across the branches, most pilots earn his squadron of the old military history TV get a choice of our local call sign,” said
may have originated from ground control- their call signs at their first operational program “War Stories with Oliver North.” Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle Pearl,
lers wanting a quick way to reference squadron as a junior officer, if they didn’t Call signs can be embarrassing for the a Black Hawk pilot with the Idaho Army
those aviators over the radio, but that’s receive one earlier. A few call sign ideas are pilot, which many aviators said helps build National Guard. “Some of our guys have
still hearsay. usually thrown around within a squadron a humility-based culture. For example, Pat- other call signs like nicknames that you
Call signs were sometimes even given before a pilot’s peers vote on their favorite. terson said he knows a few guys with the typically see in the Air Force and Navy.”
to the enemy. Air Force Academy historian That name is then approved by the squad- call sign “BamBam,” likely because they blew Changes Are Rare
Brian Laslie said one famous case was that ron’s commanding officer. out their aircraft’s tires when they forgot to Another general naming practice: while
of World War I German ace Manfred von “The skipper’s there to veto it just in case take off their parking brake as they launched more than one pilot can have the same call
Richthofen, who painted his fighter aircraft it’s crossing any lines or getting too aggres- from their aircraft carrier’s catapult. sign, it’s rare to be renamed.
red. His nickname in German was “Der sive,” said Navy Cmdr. Michael Patterson. “My call sign is Cage,” Anderson ex- “Unless you’ve really done something to
Rote Kampfflieger” — a mouthful for any “I have seen a number of call signs get plained. “A heat-seeking missile has a highlight yourself after you’ve been given
English-speaking pilot — so he was known rejected for a number of reasons — it wasn’t seeker on the front that must be ‘uncaged’ a call sign, typically it will stay the same,”
to Americans by its loose translation, “The funny enough, it wasn’t silly enough, it went in order to follow the heat source before the Papaioanu said.
Red Baron.” from the PG-13 range and beyond and it missile can be fired. The button to make Anderson said that, at least in the Air
Like aircraft, call signs for pilots became kind of needed to be toned down a little this happen is on the control stick, but I Force, there’s one exception: if a pilot has
more widespread by Vietnam; however, of- bit,” said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Christopher have cartoonishly small hands and I can’t flown a combat mission with their call sign,
ficial naming ceremonies for them weren’t Demars. reach that button, so I’m ‘Cage’ because I it can never be changed.
institutionalized until the 1980s, National If a rejection happens, usually there are can never ‘uncage.’” No matter how a call sign came about,
Air and Space Museum curator Michael backup names at the ready. Regardless of the story behind the name, they all come with a sense of pride. Not
Hankins said. What’s In a Name? it’s all good-natured. only are they useful for communications
Current Naming Rituals “Everybody wants something that sounds “There’s supposed to be an aspect of fun and identification purposes, but they can
While naming rituals vary from service to awesome, that sounds cool. But it’s just in it,” Demars said. also be a term of endearment, a rite of
service and squadron to squadron, a lot of never going to work out that way,” said While the Army doesn’t have fixed-wing air- passage and a way of bonding an aircrew
the main components of the process are the Demars, whose call sign “Ollie” came from craft, its helicopter pilots also have call signs. together.