Tartan 42

[Garry Russell]

Would it not be the case that even though some logic appears in callsigns they will have illogical callsigns as well to not make it clear to non military observers.?????

Just a thought (now there's a rarity)

Garry

[SkippyBing]

Would it not be the case that even though some logic appears in callsigns they will have illogical callsigns as well to not make it clear to non military observers.?????

Well if we're trying to be sneaky (as in embarked rotary) we'll start using a daily changing call sign, as will the ship, along the lines of D3G1. There is no logic to this at all, it's just a random combination of letters and numbers, although the third character is never a number and if there's a fourth character it is, if I want to know who someone is I'd have to look it up on my crib. It's also worth not being airborne at midnight Z as all kinds of chaos breaks out as everyone changes!

Thanks for the info on the towline callsigns Tonks, that's vaguely rung some bells from helping out on the JMC air ops desk where I also discovered there's actually a plan to the air battle even if they won't tell rotary wing about it!

[DaveB]

I did wonder if 4 was the 4th day and 2 the second sortie of the day but that seemed too simple

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[forthbridge]

:think:

In the normal** world, do you sometimes pick up the phone and answer 'Tartan 10', 'Texaco 01' or 'Skua 99'?????? ;-)

I regularly answer the house phone as if was at work.....

**in the house/etc

[Garry Russell]

Years ago GB Airways flights were operated by Briatannia Airways 737 complete with crews with noth aircraft or crewa actually assigned as such..just part of the normal rotation.

When they used to pass through the our area they nearly always called "Britannia.....er Gibair 101" and the mistake would continue to get repeated as the flight progessed.

Guess things get ingrained.

I have answered my home phone with my jobs extension number and the other was round as well :doho:

Garry

[DaveB]

I like it Used to hate daily changing callsigns and often wondered about their worth as a skilled observer with the necessary radio equipment and a pair of bino's could link the c/s and unit reasonably easy :think: It used to make it confusing for us to know who was who too

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Garry Russell]

Ah Dave

Bring back the good ole days

I once watched a film about Croydon which was very busy as it said and could sometimes see as many as eight giant airliners in one day :o

Anyways...... cut to the bod in the tower who gets a radio message

Croydon.Croydon.....Hengist here, coming in to you........ just passed Dover..over



Don't know if they ever actually said that but it was a laugh

Garry

[Nigel H-J]

Many thanks for the explanations on call signs, after reading more posts on it.........I am as confused as ever!! :brick:

BTW I answer my telephone with a hello also, like to remain anonymous!!

Regards
Nigel.

[DaveB]

There's nothing to be confused about Nigel. Tartan is 101's 'live' AAR callsign and the numbers after depict the day and sortie number. In the case of Tartan 42.. Tartan is the tankers AAR callsign.. 4 is the day and 2 is the second sortie of the day (weren't you a crab too??) I'm pretty certain that the boys from Brize don't just leap into a jet and leg it to wherever on the offchance of finding someone who wants gas.. these things are predetermined so that the tanker has a good idea of who'll be taking (down to the individual c/s of the receivers) and thus.. how much fuel to take with them plus an adequate safety margin in case of strays e t c

Things don't always go to plan.. receivers go tech.. are unable to fly due to wx. Eeek.. off on a tangent there

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Paul K]

So its not the Clan McTonks then. Another aviation mystery ( to me at least ) solved, cheer chaps.