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Aircraft's loving nicknames

Lobster

Well-Known Member
^ Never heard an A-7 called anything other than SLUF...



Sorry forgot to mention this was just around our house when I was little, mom and dad called it a flying cigar when he started flying hornets, thought it'd be funny to share. :D
 

brownshoe

Well-Known Member
Contributor
Sorry forgot to mention this was just around our house when I was little, mom and dad called it a flying cigar when he started flying hornets, thought it'd be funny to share. :D

Thanks for sharing! They were stubbier and smaller than an F-8…. So your nickname makes sense.:)

Steve
 

RotorHead04

Patch Mafia
pilot
MH-60S = Knighthawk ... according to Sikorsky, it's still a Seahawk, but in reference to the CH-46 SeaKnight, the HSC community calls it the Knighthawk ...
 

phrogdriver

More humble than you would understand
pilot
Super Moderator
UH-1 "Huey"

Now I believe that's the official name. It used to be "Iroquois," after an Indian tribe, like all other Army helos. Formerly the "HU-1," guys called it the "Huey."

The V-22 has to get a good unofficial name, too. "Devil's Whirlybird" doesn't cut it.

My boat roommate used to call his -46 the "Whistling Shitcan of Death," which I always found funny, even at the time.
 

Swanee

Cereal Killer
pilot
None
Contributor
IIRC the old man called the A-37 the Dragonfly, even thought the AF called it the Super Tweet... or maybe it was the other way around; either way he says it was his all time favorite airplane to fly.
 

TheGreatWaldo

Registered User
pilot
A-1 Skyraider - Spad
A-3 Skywarrior - Whale

Actually, I believe "Spad" was a term for just the single seat version. Spad = Single pilot AD.The Navy originally designated them AD-1,2,3,4, etc. all carrying the "skyraider" official name. I believe other terms like "Sandy" were missions just like the "wild weasel" SEAD mission that belonged to the F-100, F-4, F-16 etc.

F-117 nighthawk "stinkbug"
F-4 phantom II was the original "Rhino"
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Nit Pick = Connie

and of course the most famous

C-121 = Willie Victor

I believe it was just the Navy that referred to them as Willie Victors, since they were designated WV-1/2's by only the Navy before 1962.

Then again, I wasn't around when they were still a twinkle in Howard Hughes' eye. ;)
 

phrogdriver

More humble than you would understand
pilot
Super Moderator
IIRC the old man called the A-37 the Dragonfly, even thought the AF called it the Super Tweet... or maybe it was the other way around; either way he says it was his all time favorite airplane to fly.

I thought the "Tweet" nickname just referred to the training version--T-37. Dragonfly was the official name for the attack version.
 

HAL Pilot

Well-Known Member
None
Contributor
IIRC the old man called the A-37 the Dragonfly, even thought the AF called it the Super Tweet... or maybe it was the other way around; either way he says it was his all time favorite airplane to fly.
Phrogdriver is right, it's the other way around.
 

A4sForever

BTDT OLD GUY
pilot
Contributor
Some others, mebbe some repeats:

A-3 = Whale, All 3 Dead, Whistling Shitcan

A-4 = Bantam Bomber, Mighty Mite, Tinker Toy

A-6 = Tadpole, Iron Tadpole, Drumstick, Dogship

A-7 = FLUF (a variation on SLUF) and Fruit Fly (look at it on the PLAT and you'll understand)

AC-47 = PUFF (the Magic Dragon)

E-1 = STOOF with a ROOF

F-4 = Smokey

F-8 = Crud, Ensign Eater, MIG Master

T-2 w/ guns = ATTACK GUPPY

ENSIGN EATER = More than just the low-slung F-8 intake on that particular bird -- as just about every "tough to land" aircraft to come along since the F4U Crusader had the moniker of "Ensign Eater" somewhere in its history ... when I was in it was attributed to the new NUGGET Ensigns getting an F-8 or RF-8 seat w/ the problems inherent in assigning inexperienced Aviators to fly an aircraft that was a handful to land. :)

corsairkillspb0.jpg
 
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