What all you Brits know...

[OldAirmail]

Leaves me totally clueless.

Give a Yank an education. Please.



The markings along the side of the fuselage. What does it mean/how do you read it?

[Apex]

Ah, another mystery perhaps maybe to be solved. Or perhaps not. I'm not sure there's a simple, logical explanation, but then I really don't know. I've always wondered myself.

Here's some interesting stuff:
http://freespace.virgin.net/john.dell/spitmark.htm

Best to Google "British fuselage markings" or the like and see what comes up. There's stuff on Wikipedia too.

Any others here? The fuselage stuff adds a bit of spice to the liveries, eh wot?

[ViperPilot]

There is a method to the madness...

The double letter designates the Squadron Code, the single letter is the individual Aircraft identification (e.g. the Lancaster code DY-K would be Aircraft 'King' of Squadron 'Dog Yoke', or Squadron 102).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_R ... dron_codes

Alan

[Algenon Lacy]

Hi,

I am not an expert, but I think the single letter or number next to the "Roundel" is the call sign for the aircraft and the other two letters next to the Roundel relate to the aircraft squadron.Also there are other "small letters and numbers" which are the particular aircraft registration numbers issued by the licensing authority and are unique to that aircraft.

Regards

Algenon.

[OldAirmail]

Thanks, all.

I knew that there must be some logic to it.

[BLAZE]

I'm glad you asked that question Rich. I have always wondered that myself but
by the time I get to the interweb.. it slipped me mind.

Oh Yeah.. cool screenies!

[OldAirmail]

Definitely good to finely know.

It's one of those things that we see very little of in our air shows.

[OldAirmail]

I guess that I should insert The White Cliffs of Dover song to match the middle picture above.

Lots of aircraft pictures in the video.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqtaoz4QFX8[/youtube]

[Hagar]

I'm surprised that you chaps didn't know about the aircraft ID codes. This was not confined to RAF aircraft. The USAAF used similar markings during WWII.
http://www.airwar.org.uk/GENERAL/uscode.htm

Here's a couple of examples from my own collection.

P-51D Mustang in the markings of 374th Fighter Squadron- 361st FG.


B-17G in the markings of 324th Bomb Squadron - 91st BG.

[C]

For the indecisive...

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/spitregistry/spitfire-mj730.html

[OldAirmail]

THANKS C



If anyone did not read the "Comments" at the end of that link, go back & read it!

[logjam]

Interesting read there. I remember way back in the 50's when Jeffrey Quill flew a spitfire to the Coventry airshow, his 'plane had the letters QJ as the sqadron identifier. Later, during his display flight he asked for someone to lend him a belt. I offered mine, but it wouldn't fit. Hahaha, if I offered mine now it would go around his waist twice lol.

[BLAZE]

That George Silvester story is just down right cool! I'm sure someone is already working on
that repaint. I want to start on that plane right away.

[OldAirmail]

Close there, but it ain't got no dirt on it.

[C]

Interesting read there. I remember way back in the 50's when Jeffrey Quill flew a spitfire to the Coventry airshow, his 'plane had the letters QJ as the sqadron identifier. Later, during his display flight he asked for someone to lend him a belt. I offered mine, but it wouldn't fit. Hahaha, if I offered mine now it would go around his waist twice lol.

92 Squadron - one of the better known Squadrons in the BoB. AB910 (a post BoB MkV) wore the scheme until it was gifted to the BBMF. Quill himself served on 65sqn briefly during the battle.

As for a MJ730 scheme - the real A/c has been wearing the colours for over 20 years, including 16 or 17 stateside, so someone must have done it already!

The other ones not mentioned so far are those such as DB, Bader's Spitfire once in charge of his Wing, and postwar; JMR - AVM James M Robb's personal Mk XVI; JE-J - Johnnie Johnson's Mk IX and XIV etc. There were a few more personal ones...