An aviator call sign (alternatively aviator callsign or, to differentiate from general civilian uses, military call sign or air force call sign) is a call sign given to a military pilot, flight officer, or enlisted aviator. It is a specialized form of nickname that is used over radio communications as well as a substitute for the aviator's given name, and is often displayed on name tags and on the aviator's assigned aircraft, usually on the fuselage or canopy rails.
The origins of aviator call signs are varied. Some call signs play on or reference variants of the aviator's given name, surname, or middle name. Other inspirations for call signs may include personality traits, personal appearances, references to historical figures or popular culture, shared events, past exploits during the pilot's career, or the pilot's own personal history. Some call signs are derived from embarrassing situations or negative traits, and may come off as derogatory or insulting, though these are usually (but not always) intended as banter-like in origin.
In almost all contexts, aviator call signs must come from members of the aviator's squadron, flight training class, or other cohort. It is considered bad form to try to give oneself a call sign, especially if it is considered self-aggrandizing. If aviators complain about a call sign they are given, especially if it is fairly derogatory, the more likely it is to stick.
Some aviators use the same call sign throughout their careers; in other cases an aviator might have a series of call signs. For example, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Kara Hultgreen was originally given the call sign "Hulk" because of her ability to bench-press 200 pounds. Later, after a television appearance in which she wore noticeable makeup, she received the call sign "Revlon", and a 1998 biography was entitled Call Sign Revlon.
Examples
Real
Astronaut Duane Carey used the callsign "Spider" as an A-10 pilot; when he transferred to F-16s, his call sign was changed to "Digger", because another pilot with that callsign had recently left the group, and the group wanted to continue its use.
U.S. Navyfighter pilotDale Snodgrass used the callsign of "Snort" and flew the F-14 Tomcat. He is known for a photo of him in his F-14 doing a knife edge pass off the side of the USS America (CV-66). After his retirement from the Navy, he flew many types of warbirds at airshows across the world.
Fictional
Film
The 1986 film Top Gun, set at the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, featured several aviators with call signs, including Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise): "Maverick"; Tom Kasansky (Val Kilmer): "Iceman"; and Nick Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards): "Goose". In addition, a number of military or former military personnel acted as crew to the film: Rick Moe (F-14 air crew): "Curly"; Ray Seckinger (Top Gun instructor and MiG pilot): "Secks"; Thomas Sobieck (Top Gun instructor and MiG pilot): "Sobs"; Robert Willard (Navy aerial coordinator, Top Gun instructor and MiG pilot): "Rat"; C.J. Heatley (aerial camera operator): "Heater"; and Ricky Hammonds (Top Gun instructor and MiG pilot): "Organ".
In the 1991 film Flight of the Intruder, new A-6 Intruder pilot LTJG Jack Barlow is given the call sign "Razor" because he did not look old enough to shave. It is later changed to "Straight Razor" at the end of the film because he'd become "a real weapon" in the eyes of his commanding officer. The book's principal character Jake Grafton has the call sign "Cool Hand".
The 2019 film Captain Marvel, set in 1995, has former ex-U.S. Air Force test pilot and member of an elite Kree military unit, Carol Danvers having "Avenger" as her call sign. This call sign is later used by Nick Fury to rename the initiative that he had earlier drafted to locate heroes like Danvers, to "The Avengers".
Television
Dwight Schultz's Captain H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock, from the 1983 series The A-Team (as well as his counterpart in the 2010 film adaptation, as portrayed by Sharlto Copley) is a gifted but reckless pilot. Aptly named, Murdock displays symptoms of mental instability, as demonstrated by his weekly obsessions (ranging from inanimate objects to role playing). Whether or not he is in fact insane is often debated, due to demonstrations in his fine tuned skills of acting and mimicry.
In the 1993 animated series SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, the main characters Chance Furlong and Jake Clawson have the call signs "T-Bone," and "Razor," respectively. Although their call signs are technically their SwatKAT aliases, they frequently refer to each other by their call sign even when not flying.
In the 1995 TV series JAG, the lead character, Harmon Rabb, is given the name "Pappy" due to the fact that he is the oldest pilot in his squadron. This is later changed to "Hammer", which was his father's Vietnam War call sign—a mark of respect.
The episode "Newbie Dash" of the 2010 animated series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic revolves around Rainbow Dash trying to shake off an embarrassing call sign ("Crash") given to her upon joining the aerobatic team The Wonderbolts. She ultimately learns that all of her teammates have equally embarrassing nicknames, and embraces it as her call sign for the remainder of the series.
The Marvel Comics character Corsair, space-faring father to X-Men characters Scott Summers and Alex Summers, got his alias from his call sign from his time as a USAF pilot.
In Tom Clancy's 1993 novel Without Remorse, fictional Vice Admiral Winslow Holland Maxwell, during World War II, received the call sign "Winnie", which he hated; after a mission in which he shot down three Japanese planes (all confirmed by gunsight cameras), he found a new coffee mug in the wardroom, engraved with the call sign "Dutch". When he later became an admiral, he displayed the mug in a place of honor on his desk.
A trilogy of novels published between 2001 and 2004 by Ward "Mooch" Carroll, Punk's War, Punk's Wing, and Punk's Fight, featured Rick Reichert, an F-14 pilot with the call sign "Punk", named by his commanding officer because he was caught listening to punk rock music while he was in the paraloft "walking" (suiting up) for a flight.
Video games
The Ace Combat series refers to its otherwise unnamed silent protagonist by their call signs, though several are radio call signs named after their squadrons, such as Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies protagonist "Mobius 1", while others with proper call sign names generally do not have their origins explained.
↑Spears, Sally (1998). Call sign Revlon: the life and death of Navy fighter pilot Kara Hultgreen. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN9781557508096.
