Aircraft maintenance and storage unit designators

[bootneck]

I've been looking at some historical data about aircraft and sometimes find the terms:

...to storage 8645M

...to SOTT

...to 7997M

etc.

Is there a source of where I can identify these designators and acronyms and learn a bit more about them?

thanks for any assistance on this

Mike

[Harry Lime]

Mike,

...to 8645M/7997M means the serial number was changed from eg. XV778 (active duty serial) to a maintenance serial (M is for maintenance). SOTT is School of Technical Training.

Mark.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Harry Lime

[Dave Fleming]

There is a publiushed list of Maintenance SErials at UKserials

[Grizzly]

There is a publiushed list of Maintenance SErials at UKserials

Air Britain Do a book Royal Navy Instructional Airframes which lists all training aircraft & the maintenance number system.

[PhoenixII]

Hi Mike,

Schools of Technical Training.

Cosford was No. 2 SOTT (now No.1) originally i believe Halton was No.1 SOTT. St. Athan was / is? No. 4 SOTT.

In the 'good old days' it was where RAF apprentices went for trade training.

I KNOW, talking a foreign language..........apprentices!!!

For more info type School of Technical Training into 'Google'. For once even Wikipedia makes some sense!

As for the printed word (i KNOW, i'm THAT old!) i don't know of a specific title dealing with SOTT's.

For 'Maintenance' serials, i think that 'Air Britain' do books on active serials, if the aircraft survived long enough,

and was 'relevant' and moved to maintenance, it should be recorded after the aircraft was SOC. (Struck Off Charge)

HTH

Paul

[bootneck]

Thanks everyone, It seems I've bought most of these books except this important one! I have the RAF Flying Training and Support Units; Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units 1911-1919; Fleet Air Arm Aircraft, Units and Ships 1920 to 1939; Fleet Air Arm Helicopters since 1943 and Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft since 1946. I also have the book Aircraft in British Military Service since 1946.

I wonder though if there is an on-line database available which would provide most, if not all, the acronyms one comes across when looking up aircraft histories. SOTT was just one of loads that I've seen and I don't really want to keep asking, one acronym at a time, as I come across them. I could really do with learning what these places are andwhy the aircraft went to them. SOTT now seems to be obvious but it is little things such as the MU's (maintenance units I presume); because, in my lack of understanding, I thought that was were stuff was repaired and sent back to front line. It would appear, if I've got this right, that aircraft can just be sent there and stored, never to be seen again? So that's just a couple of items I've come across and each acronym becomes a distraction from my search on aircraft movements etc.

By the way, I thought 8474M and A6214 etc., were the names of stations such as MU's and not aircraft serials; hence my asking about them!

It was so easy when I was researching Ships! Off to find a copy of the instructional airframes book now.

cheers

Mike

pining for the fjords

[Wez]

MU's (maintenance units I presume); because, in my lack of understanding, I thought that was were stuff was repaired and sent back to front line.

Yep can be or where they go for modification or where they go for major servicings too

It would appear, if I've got this right, that aircraft can just be sent there and stored, never to be seen again?

Yes/No, they could be stored there and never seen again or held in strategic reserve. Aircraft can go in and out of storage to even out the airframe hours on the fleet, you may not want to have a load of high time airframes and a lot of low time airframes, putting aircraft into storage for indefinite periods would allow the fleet usage to be equalised.

By the way, I thought 8474M and A6214 etc., were the names of stations such as MU's and not aircraft serials;

As others have said, M numbers are maintenance airframes usually those used for training, the A numbers on naval airframes serves the same function - just like Captain Pugwash and co to do something different!

It was so easy when I was researching Ships! Off to find a copy of the instructional airframes book now.

Ships are just as tricky - just a different form of tricky that's all!

BTW, some maintenance/instructional airframes could be returned to flight status, their fate was not always sealed once they were allocated M/A numbers, the training schools could have a bewildering variety of airframes allocated for instructional use - when I was at Cosford there were Jet Provost, Gnats, Hunters, Sea Vixen, Canberras, Shackletons, Argosy's and even a Whirlwind for instructional purposes.

Wez

Edited September 4, 2012 by Wez

[bootneck]

Hi Wez,

thanks very much, this is quite informative.

Ah well, back to the research

Mike

[Edgar]

A friend told me of an episode, shortly after he was transferred to Halton; it was stocktaking, and he was told to count the Jaguars (yes, really.) He reported back, and was told, "You missed one, count them again." He came back with the same figure, and all Hell let loose, with everyone detailed to find the missing airframe (how do you lose a Jaguar?) It got to the stage that he thought they were going to demand to see inside his garage; presumably, as the messenger, he was prime candidate to be shot. Eventually, it was found, alive and well, with 41 Squadron, and gradually the story unravelled. When sent to a SOTT, aircraft remain in service, until given the "M" airframe designation; this meant that, when the Service needed a replacement serviceable airframe, they just went to Halton, and took it, without the benefit of any paperwork (and people wonder why research can, at times, be a mite difficult.)

Edgar

[Dave Fleming]

As others have said, M numbers are maintenance airframes usually those used for training, the A numbers on naval airframes serves the same function - just like Captain Pugwash and co to do something different!

And the AAC use 'TAD' numbers. Link to lists of them all at UK serials:

http://www.ukserials.com/maintenance.htm

The RAF seem to have stopped issuing M numbers in 2003.

[Selwyn]

In refrerence to the RAF using "M" Numbers and the RN using "A" for their training airframes.

To confuse the issue,

I Was at RAF Cosford in 1979 on my Armourers course. The airframes we used for weapons load training were Ex RN Sea Vixens, but they had RAF "M" Numbers!

Selwyn

[Hawkkeeper]

that's because the RAF took those airframes 'on charge' so they became RAF airframes & were given RAF M numbers, there were Sea Vixens x 5 at Halton in 1982 when I did my airframe techs course.most likelt the same 5 airframes.

Edited September 6, 2012 by Hawkkeeper

[bootneck]

And the AAC use 'TAD' numbers. Link to lists of them all at UK serials:

http://www.ukserials...maintenance.htm

The RAF seem to have stopped issuing M numbers in 2003.

This is a great source; thanks Dave.

Another, related, query: If an aircraft is allocated an 'A','M' or 'TAD', is it then that it is w.f.u. 'withdrawn from use' (other terms also seen) or it is later in life?.

My reason for asking is that I'm helping with the archives at the museum and (on some databases) the w.f.u seems, some times, to be quite early in the aircraft existance and quite a while before being released to museums or private ownership etc.

Any clarifications on the naming/numbering processes, during the lifeline of an aircraft; from front-line to preservation, would be gratefully appreciated by me. I suppose what I am trying to learn is, what comes first and then sequentially afterwards. I know the basics of constructed, F/F; Delivered, but then it is not so clear.

Thanks again

Mike