RAF Individual Aircraft Code Letter- Possibly a Very Dumb Question.

[SleeperService]

As I get dragged further down the Aircraft Model Making Rabbit Hole I'm starting to discover the limits of my knowledge.

So was there a set arrangement for the individual aircraft letters assigned as part of the code. I mean were they always A to whatever? I know senior officers could have their initials but otherwise was it always the same across every squadron?

If they were was there a specific arrangement with A Flight leader being A; B flight leader B and so on.

If anybody can stop laughing long enough to reply I'd be very Thankful!

[Graham Boak]

Generally A flight would have the first part of the alphabet and B Flight the second. The CO would tend to have A, or whichever he wanted. Different methods were used later in the war when 3 Flights became more common, at least on heavy bomber units.

At the start of the was the FAA had a much stricter system of triplets of letters for coloured sections, but I suspect this was not seen after (say) 1942 - it was still in use on Indomitable during Pedestal but she'd commissioned in November 1941. I suspect the FAA was changing over to the "finger four" tactics by 1942 so sets of threes would be unsuitable. Carrier deck space being as short as they were, availability was more important than sticking to protocol, but section consistency was maintained when possible.

[JackG]

I remember touching on this subject a few years back when trying to zero in the codes of a specific 609 Spitfire. What I was told is initially there were four flights of three aircraft each. So for example, red flight would have the individual letters A,B, and C. Yellow would have the next three letters of the alphabet, D, E, and F, and so on with blue and green. This would change though as a fourth aircraft was added to each section. The above though is a generalization.

There were also aircraft codes U,V,Z, Y, and even with ? I never found out if specific codes were assigned to replacements or left blank until needed?

Of course, it's always best to refer to photos and squadron notes to model a specific subject.

regards,

Jack

[Edgar]

There was nothing laid down, though it can be sometimes seen that the C.O. took the letter "A," and, when there were only two flights, A-M were used by "A" Flight, with N-Z going to "B" flight.

Once wartime losses came into the equation, though, most of the convoluted plans went out of the window. A team of erks seem to have (largely) looked after the same letter, so, if it was lost, or worn out, the next airframe, given the same letter, was usually issued to them. A former 609 Squadron rigger told me how "his" Spitfire was always "PR-A" (but not the C.O.'s this time.) "The prat plane, we called it" was what he said.

At first, pilots generally seem not to have had a personal aircraft (though there were exceptions,) so that, when pilots went on leave, others could fly their regular mount, which could lead to some recriminations if it got abandoned and dumped in the sea.

Dowding's first "system" involved painting the Squadron number on the fuselage or fin, with red numbers for "A" flight and red/white for "A" Flight's second section, blue & blue/white for "B" Flight, green & green/white for "C" Flight, but, if a pilot was promoted from (for example) "C" Flight's second section to lead "B" Flight, the numbers had to be completely repainted. This probably was the reason for going over to letters, since it didn't matter where they flew.

[Graham Boak]

A fighter squadron could have up to twice as many pilots as aircraft. It seems that officers (with the more successful NCOs) would have their own aircraft, with its own fitter and rigger, which they would fly whenever possible. It would be flown by other pilots as required; allowing for unserviceability, leave, rest periods, and the tempo of operations.

The rarer symbols - including ? - would normally be the CO's prerogative.

[bobmig]

As they say, Sleeper, there are no dumb questions... only dumb answers! Actually, very interesting info, which I've never really thought about before.

[SleeperService]

Thank You for all the answers chaps.

The question arose as a result of digging into the history of Bolingbroke 717 which became a MkIII floatplane for a while and went to No5 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron RCAF.

I was wondering whether it would have been marked up, found the squadron code was QN and then wondered about the rest, and then whether there was a recognised system.

I'm much wiser now Thank You!

BTW I have used some Iliad decals and like them a lot. Thanks for making them!

[brewerjerry]

Hi

These photos show no codes, but despite caption, appears photos taken during tests.

http://www.ipmscanada.com/ipms/Reference_Photo/RCAF_WWII/RCAF_WWII_Page/Bolingbroke%20Gallery.html

history of 717 here, part way down the page

http://rwrwalker.ca/RCAF_701_750_detailed.htm

cheers

Jerry

Edited December 31, 2014 by brewerjerry

[Procopius]

As random observations, Paul Richey preferred the "G" code for his aircraft, and Neville Duke flew ZX-J when he was OC 145 Squadron.

[SleeperService]

Thanks again.

I hadn't seen the rear shot before Jerry and that history is much more complete that what I'd put together,

I agree about the photos being during trials as the ventral fin (also mentioned by others) isn't fitted. I keep looking in the hope that something else turns up.

Good point about the codes Procopius, So far I've got 5 BR Squadron with B to G and K to P with W & X which I'd suspect are the Immediate Replacement aircraft. It's all good fun.

Glad I'm doing the research way ahead of the build rather than as I go along!

[Miggers]

Allan Wright (92 Sqn)always had "S" coded Spitfires.

[Peter Roberts]

Spoke to a pilot who flew with 456 Sqn, and initially flew RX-Z. When they first got their Beaufighter IIs, the ground crew painted his plane up with one of the Zeds the wrong way around! Dont think it flew ops that way.....

PR