JohnB wrote:
There is one precedent... Pan Am made Piper drop the "Clipper" name in the late '40s.
The great irony is that the Pan Am branding ended up on, of all things,
train cars.
Also, there's actually another, more relevant precedent, but with the situation being reversed:
Quote:
Plane Renamed To Save Mixups
Beech Aircraft Corporation has announced its decision to change the trade-name of its newest twin-engine executive business airplane, the Beechcraft "Badger."
Although no other airplane in the world carries the name "Badger," this particular name had been scheduled for use by the USAF and other military organizations as a designation for a particular jet bomber of foreign design.
The USAF designation of the Russian bomber was an alphabetical one without significance of its mission of characteristics. However, the Air Force authorities feared that in the event of an attack on the US there might be some confusion between identification reports of the Russian Badgers (bombers) and the Beechcraft Badgers by some spotters on the defense network.
USAF therefore requested Beech to change the name of the Badger, and the management has announced its intention to do so.
(Source: "
Plane Renamed to Save Mixups,"
Carrier’s Courier, 2 November 1956, 2.)
For reference, the "Badger" became the Travel Air and the Soviet aircraft was the Tu-16.
As a footnote to the "Fighting Falcon" name, the CG-4A that Brigadier General Donald F. Pratt was killed in during the invasion of Normandy, 43-41430, bore the same name. It was a replacement for a presentation aircraft, 42-46574, that was paid for by the students of Greenville Public Schools. Reportedly, 574 was originally named "The
Flying Falcon", but the name was changed to "The
Fighting Falcon" before the presentation ceremony.
[1] The latter was eventually commemorated with a replica at the
Fighting Falcon Military Museum in Greenville, Michigan.
_________________
Tri-State Warbird Museum Collections Manager & Museum Attendant
Warbird Philosophy Webmaster