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Classic Wings Magazine WWII Naval Aviation Research Pacific Luftwaffe Resource Center
When Hollywood Ruled The Skies - Volumes 1 through 4 by Bruce Oriss


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systemofadown1162
 Post subject: Plane Name
PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:05 am 
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This may be fairly obvious but What does the letter in the name mean?
Example: F-16; P-51; B-17

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Swiss Mustangs
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:18 am 
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F = Fighter (postwar)

P = Pursuit (later changed to F)

B = Bomber

A = Attack

C = Cargo

BT = Basic Trainer

AT = Advanced Trainer

O = Observation Plane

L = Liaison

CG = Combat Glider

U = Utility

F = Foto (postwar changed to RF)
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GrumpE
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:21 am 
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Simply put the letter is a designator for the type of aircraft. F for fighter, B for bomber X for experimental etc.

Many letters have been used. The number is the order the plane enters the system. This is a bit loose as the Airforce for example was well into the F-100 series decades ago and then started over with low numbers such as the F-4. XF-22 would be the F-22 during it's development and F-22 is the designator after the "experimental" phase of it's life.

WAY to many to list here. This site http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/ is a good start. Go into the American Military Aircraft section and then pick the service branch. A fairly complete and well written explanation is there.

http://www.driko.org/des.html is another good resource for one wanting to learn more about designators.

Hope these help.

Eric
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Dan K
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:30 am 
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And then on to the Navy...

SB2C Helldiver

S = Scouting
B = Bomber
2 = the designing company's 2nd design of this type
C = the designing company (in this case Curtiss); each aircraft company was issued a code letter by the govt.

If a certain design is the first example for a company, no number is used,
like:

PBM = Patrol Bomber Martin
TBF = Torpedo Bomber Grumman
SBD = Scouting Bomber Douglass

Like GrumpE mentioned, Joe Baugher's site is a good place to learn more (heaven knows I should spend more time there!). :wink:

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systemofadown1162
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 6:16 pm 
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Cool, thanks.
Now what about german designation?

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GrumpE
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 10:25 pm 
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Me = Messerschmitt as in Me 109
Fw = Focke-Wulf as in Fw 190
He = Heinkel
Do = Dornier
Ar = Arado
Bv = Blohm und Voss
Hs = Henschel
Ju = Junkers



More I have not listed I am sure.

The numbers, I believe, are series numbers. Letters after the numbers are varients. For example a Me 109E is an earlier model than a Me 109G and so forth. I do not have a good website to describehow the numbers were assigned or defined. Anyone else.

Eric
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Andy in West Oz
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 2:37 am 
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And here I was thinking SBD, as in Dauntless, meant "Slow But Deadly".... :lol:

Hee hee
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airnutz
 Post subject: SBD
PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 4:05 am 
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Andy in West Oz wrote:
And here I was thinking SBD, as in Dauntless, meant "Slow But Deadly".... :lol:

Hee hee


...SbbdddyyyDee in a dive with full armament...yee..hahhhh.. :shock:
..with those big beautiful sewer-grates to bring you out...
When uttered by some oldtimers, it comes across phonically as SpeedyD.

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systemofadown1162
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 11:00 am 
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Thanks GrumpE

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Eric Friedebach
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 2:45 pm 
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PT = Primary Trainer

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dj51d
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 4:58 pm 
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A few more Navy manufacturer designations.

F-Fairchild
W-Canadian Car & Foundry

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Jerry O'Neill
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 5:58 pm 
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I a;ways did love Alphabet Soup!!!
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dj51d
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:37 pm 
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Col. Rohr wrote:
dj51d wrote:
A few more Navy manufacturer designations.

F-Fairchild
W-Canadian Car & Foundry


Dj,

Actually Fairchild is K like J2K which is UC-61 or JK-1 which are Fairchild 45s

Cheers
RER


Fairchild was both K and F. Fairchild-built Helldivers were SBF's.

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JBoyle
 Post subject: Re: Plane Name
PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:20 pm 
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systemofadown1162 wrote:
This may be fairly obvious but What does the letter in the name mean?
Example: F-16; P-51; B-17


How could you have posted 140+ messages on this forum without knowing that? :?

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p51dman
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:11 pm 
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GrumpE left out one important German designation, that being

Bf as in Bf 109
Bf stood for BAYERISCHE FLUGZEUGWERKE AG
Which in English would be Bavarian Airplane Factory, Inc.
Not too far into WW2, the Bf was changed to Me.
Dick Phillips
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