Aircaft Registration Numbers

[tuapekastar]

I often read in posts (especially TRs) the rego number of the plane the poster was flying in. I know it's displayed on the outside of the fuselage, but is there anywhere (public) on the inside of the plane that it can be found? Or do the TR posters just make it their business to note it from the outside? I thought that may be difficult in some situations depending on the plane/gate/lounge/airbridge setup.

Cheers

 

[NM]

Yes, have a look in the galley area. On QF aircraft there is usually a metal plate with the last three letters of the rego. So for a QF 747-438, it may be something like OJA.

It is also on a similar plaque on the flight deck, but you can't see that one during the flight :cry: .

 

[bigjobs]

similar to your car which has a compliance plate under the bonnet a plane has what i think of as a 'compliance plate' just around the entry door. have a glance the next time you are getting on one. it contains info like what number in the model series it is, when it was manufactured etc. it also has the rego number on it.

 

[QF WP]

Yes, tuapekastar, whilst I try and get it from the rear of the plane, it's not always visable. As NM and bigjobs have explained well, I'll then saunter up to near the forward galley and look for the details there.

Had a coupleof TA's wondering what I was doing...

 

[JohnK]

It is also on a similar plaque on the flight deck, but you can't see that one during the flight :cry: .

Depends on whether you get a special invitation to see the flight deck.

 

[tuapekastar]

Thanks all for the info. I'll have a look for it next time.

Cheers

 

[MetroAir]

And if you forget to look for it, you can always ask a FA - it usually winds up them having a chat to you 'cause they want to know if your'e a plane spotter.

I got into a habit (why I'm not sure - started when I was a kid and hasn't stopped) of writing the rego on my boarding pass.

Yes, I have lots of old boarding passes, yes Mrs MA wants to keep throwing them away - no I don't let her.

Its amazing just how many times you can wind up on the same aircraft.

 

[NM]

Yes, tuapekastar, whilst I try and get it from the rear of the plane, it's not always visable. As NM and bigjobs have explained well, I'll then saunter up to near the forward galley and look for the details there.

Had a coupleof TA's wondering what I was doing...

It is generally displayed in all galleys, not just the forward galley. And, yes, asking an FA generally results in the correct answer.

 

[markis10]

Sometimes the crew dont know what plane they are flying regardless of the rego, once had an adl bound crew call up on my radar sector and explain their passengers were going to Perth, needless to say a few quick questions over the radio to the Perth bound plane revealed where the Adelaide passengers ended up!

Then again I did once get on the wrong plane and rather than end up in sydney ended up back in New York where i had left some 26 hours earlier, but that is another story and has nothing to do with rego numbers!

 

[straitman]

Sometimes the crew dont know what plane they are flying regardless of the rego, once had an adl bound crew call up on my radar sector and explain their passengers were going to Perth, needless to say a few quick questions over the radio to the Perth bound plane revealed where the Adelaide passengers ended up!

Then again I did once get on the wrong plane and rather than end up in sydney ended up back in New York where i had left some 26 hours earlier, but that is another story and has nothing to do with rego numbers!

Oops, Oops and Very Big Oops :!:

 

[QF WP]

I'd been trying to find the thread over on FT where QF NB actually has collated all the QF aircraft's information (including rego), lo and behold he posts to it this afternoon.

 

[clifford]

Sometimes the crew dont know what plane they are flying regardless of the rego, once had an adl bound crew call up on my radar sector and explain their passengers were going to Perth, needless to say a few quick questions over the radio to the Perth bound plane revealed where the Adelaide passengers ended up!

Then again I did once get on the wrong plane and rather than end up in sydney ended up back in New York where i had left some 26 hours earlier, but that is another story and has nothing to do with rego numbers!

Oops, Oops and Very Big Oops :!:

A few months ago, I was sitting in F on a UA 737 at SFO for a flight to LAX when the hostie came on the PA and said that we had 80 pax on board instead of the manifested 78. Everyone was given the opportunity to get off and go to PHX (the adjacent gate), but when no one did, they just flew to LAX anyway with the extra 2 pax.

Could this have happened in good old Oz?

 

[Groundfeeder]

Markis10

It's interesting now that ATC use company flight numbers rather than aircraft rego for RPT activities (Qantas 540, Virgin 880 etc)

I've heard many silent pauses (is that possible??) from pilots acknowledging their proper flight numbers to ATC, so I wonder if they have sticky notes on the yoke that the FO is tasked to change on landing?

 

[straitman]

Markis10

It's interesting now that ATC use company flight numbers rather than aircraft rego for RPT activities (Qantas 540, Virgin 880 etc)

I've heard many silent pauses (is that possible??) from pilots acknowledging their proper flight numbers to ATC, so I wonder if they have sticky notes on the yoke that the FO is tasked to change on landing?

Flight numbers have been used for as long as I can remember. (30+ years) In a similar vain the military use specific names in their callsigns to identify squadrons combined with a numbers to indicate either their task number or the captain's specific identification.

 

[markis10]

In Australia for domestic flights, flight numbers for radio comms only came in the early 90's, prior to that it was rego although the flight number was tracked on the plan as well. Internationally it was always flight number, again with the rego on the flight plan. RAAF use squadron callsigns such as Maple (F18's) unless outbound on an international journey when they tend to use "Aussie". Some civil safety ops also have special callsigns rather than rego such as "helimed" etc, this largely started in the days of the National Safety Coucils fleet build up of SAR and Ambulance resources (while they went bankrupt the infrastrucutre and resources have largely remained to the ongoing benefit of the genral population).

TJJ which was an old DC9 was known amongst ATCs as Tango Hookes for instance when being transferred or handed over to the next sector.

People are still surprised to hear as an Air Traffic Controller that you worked night shift in Sydney, "I thought the airport shut down at 11", I wish that was the case as I hated Saturday nights going to work past all those people having a good time at restaurants!

As for silent pauses from pilots during transmissions, you usually got one when they realised they had just transmitted the passenger greeting over the radio rather than the intercom, you know " good morning ladies and gentleman this is the captain, if you look outside the window.....", I used to reply with "if I look out the window all I can see is General Holmes Drive :roll: "

 

[NM]

Flight numbers have been used for as long as I can remember. (30+ years) In a similar vain the military use specific names in their callsigns to identify squadrons combined with a numbers to indicate either their task number or the captain's specific identification.

I am not sure if it has changed recently, but it was the case that domestic flights tended to use the aircraft registration (excluding the VH), such as Oscar Golf Foxtrot, while international flights used the company call sign followed by the flight number, such as Qantas 10 or Speedbird 16.

And per a recent change, for aircraft in the official heavy category the initial contact with ATC includes the heavy identification (such as Qantas 10 heavy, Speedbird 16 heavy etc). It is not used after that initial contact. In the USA it is used with every identification.

 

[markis10]

And per a recent change, for aircraft in the official heavy category the initial contact with ATC includes the heavy identification (such as Qantas 10 heavy, Speedbird 16 heavy etc). It is not used after that initial contact. In the USA it is used with every identification.

There are some good films on wake turbulance and its effects which never seem to make it to the inflight entertainment section!

 

[straitman]

In Australia for domestic flights, flight numbers for radio comms only came in the early 90's, prior to that it was rego although the flight number was tracked on the plan as well. Internationally it was always flight number, again with the rego on the flight plan. RAAF use squadron callsigns such as Maple (F18's) unless outbound on an international journey when they tend to use "Aussie". Some civil safety ops also have special callsigns rather than rego such as "helimed" etc, this largely started in the days of the National Safety Coucils fleet build up of SAR and Ambulance resources (while they went bankrupt the infrastrucutre and resources have largely remained to the ongoing benefit of the genral population).

Thanks Markis10 for clearing away a few spider webs in my brain,

I recall in the early 70's the military using registration callsigns and then changing to Sqn callsigns. This was ABOUT 1974 +- a year. The military callsigns were VM-ABC whereas civilian were/are VH-ABC. When operating overseas for extended periods the regular Sqn callsigns were use however for short duration or transit it was prefixed with "Aussie"

You're also right about domestic RPT changing to flight numbers in the early 1990's.

 

[NM]

There are some good films on wake turbulance and its effects which never seem to make it to the inflight entertainment section!

And its interesting that a 757 is considered a Heavy for wake turbulence purposes, even though it is under the official weight limit for the category. From memory, I think the Heavy weight limit is that of a DC8, but I am sure someone will correct me if that is incorrect.

 

[straitman]

There are some good films on wake turbulance and its effects which never seem to make it to the inflight entertainment section!

And its interesting that a 757 is considered a Heavy for wake turbulence purposes, even though it is under the official weight limit for the category. From memory, I think the Heavy weight limit is that of a DC8, but I am sure someone will correct me if that is incorrect.

NM,

Not sure of the weight as I don't have my paperwork here. I suspect it fits the heavy catagory due the aerodynamics ie wing plan etc being per a 767.