What name have you given to your aircraft?

[M61A1]

When the Champ refuses to start after pulling thru more than 4 blades, it gets called "Bast#rd" !

I read that Jeremy Clarkson's wife combines two well known words, and when someone annoys her, they are "Custard".

[boingk]

I'm a stickler for the name 'Veronica', so usually name all my worthy vehicles as such. I like it because it seems like the right kind of name for a personable, outgoing, tad crazy vehicle which, performance notwithstanding, is aging and ageing well. Think of that crazy girl you used to know who loved tight leopard-print dresses and you get the idea.

 

Valiant? Veronica.

 

VTR1000F? Veronica.

 

Minicab? Not sure yet.

 

Not sure I want to give my plane a name if I'm selling it soon :(

 

- boingk

 

 

[sfGnome]

My father always called his cars "Betsy", and he'd pat the dashboard and say "come on Betsy" as she struggled up the hills with too few horses up front and too many kids on board. Don't know if mum's name being Betty had anything to do with it.

 

 

[pudestcon]

Ah, something I've been pondering. Not to steal your thread but any suggestions for my avatar?

Wotever takes your fancy Doug.

Pud

 

 

[pylon500]

While I was still building my 503, 'Little Racer' seen as my avatar, I was planning on calling my prototype "SCREAMAPILLAR"

 

Simpsons watchers will get the drift.

 

 

 

[flyvulcan]

Pylon500, when is "Little Racer" going to grace the skies (theoretically or should I say wishfully)?

 

 

[pudestcon]

Ah, something I've been pondering. Not to steal your thread but any suggestions for my avatar?

"Figment" of your imagination.

Pud

 

 

[rgmwa]

Ah, something I've been pondering. Not to steal your thread but any suggestions for my avatar?

Airyplane?

rgmwa

 

 

[naremman]

One advantage that VH registered aircraft have is that sometimes the three allocated registration letters give some scope for a reference to that aircraft.

 

The Cessna 172D that I gained my Restricted PPL on was registered VH-CBH. That is a registration that no WA grain grower will forget, as the farmer owned Co-Operative Bulk Handling is always refered to as CBH. The CB was derived from Cheyne's Beach Whaling, the last functioning whaling station in Australia, until its closure in 1978. CBH was initially fitted out with floats, and venturing out into the Southern Ocean whale spotting behind a single Continental 0-300A is probably not worth thinking too much about!! When I was learning on it, CBH was never going to win a beauty contest, but it flew well and I was the last student to gain a RPPL on it after its time at the Narrogin Flying Club.

 

When I fronted for my Navs CBH was gone, replaced by a brand spanking new Cessna 172M, VH-IRC. I completed my Navs and all bar the last Nav and Flight Test for a Class 4 Instrument Rating in this aircraft, and if I had to choose an aircraft that I was least enamoured off, IRC would be the prime candidate. Ironically there was a C 172 registered VH-IRK in WA, and I sure hope their aircraft was a little less IRC-some than IRC.

 

Just as I was completing my Navs I made unquestiongly the best flying decision I have made and acquired a Victa Airtourer, VH-MOC. The term "Moscali" was coined very early on, and has continued. Earlier this year I took the 90 year old gentleman from whom I had purchased "Moscali" 37 years earlier for a fly, or more correctly he took me for a fly. He was rapt to be back in "his" old aircraft, but he could not relate to the "Moscali" term at all!! He has, never the less, booked his flight for April 2014 when MOC turns 50.

 

By the early 1980's when we thought we had just about outgrown the two seats of the Airtourer, an opportunity came up for a quarter share in a Cessna 172M locally. Beauty. We could rationize keeping the Airtourer, and having access to the four seats in the 172. It was the same vintage as IRC, but fortunately seemed to fly a lot sweeter. Not having to lug around one of those clunky, ancient HF sets was a bonus.

 

The only sticking point was the registration. VH-KIA. My Flying Instructor was an ex-Army pilot, with a tour of Vietnam flying Porters. Writing the script was easy: "KIA, Killed in Action." Needless to say, the anticipated retort from Doug did not disapoint. KIA has remained KIA, though we try hard not to draw attention to it when the old girl gets an Angel Flight! It was nice of a Korean car manufacurer to join in as well!!

 

At the time when I was learning to learning to fly, the Department of Civil Aviation had a Beech V35 traversing WA that went under the rego of VH-CAD. Now most of the Examiners of Airmen at that time were good blokes, but I imagine that there were a few aspiring pilots who had a Flight Test go awry who were not humoured by the Examiners departure in CAD.

 

I laughed the first time I saw a Pawnee hoiking up a glider with VH-TUG painted on the fuse.

 

Who else but the irrepressible Dick Smith would fly a helicopter solo around the world with VH-DIK?

 

When Rob Poynton was building his Pitts Special in the mid 1970's he had reserved VH-IOO as the rego. Rob reasoned that the rego would be the same either inverted or right way up. Doug Dawson was threating to invoke some connections in the Department to have VH-LOO issued instead!

 

Cliff Tait in his book "Water Under my Wings" relates an ardous and challenging long distance ferry of a Fletcher ag aircraft with the rego of ZK-DIM. "DIM by name, and dim by nature" was Cliff's comment.

 

No doubt there will be no shortage of good stories on aircraft regos.

 

 

[flyerme]

thruster was called "the broom stick" ,the supercat was called the "supercrap" and the lightwing is named " the lady lea" most of the time referred to as "Malady"

 

 

[PA.]

Not a plane but I did call our RV, Harvey and the Tom Tom GPS, Thomas.

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

Not a plane but I did call our RV, Harvey and the Tom Tom GPS, Thomas.

Tom Thomas is the helicopter pilot in Fireman Sam! Sorry, I have young children!!

[pylon500]

No doubt there will be no shortage of good stories on aircraft regos.

There was the gynaecologist that built a CH-200, and registered it VH-POX

 

 

[sfGnome]

Well, apologies if the owners are reading, but I had a bit of a giggle few months ago when, in the space of one flight, I heard Melbourne centre having a conversation with Golf Golf Golf, and then not too much later having to wrap their tongues around Whiskey Whiskey Whiskey. Then again, maybe it doesn't take too much to amuse me...

 

 

[naremman]

There was the gynaecologist that built a CH-200, and registered it VH-POX

Flying South of Jandakot yesterday I heard Perth Radar giving a traffic advisory to one aircraft of the location of Papa Oscar Oscar!

 

There is one pilot who could correctly say that "he was in the POO"!!

 

Given that the venerable C185 originally went under a different rego, somebody presumably with a good sense of humour sought to change it.

 

 

[Sloper]

Simple name really. The money pit.

 

regards Bruce

 

 

[Ignition]

Flying South of Jandakot yesterday I heard Perth Radar giving a traffic advisory to one aircraft of the location of Papa Oscar Oscar!There is one pilot who could correctly say that "he was in the POO"!!

Given that the venerable C185 originally went under a different rego, somebody presumably with a good sense of humour sought to change it.

I believe the story is that 'Poo' is the nickname of the guy who operates (more as a backup now) the aircraft as a jump plane for skydive ops, he has over 15,000 jumps logged hence the nickname, and the plane is named after him.

 

 

[naremman]

I believe the story is that 'Poo' is the nickname of the guy who operates (more as a backup now) the aircraft as a jump plane for skydive ops, he has over 15,000 jumps logged hence the nickname, and the plane is named after him.

Just goes to tell that for every circumstance there is a good story. Now I am a bit wiser. Thought the bloke on Perth Radar was the ultimate professional, but could not help my own mirth.

 

 

[planet47]

Why "Molly"?

 

"Slowsilver" but sometimes I think of George Jetson (cartoon fame) due to the shape, etc of the pod. It does however suffer from being called a range of other names at times .

 

 

[djpacro]

Just as I was completing my Navs I made unquestiongly the best flying decision I have made and acquired a Victa Airtourer, VH-MOC. ....When Rob Poynton was building his Pitts Special in the mid 1970's he had reserved VH-IOO as the rego. Rob reasoned that the rego would be the same either inverted or right way up. Doug Dawson was threating to invoke some connections in the Department to have VH-LOO issued instead! ... No doubt there will be no shortage of good stories on aircraft regos.

I guess the Airtourer Association will have a big birthday bash.I had a few fun hours in IOO when it was in Victoria, LOO just wouldn't have seemed the same. Many hours in UPU. Other Pitts were TIT, CEX and WIZ.

 

 

[naremman]

I guess the Airtourer Association will have a big birthday bash.I had a few fun hours in IOO when it was in Victoria, LOO just wouldn't have seemed the same. Many hours in UPU. Other Pitts were TIT, CEX and WIZ.

You certainly are correct David, with a number of milestones occurring for the Airtourer. 60 years since Henry Millicer's Airtourer design won the Royal Aero Club's (UK) competition for design with the potential as a Tiger Moth replacement. We have seen the 50th Anniversary of the wooden VH-FMM (Foxtrot Mickey Mouse) pass, likewise the first flight of the metal Airtourer under the Victa guise, and next year the Airtourer Association will recognise 50 years since the first production Airtourer flew. It will also mark 35 years since the formation of the Airtourer Association, which has been integral to see about 90 Airtourers still on the Australian register.

 

Last weekend, after a 23 year absence from competitive flying, the Airtourer and I were successful in wining the Spot Landing competition at the WA Light Aircraft Championships. Both aircraft and pilot are well into the "mature category", so there were a few bemused onlookers seeing a 48 year old aircraft lob into the spot on without fail. Both of my air judges happened to be less than half the age of the aircraft, and in one instance the Victa was older than both the instructors parents!!

 

Glad to hear that you got some time in IOO. A Pitts certainly was a hot machine in the 1970's, and to those aerobatic pilots of that time who had to choose between a Tiger, Chippie, Victa or Fuji, forever trading height for airspeed, the sight of a Pitts aerobatting just used to make us drool!