Belgian owned and operated aircraft are identified by either registration letters or serial numbers for military aircraft. [1]
Belgian owned and operated aircraft are identified by either registration letters or serial numbers for military aircraft. [1]
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile. In accordance with the Convention on International Civil Aviation all aircraft must be registered with a national aviation authority and they must carry proof of this registration in the form of a legal document called a Certificate of Registration at all times when in operation. [1]
The first use of aircraft registrations was based on the radio callsigns allocated at the London International Radiotelegraph Convention (1912). The format was a single letter prefix followed by four other letters (like A-BCDE). [1] The major nations operating aircraft were allocated a single letter prefix but minor countries had to share a single letter prefix but were allocated exclusive use of the first letter of the suffix. [1] Belgium was not considered a major operator of aircraft and was allocated the prefix and first letter suffix O-B. When the conference allocated the same prefix it made sure that they were in different parts of the world, the other user of the O prefix was Peru and they were allocated O-P. [1] The first allocation was O-BEBE to a Fokker D.VII on 1 March 1920. [1]
At the 1927 International Radio-Telegraph Conference, new radio callsigns were allocated to Belgium, comprising ON, OO, OP, OQ, OR, OS and OT. [1] In 1928 the International Convention of Air Navigation re-allocated the aircraft registration prefix to align with these radio callsigns. [1] Belgium could use all or any letter groups that had been allocated as radio callsigns and in 1929 the prefix OO- was selected for civilian aircraft, whilst a number of Belgian military aircraft have used the prefix OT-. [1] [2] On 1 March 1929 a number of existing civilian aircraft were migrated across to the new register, many retaining much of their earlier registration; for instance the Caudron C.27 previously registered O-BAFW became OO-AFW. [3]
Registrations are sometimes re-cycled. One of the first aircraft on the revised register was OO-AJT, initially allocated to a Stampe et Vertongen RSV.26/100 in March 1929. This same registration was used again from 1952 on a Miles M.14 Hawk Trainer III, and re-issued for a third time in 1958 on a Zlin Z.226T Trener. [3] [4] [5]
Some of the blocks of registrations have had a reserved usage and these include:
The Belgian Government issued registration for civil aircraft used in the Belgian Congo and from April 1934 used OO-CAA to OO-CZZ. The allocation ceased in 1960 with independence and the allocation of the prefix 9Q. [1]
When the Belgian Air Force was re-formed in 1946 individual aircraft were allocated serial numbers in either a one or two letter prefix followed by a one or two digit number. The first allocations were mainly single letters (for example A-1 was an Auster AOP.6) but sometimes a second letter was used to distinguish variants, for example NA-1 was an Avro Anson I and NB-1 was an Anson II. [6]
| Designation | Aircraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A- | Auster AOP.6 | |
| C- | Airspeed Consul | |
| C | de Havilland Canada Chipmunk | |
| D | de Havilland Dominie | |
| G | Miles Magister | |
| H | North American Harvard | |
| K | Douglas Dakota | Some aircraft temporary used KP- for photography, KFC- reconnaissance and KR- for VIP transport |
| O | Airspeed Oxford | |
| P | Percival Proctor | |
| T | de Havilland Tiger Moth | |
| V | Stampe-Vertongen SV.4 | SV-4B and SV-4C |
| ED | Gloster Meteor T.7 | |
| EF | Gloster Meteor F.4 | |
| EG | Gloster Meteor F.8 | |
| EN | Gloster Meteor NF.11 | |
| ID | Hawker Hunter F.4 | |
| IF | Hawker Hunter F.6 | |
| MA | de Havilland Mosquito TT.3 | |
| MB | de Havilland Mosquito NF.30 | |
| MC | de Havilland Mosquito TT6 | |
| NA | Avro Anson 1 | |
| NB | Avro Anson 12 | |
| SG | Supermarine Spitfire XIV | |
| SM | Supermarine Spitfire IX |
In the 1950s the first letter started to be used as a role prefix, for example FX-01 was a Lockheed F-104G Starfighter classified as a Fighter. [6]
| Designation | Aircraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AT | Dornier-Dassault Alpha Jet | |
| AX | Avro-Canada CF-100 | |
| BA | Dassault Mirage 5BA | First aircraft used the serial MA-01 later changed to BA-01 |
| BD | Dassault Mirage 5BD | First aircraft used the serial MD-01 later changed to BD-01 |
| BR | Dassault Mirage 5BR | |
| CA | Airbus A310 | |
| CB | Boeing 727 | |
| CD | Dassault Falcon 900 | |
| CE | Embraer 135 | |
| CF | Swearingen Merlin III | |
| CH | Lockheed C-130 Hercules | |
| CM | Dassault Falcon 20 | |
| CP | Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar | |
| CS | Hawker Siddeley 748 | |
| CT | Airbus A400M Atlas | 15th Air Transport Wing, Melsbroek Air Base (since October 2020) |
| FA | General Dynamics F-16A | |
| FB | General Dynamics F-16B | |
| FC | Lockheed TF-104G Starfighter | |
| FR | Republic RF-84F Thunderflash | |
| FS | Republic F-84E Thunderjet | |
| FT | Lockheed T-33A | |
| FU | Republic F-84F Thunderstreak | |
| FX | Lockheed F-104G Starfighter | |
| FZ | Republic F-84G Thunderjet | |
| KX | Douglas DC-4 | |
| KY | Douglas DC-6 | |
| LB | Piper Super Cub | L-21B air cadet glider tugs |
| MT | Fouga Magister | |
| RM | Percival Pembroke | |
| RS | Westland Sea King | |
| ST | SIAI SF.260 |
An Aero Commander 560F was operated for royal flights between 1961 and 1973 without a serial number but display its radio callsign OT-CWB instead. [6] Similarly, there have been Douglas C-47B transports "registered" OT-CWA, OT-CWG and OT-CNR, and a Sikorsky S-58 helicopter "registered" OT-ZKP.
In 1954 the Belgian Army formed its own aviation element and serial numbers were allocated in the form OL-A01, the OL for Observation Leger (light observation), the letter for the type and the number for each individual aircraft. In 1974 the OL prefix was dropped. [6]
| Designation | Aircraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A | Sud Alouette II | |
| B | Britten-Norman Islander | |
| D | Dornier Do 27 | |
| G | Aerospatiale Puma | |
| H | Agusta A.109 | |
| L | Piper Super Cub | L-18C |
The Belgian Navy have operated a number of shipborne helicopters which were allocated serials with single letter prefix although the radio callsigns were also painted on the aircraft in a similar format to registrations. [6]
| Designation | Aircraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| B | Sikorsky S-58 | |
| M | Sud Alouette III |
The Belgian Rijkswacht/Gendarmerie and later the Federal Police have operated both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters which carry serial numbers prefixed G with individual aircraft identified by increasing numbers. The first was an Aerospatiale Puma registered as G01.
A country code is a short alphanumeric identification code for countries and dependent areas. Its primary use is in data processing and communications. Several identification systems have been developed.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) allocates call sign prefixes for radio and television stations of all types. They also form the basis for, but may not exactly match, aircraft registration identifiers. These prefixes are agreed upon internationally, and are a form of country code. A call sign can be any number of letters and numerals but each country must only use call signs that begin with the characters allocated for use in that country.
British military aircraft designations are used to refer to aircraft types and variants operated by the armed forces of the United Kingdom.
An aircraft registration is a code unique to a single aircraft, required by international convention to be marked on the exterior of every civil aircraft. The registration indicates the aircraft's country of registration, and functions much like an automobile license plate or a ship registration. This code must also appear in its Certificate of Registration, issued by the relevant civil aviation authority (CAA). An aircraft can only have one registration, in one jurisdiction, though it is changeable over the life of the aircraft.
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigned by a government agency, informally adopted by individuals or organizations, or even cryptographically encoded to disguise a station's identity.
Air transports for heads of state and government are, in many countries, provided by the air force in specially equipped airliners or business jets. One such aircraft in particular has become part of popular culture: Air Force One, used by the President of the United States and operated by the United States Air Force. Other well-known official aircraft include the Russian presidential aircraft, the British Royal Air Force VIP aircraft, the French Cotam 001, the Royal Canadian Air Force VIP aircraft, the German Konrad Adenauer, the Royal Australian Airforce VIP aircraft, the Japanese Air Force One, the South Korean Code One, the Indian Air India One, the Brazilian Air Force One, and the Israeli Wing of Zion.
This is a list of airline codes. The table lists IATA's two-character airline designators, ICAO's three-character airline designators and the airline call signs.
Janet and Janet Airlines are the unofficial names of a highly classified fleet of passenger aircraft operated for the United States Department of the Air Force as an employee shuttle to transport military, Department of Defense (DoD) civilians, and contractor employees to Special Access Program Facilities (SAPF). The airline mainly serves the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) from a private terminal at Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport.
Call signs in New Zealand are no longer generally used to identify broadcast stations. However, New Zealand's radio stations were once known by their call signs and would usually broadcast their call signs as a number followed by X, Y, or Z, and another letter. Call signs are regulated internationally by the ITU and nationally by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), formerly the Ministry of Economic Development. The ministry is also responsible for providing policy advice to Government on the allocation of New Zealand's radio spectrum to support, efficient, reliable and responsive wireless telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructure.
United Kingdom military aircraft registration number, known as its serial number, or tail code is a specific aircraft registration scheme used to identify individual military aircraft belonging to the United Kingdom (UK). All UK military aircraft display a unique serial number, allocated from a unified registration number system, maintained by the Air Section of the Ministry of Defence. The same unified registration system is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), and Army Air Corps (AAC). Military aircraft operated by government agencies and civilian contractors are sometimes also assigned registration numbers from this system.
In the United States, all military aircraft display a serial number to identify individual aircraft. These numbers are located on the aircraft tail, so they are sometimes referred to unofficially as "tail numbers". On the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bomber, lacking a tail, the number appears on the nose gear door. Individual agencies have each evolved their own system of serial number identification. Aircraft serials are part of the Aircraft Visual Identification System, which also includes the aircraft's tail code and Modex.
United Kingdom aircraft test serials are used to externally identify aircraft flown within the United Kingdom without a full Certificate of Airworthiness. They can be used for testing experimental and prototype aircraft or modifications, pre-delivery flights for foreign customers and are sometimes referred to as "B" class markings.
Amateur radio call signs are allocated to amateur radio operators around the world. The call signs are used to legally identify the station or operator, with some countries requiring the station call sign to always be used and others allowing the operator call sign instead.
United Kingdom aircraft registration is a register and means of identification for British owned and operated commercial and private aircraft, they are identified by registration letters starting with the prefix G-.
Call signs in Canada are official identifiers issued to the country's radio and television stations. Assignments for broadcasting stations are made by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), while amateur stations receive their call signs from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Conventional radio and television broadcasting stations assignments are generally three, four or five letters long and almost exclusively use "C" call signs; with a few exceptions noted below, the "V" calls are restricted to specialized uses such as amateur radio.
The Norwegian Civil Aircraft Register is a judicial register for civil aircraft of Norwegian nationality. The registry is maintained by the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway. They have allowed the Norwegian Air Sport Association to manage ultralight aircraft registrations. All aircraft in the register are issued a five-letter marking, with a LN- prefix, e.g. LN-FOO.
In Switzerland, to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a serial number.
Aviation call signs or aircraft call signs are communication call signs assigned as unique identifiers referring to an aircraft.
Prefixes that are used for radio and television are usually allocated by ITU. They also form the basis for, but do not exactly match, aircraft registration identifiers. But in some cases, especially among amateur radio operators other, by ITU unallocated, callsigns are used when operating from disputed areas or countries that are internationally not (yet) recognized. They can be: