Aircraft names. Of Beaks, Bones, Sluffs and Stoofs.

[centuryseries]

My memory indicates zipper was the nickname (one of the nicknames) for the Starfighter?

[3/7charlie]

Bjoern and Century have hammered the '104, but one. Have heard the '117 called the 'wobblin Gobblin' but never dumbo. But hey, I've never strived for perfection, and I think I've acheived that goal! I usually carry a third shoe around with me.Saves time when it comes to putting my foot in my mouth!
3/7charlie

[bruce448]

1- SLUFF A-7 Corsair
2- BUFF B-52
3- Malfunction Junction
4- BONE B-1 LANCER
5- Beak B-2 Spirit
6- Ford Douglas Skyray
7- Banana HS Buccaneer
8- Stoof Grumman Tracker
9- Hiss
10- 'Vark F-111
11- Sparkvark EF-111
12- Aluminium death tube B-36, B-52
13- Ensign eliminator F4U Corsair, F-7U Cutlass
14- Led Sled CF-100, f3h Demon
15- Zip tube F-104 ?
16- Vibrator VC-9 Vanguard
17- All three dead A-3D Skywarrior
18- Willy Fudd E-1 Tracer
19- Hog A-10
20- Pig F-111, B737
21- Hummer E-2 Hawkeye
22- 'Sader F-8 Crusader
23- Thud F-105 Thunderchief
24- Clunk Dauntless
25- Drut F3d Skynight
26- Zipper F-104 Starfighter
27- Hose nose
28- Scooter A-4 Skyhawk
29- Wimpy Vickers Wellington
30- Shagbat Supermarine Walrus
31- Middle River Stump-Jumper
32- Hoover/ War-Hoover S-3 Viking
33- Awl
34- Spad Skyraider
35- Duce f-102 Delta dagger
36- Tweet A-37
37- Hun F-100
38- Bug FA-18
39- Beast SB2C Helldiver
40- Sonofabitch S2BC Helldiver
41- Dak DC3 Dakota
42- Hallibag HP Halifax
42- Turkey F-14 Tomcat
43- Maytag Messerschmit PT-22 Recruit
44- Dumbo PBY-5 Ccatalina
45- Jolly Green Giant HH-53

[Bjoern]

Aluminium death tube => F-104

Could be, since the Zipper was also known in Germany as the "coffin nail", "widowmaker" and "tent peg".

[CodyValkyrie]

Some of these names have been applied more than once to a single aircraft. I have heard reference for example of an F4U being called a "hog," "hose nose" and "ensign eliminator." A-10 the same thing.

I have heard BUFF used for some bombers. It is usually applied to the B-52, but I have heard it in reference to the B-17 and B-29, and even the B-36, in which cases it was simply a name applied to any large bomber.

BTW, I have heard reference of the 104 being called the "lawn dart."

[3/7charlie]

I think we've about nailed it down So, heres my list and explinations. Feel free to pick it apart,but I think my sources are pretty solid.
Like I said. Lots of overlap, so I've gonewith the most commom usages. Who posts the Next list?

1- SLUFF -A-7 - Short little ugly fracker
2- BUFF - B-52 - Big ugly fat fracker
3- Malfunction Junction - WV-1" Warning Star"- for the load of often broken electronics.Early radar systems had an alarmingly low MTBF
4- BONE - B-ONE
5- Beak - B-2 aledgedly for the beak like profile of the nose
6- Ford - F4D Skyray F FOUR D
7- Banana - Buccaneer for its curvy, bent looking form. Also the Piaseki Horse.
8- Stoof - S TWO F
9- Hiss - ASW Seabats and early Seakings. from Helecopter, Sikorsky, Antisubmarine(HSS)
10- 'Vark - Ardvark- F-111
11- Sparkvark- EF-111
12- Aluminium death tube - The F-104
13- Ensign eliminator- Most common-the F4U
14- Led Sled- F-84- for its slow acceleration, and inability to slow down once it got going. Latter, the SR-71
15- Zip tube - F-104
16- Vibrator-Most common, the Vultee Vindicator, some times the Vultee Vengance.Also the 'Wind indicator'
17- All three dead- A3D. No ejection seats
18- Willy Fudd- WF1 AEW version of the S-2. See STOOF with a ROOF
19- Hog - F-84
20- Pig - F-111- Austrailia
21- Hummer- E-2C
22- 'Sader - F-8
23- Thud - F-105 early engine troubles,no wing. corruption of Thunderchief.'What does an engine failure sound like in a '105? THUD.'
24- Clunk- CF-100 'Canuck' early engine trouble/icing. What sound does a CF-100 make? CLUNK
25- Drut- F3D, Vietnam. Reference to the age and condition of the aircraft. Mirror of TURD
26- Zipper- F-104
27- Hose nose- F4U
28- Scooter- A-4
29- Wimpy - Vickers Wellington. From popeye's hungry freind- J. Wellington Wimpy
30- Shagbat- Supermarine Walrus
31- Middle River Stump-Jummper- A B-26 modified by Martin to test bicycle landing gear. The factory was in Middle River, Maryland.
32- Hoover/ War-Hoover- S-3 for its hoover like sound and propensity for vacuuming up FOD
33- Awl- Tu-22 From the 'AWL' like shape of the aircraft
34- Spad- Skyraider
35- Deuce- F-102
36- Tweet -T-37
37- Hun- F-100- F-one HUNdred
38- Bug-F-18
39- Beast- SB2C
40- Sonofabitch 2nd class-SB2c
41- Dak- Dakota(C-47) UK/ commonwealth.
42- Hallibag- Halifax
42- Turkey- TBM, F-14
43- Maytag Messerschmit- P-51's Maytag produced merlins under licence, and the aircraft was thought to resemble the Me-109
So much so that early machines in RAF service carried white ID bands on wings and fues.
44- Dumbo- Rescue B-17's and PBY's
45- Jolly Green Giant- SAR CH-53's Veitnam.

I have never heard a 104 driver call his mount a Widowmaker.

3/7charlie

[centuryseries]

My favourite has to be the A-3D - whoever came up with All 3 Dead!!!!!

[3/7charlie]

My favourite has to be the A-3D - whoever came up with All 3 Dead!!!!!

Black humor on the part of the air crews. No bang seats means that a cold cat or somrthing bad happening means ALL 3 DEAD. In fairness to Ed Heinnemann, the bang seats were heavy and not very effective at zero/zero in 1947 when the program started, and weight was paramount. He gave the navy a 65000 lb airplane that could carry a 10,000lb nuke off a 27charlie Essex, when the other manufacturers were trying to sell 168000lb( sea-going B-47's) that could only operate off ships that, at the time, were 10 years away and may never get built. Indeed, the USS United States, a predicessor of the Forrestal, was cancelled a week after its keel laying.
3/7charlie

[Bjoern]

I have never heard a 104 driver call his mount a Widowmaker.

Obviously never met a german Zipper driver then.

BTW, I have heard reference of the 104 being called the "lawn dart."

Yep. Also a nickname.


By the way, what's the best way to get hold of a Starfighter?
- Buy a patch of land and wait.

Indeed, the USS United States, a predicessor of the Forrestal, was cancelled a week after its keel laying.

Funnily enough, the last ship to bear that name so far was a frigate in the American Civil War.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_United_States

[3/7charlie]

Good one Bjoern! I'd forgotten that one. I know alot of old '104 drivers. Widowmaker is veiwed
as a creation of the media. But, I make no claims to being all-knowing. Most days,I don't know
what I did yesterday!
So,How 'bout a new batch?

1- Jug
2- Tante Ju
3- Stringbag
4- Fat Albert
5- whistling outhouse
6- Great Grey Shuddering outhouse
7- Cab
8- Mudguard
9- Brick
10- warthog
11- Shar
12- Pedro
13- 'Lectricjet
14- Banjo
14- Rhino
15- Gooney bird
16- Tin Trangle
17- Molot (hammer)
18- Vomit comet
19- Tin Goose
20- Mortar Magnet
21- Twotter
22- Kerosene Converter
23- Blow Job
24- Dragmaster
25- Fastback
26- Gina
27- Luftwaffenfeuerzeug
28- Whistling Wheelbarrow
29- Dora
30- Mule
31- Naehmaschine
33- Mosquito (U.S.)
34- Kukurznik
35- Bedcheck Charlie
36- Meatbox

[Bjoern]

Jug => P-47
Tante Ju => Ju-52
Stringbag => Swordfish
Fat Albert => C-5
Brick => F-4
warthog => A-10
'Lectricjet => EF-111
Rhino => F-4
Gooney bird => C-47
Vomit comet => CV-880 or 727 (NASA edition)
Twotter => DHC-6
Kerosene Converter => CV-880(?)
Blow Job => F-102?
Fastback => F-106?
Gina => G.91
Luftwaffenfeuerzeug => He-177
Dora => Fw-190D
Naehmaschine => Po-2
Bedcheck Charlie => AC-47 (or some other nightly Ho-Chi-Minh-Trail perforator)


This is tough....without using Google.


- Edit: By the way, the F-102's nickname is "Deuce", not "Duce". ;P

[3/7charlie]

Whups! Typo. Fingers frequently get way ahead of brain. But so will a snail with a good tailwind!
Good start! Though the AC-47 was SPOOKY. Think police action, 16 years or so before the AC-47. Also cameo'd in a comedy series in the '70's.

By the way, what's the best way to get hold of a Starfighter?
- Buy a patch of land and wait.
Puts me in mind of the early days of the Harrier, when it was said that you could navigate VFR by the Harrier Wrecks!-" Wisteria Cottage?
Roight. up the lane to the crashed Harrier, turn out left at the crashed Harrier, then 3 miles on. Cant Miss it. Right next to the crashed Harrier!"




3/7charlie

[Piglet]

Isn't Fat Albert the Blue Angels support C-130?
Bedcheck Charlie was the name given to the various Commie planes that would do nusience night raids in Korea and Nam. Usually small "absolete"
light planes, like the Po-2, or AN-2. These raids usually did little damage or casualties, but did interrupt the troops' sleep, hence the term "Bedcheck Charlie"
"Blowjob" was a term given to most early jets, like P-80, 262, etc.
Then there all of the NATO codenames, like
Foxbat
Bull
Flanker
Clod
Clanker
Fishbed....
AND there are all the names for Japanese WW2 planes.
Tony
Zeke
Betty
Jack
Frank....

[3/7charlie]

I read an account once of an Air America Huey crew that shot down a NVAF An-2, The Kicker hanging out the door and blagging it with an AK-47! Thats some grit!
3/7charlie

[Motormouse]

Shar...Sea Harrier FRS 1...from the abbreviated label stencilled on its' ground support equipment @ 1982 to avoid confusion with items intended for use with the GR3 fleet..yes really..I woz there..nuff said...

Whistling Wheelbarrow..AW Argosy..from the noise (luvverly) and twin-boom layout...
ones with a radome were the Whistling T*t

Meatbox...another brit..Gloster Meteor

here's a couple more...

Budgie=?

Skoda=?


ttfn

Pete