RAF phonetic alphabet
Encyclopedia
Following the take up of radio, the British
Royal Air Force
(RAF) used a succession of radiotelephony spelling alphabets to aid communication. These have now all been superseded by the NATO phonetic alphabet.
They would be used in phrases to emphasize the aircraft identification, e.g. "H-Harry", "G for George". This letter was not the aircraft's serial number
painted on the tail (two letters followed by three digits as in a motorcar license plate of the time) but was painted on the side of the aircraft in large letters following the two-letter squadron designation code and the RAF roundel
. This worked because no squadron had more than 26 aircraft.
The first alphabet owes a lot to World War I
Western Front "signalese" - the phonetic spelling used by signallers. Only Ack, Gee, Emma and Esses changed. Possibly these were lost because they were already in use in phrases such as Ack-Ack: AA, anti-aircraft (fire) and "ack emma", "pip emma" for AM and PM.
The Royal Navy of World War I differed more from the later alphabet having Apples, Butter, Duff, Pudding, Queenie, Tommy, Vinegar, Willie, Xerxes and Yellow.
Notice to Airmen Number 107 of 1921 adopted the phonetic alphabet in use by the three armed services for civil aviation as well.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) used a succession of radiotelephony spelling alphabets to aid communication. These have now all been superseded by the NATO phonetic alphabet.
United Kingdom military aircraft serials
In the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...
painted on the tail (two letters followed by three digits as in a motorcar license plate of the time) but was painted on the side of the aircraft in large letters following the two-letter squadron designation code and the RAF roundel
Roundel
A roundel in heraldry is a disc; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.-Heraldry:...
. This worked because no squadron had more than 26 aircraft.
The first alphabet owes a lot to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Western Front "signalese" - the phonetic spelling used by signallers. Only Ack, Gee, Emma and Esses changed. Possibly these were lost because they were already in use in phrases such as Ack-Ack: AA, anti-aircraft (fire) and "ack emma", "pip emma" for AM and PM.
The Royal Navy of World War I differed more from the later alphabet having Apples, Butter, Duff, Pudding, Queenie, Tommy, Vinegar, Willie, Xerxes and Yellow.
Notice to Airmen Number 107 of 1921 adopted the phonetic alphabet in use by the three armed services for civil aviation as well.
Alphabets
| 1924–1942 | 1942–1943 | 1943–1956 |
|---|---|---|
| Ace Beer Charlie Don Edward Freddie George Harry Ink Johnnie King London Monkey Nuts 1 Orange Pip Queen Robert Sugar Toc Uncle Vic 2 William X-ray Yorker Zebra |
Apple Beer Charlie Dog Edward Freddy George Harry In Jug/Johnny King Love Mother Nuts Orange Peter Queen Roger/Robert Sugar Tommy Uncle Vic William X-ray Yoke/Yorker Zebra |
Able/Affirm Baker Charlie Dog Easy Fox George How Item/Interrogatory Jig/Johnny King Love Mike Nab/Negat Oboe Peter/Prep Queen Roger Sugar Tare Uncle Victor William X-ray Yoke Zebra |
- 1 The choice of Nuts following Monkey is probably from "monkey nuts" = peanuts.
- 2 "Vic" subsequently entered the English language as the standard (Vee-shaped) flight pattern of three aircraft.