Pilot Callsigns

The Three Rules of Callsigns

1. If you don't already have one, you will be assigned one by your "buddies".
2. You probably won't like it.
3. If you complain and moan too much about 1. and 2., you'll get a new nickname you'll like even less!

So, how do you get a callsign?

Do something stupid or have it fit with your last name. Obvious examples, 'Crash' or LT 'Cheese' Kraft. Sometimes it's based on a physical appearance thing like 'Carrot'. After you've earned the respect of your buddies, you'll get a more 'heroic' callsign.

Add your callsign to the list

Most recent additions

Panzer

 (added: 10 Mar 2013)

German. Built like a f***ing tank

Kasper

 (added: 10 Mar 2013)

Always popped up in different places and scared the s*it out of everyone

Six Pack

 (added: 10 Mar 2013)

I started my F-16 career at none other than the General Dynamics plant in Dallas/Ft. Worth as a test pilot, I use to complain all the time about not having the six pack (airspeed indicator, attitude indicator, altimeter, turn coordinator, heading indicator, and vertical speed indicator), in a convenient arrangement, before you knew it the cockpit management engineer started calling me Six Pack…

Hijak

 (added: 10 Mar 2013)

After a night of 4-5-What and closing down the Club, his wife wakes the kids, puts them in the car seats in their pajamas, drives to the club, pours the gentleman into his seat, drives him home. There, said gentleman realizes that maybe his night was a little too large. Hurled In-front-of Junior And Kids.

Boss

 (added: 6 Mar 2013)

The movie 'Cool Hand Luke', was always playing on an old 8mm at Williams AFB, and some of the new guys that was training with the T-38 talon would always say "Sir I don't understand or I don't get it." So this young kid from Sacramento CA name Overton would always say in a deep down south voice "What we have here, is a frailer to communicate". And it never fail some one would always ask, "Who the h--l are you?' Overton would smile and reply "Boss, Boss Overton." Then spit as thou he had chew in his mouth.

Quirky

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

I'm an F-18 Hornet pilot in the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF), and I have been assigned the Callsign "Quirky" which I hate and can't shake. Haha...

Shotgun

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

Sitting in a bar off base with a few buddies, an irrate civilian mistook me for his wifes extramarital exercise partner. He came back to the bar brandishing a 12 gauge. After the story got back to base everyone thought it was funny to yell "Shotgun!" at the top of their lungs when ever I entered the room.

Barf

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

I'm a civilian, was riding in the trunk of a D/mod, trying to get my 9g+ pin. Got to 9.2 on the meter, made it all the way back to the chocks too....

NotSo

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

F-15 pilot, last name Sharp

Matta

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

The tactical callsign "matta" has to be read in conjuction with the pilots' last name "Klap". In some area's of the Netherlands it is being said that someone is "mattaklap" when he is a kind of clown, a funny guy. This tactical callsign was thought up by fellow pilots and given to lt. Klap when he joined the F-16 conversion course at Leeuwarden Airbase in 1983.

MOJO

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

Mouth Open, Jam On...

Scorpion

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

LT Chris "scorpion" Rodot. Flew a f4 phantom with a real scorpion in my flight suit . itching all the way and back only to find out that i got the little bugger on a stop over mission in the desert. never got stung and the name stayed with me all along

RAMROD

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

Involved an unfortunate encounter with an unlucky civi female... I learned that there IS such a thing as too much. (thought up by my staff members long before the super troopers film)

Hype

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

Back when I started flying turkeys 25+ years ago, there were only a handful of female aviators. I had a wanna be super stud wso that didn't want to take no for an answer. After a few weeks of no results, he said I was like a lethal injection, killing him. A hypodermic Dr. Death. We ended up being inseparable. Did he ever succeed? Classified.

Pitbull

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

Pitbull... a very loyal to the death canine with a voracious appetite to achieve his or her objective even at the cost of injury, loss of limb or death... a respected and hated killer by many and loved and adored by a few... I got the callsign from my second CO during a FITREP debrief. I thought that it was a cool callsign, until I was explained why he gave me the callsign "Pitbull", and it wasn't because of my tenacious aerial exploits, but more because on the ground I was relentless in getting my own way even at the expense of being somewhat reckless and unorthodox. Lesson learned... one might get his or her way for a day, but repeated antics of being overly-aggressive in the ready room will mark one as a non-team player... Not good if one is bent on making the military a career beyond the rank of Major... That debrief stuck with me for the rest of the time I was in the military, and even today that debrief rings true... I enjoyed a colorful military career, and yes, I did learn early on when to be THE PITBULL and when to leave him at home.

Birdie

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

While still flying RF-104G Starfighters in the early 80s I hit à bird which caused substantial damage and fuel loss. Eventuallly took the cable on à German airfield but the jet had caught fire because of the bird. Ground egressed with the loss of the jet. Hence Birdie

Owl

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

I was an A-6 guy and liked hunting at night. In addition I had the collateral duty of Education Services Officer in my squadron, which reinforced the "wise" (some would say, "wise-ass") image.

FISH

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

(Related to me by the "holder" of the callsign.) Tall, solidly built female EA-6B ECMO was tagged with FISH (F*ck Is She Huge!).

KID

 (added: 23 Feb 2013)

Kid Vihlen as in Kid Shelleen in the movie Cat Ballou. KID's last name Vihlen rhymed with Shelleen and so it stuck. KID was a pilot in the 496th TFS at Hahn AB Germany 1984-87

Giggles

 (added: 20 Feb 2013)

Female pilot, also known as "gigs" always laughed in formation. Not necissarily laughing at anything in particular, just laughed.

Sweat

 (added: 17 Feb 2013)

When I was TAD aboard USS Independence in 1992, I noticed an F/A-18 with the callsign "Sweat," and the pilot's name above was Bede (pronounced, presumably, "Bead"). I never met him, but I don't think it's hard to guess how he got the callsign. I think he kinda lucked out.

Rattler

 (added: 17 Feb 2013)

While at flight school, Miramar California "Fighter Town" I decided to visit the desert with some buddies. Lo and behold while walking, out of nowhere comes this mean diamondback rattle snake. He missed me but I had the s*** scared out of me. From that day on that was my call sign.

Sider

 (added: 17 Feb 2013)

Last name was "Cummings"...

TOFU

 (added: 17 Feb 2013)

A-10 pilot on BFM ride with Patch Wearer. Throughout the flight, Patch Wearer provided tactical hints in the form of "hey, this technique only but you might want to try this" or "this my technique only, but it works better if you do this." After several minutes of this, and particularly from being on the losing end of most of the engagements, the next "technique only" chatter was met with "F@#K You!" The rest of the flight was in silence. As the wingman was putting up boards and cueing the tape for the debrief, the Patch walked in, through is tape on the table and said, "Technique Only, never tell say "F-U" to your instructor." And then he walked out. No debrief that day. So next naming..."Technique Only, FU!"

Willy Pete

 (added: 17 Feb 2013)

Explosive personality and play on first and last name. During a temper tantrum an old Vietnam era pilot said I was going off like a "Willy Pete". Slang for a White Phosphorus marker rocket used often by FAC's in Vietnam.