Question about the F-22 prompts this, what is the coolest nickname you have ever heard for an aircraft type?

Question

For example the A-10- "Thunderbolt 2" or "Wart hog"?
F-16 Falcon?
C-130 "Hercules", or C-130 "Spectre" (mmmm.. scary)
Just a fun question, include civilian A/C or any weird nick names you have heard also. What would be great is what you pilots call some of the aircraft you fly (or have flown).. i.e. the Martin B-26 "Flying Prostitute" (no visible means of support)

Here is a couple of more: ercoupe, Flying milkstool, North American A-3 "all three dead" (downward firing Ejection seats)

Answer 1

I don't think anythig will ever beat an old standby;
The Lockheed P-38 Lightening.

The Chance-Vought F-4U rates up there with it's name, the Corsair. And in keeping with the pirate theme, you've got the Douglass A-4D Skyraider.

The TBM Avenger rates up there.

And, if you want a goofy answer, I'm certain you could find an old B-17, or B-29 with nose art declaring it to be "Look Out Below."

And then there's the one a friend of mine applied to the Dehavilland Beaver when he referred to it as a "Flying Suburban."

I've heard of Ercoupes called "Scarecoupes," Cessna 337 Skymasters referred to as "Skydisasters," Hawker jets referred to as "Hookers," and my favorite nickname was applied to the original Lockheed model 1329, first powered by a pair of twin engines; the first to fly of the JetStar fleet, the first 2 engine model was referred to as the "DeathStar."

I've also had individual aircraft in the lines I've worked on be designated with their own nicknames that the owner would never paint on the fuselage; including the "Flying Whorehouse," due to the pink and beige, ultrasuede interior and smoked mirrors on the bulkheads.

Fly the Friendly Skies!
JT

Answer 2

The Breezy. A home built aircraft I had the chance to fly a couple times. Basically you sit on top of a tubular frame with a wing and tail. The engine is a pusher mounted behind the high wing. The instruments, what few there are, are located under the plexiglass floor between your feet and the rudder pedals. Those pedals and your feet, are the forward most part of the aircraft. Really makes you want to snug up that seat belt, no shoulder harness, nice and tight. And man it sure is breezy.

Answer 3

FYI, Thunderbolt -II, Raptor, Hercules and Spectre are official names, so cant be called as nicks...

Warthog is a nickname and well deserved, but my favorite, for wrong reasons are F-104 "Widowmaker", that is scary. Then there is the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow, B-52) and the Whispering Death (F-111, name given by the Vietnamese).

And for official names its the beautiful B-70 "Valkyrie".
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Edit: Of course Jim I cannot put what the last "F" stands for in BUFF, so softened it a bit. I agree that the B-26 was also called Widowmaker, but it is grossly unfair to call the Marauder so. After all, it had a formidable win-loss record and only the B-26As were at fault. The German/Italian 104s were much more sophisticated and should have been more safer.

Answer 4

There are many non nicknames for aircraft that sound interesting, like the Vari-Eze, the Quikee.

There are several for the Cessna 337: huff and puff, suck and blow, push me pull you, mixmaster.

There are various helicopter nicknames like the Deathranger (JetRanger) and Deathstar (A-Star). These were the result of underpowered early versions of these machines.

I think the best name is the 'Thud' for the F-105 Thunderchief, the heaviest single engine single seat fighter ever.

Answer 5

The S-3B Viking which was known as the "War Hoover" due to it's DISTINCTIVE "sucking-whoop" sound on final approach to the carrier or runway.

The SH-3 SeaKing helicopter which became known in it's later life as the "Sea-Pig" or "Sky-Pig" due to it's age and leaky hydraulics system.

The A-3D SkyWarrior, initially a carrier-based nuclear-bomber (1950's), and later a Electronics Intelligence (ELINT) bird until it's retirement in 1991 was known as the ALL THREE DEAD (A-3D) due to the fact that there were no ejection seats... the crew was expected to take a SLIDE out the bomb-bay and free-fall parachute. She was also known as the "WHALE" for her size.

Answer 6

Fairchild Metro III = San Antonio Sewer Pipe

Answer 7

Well, I'm one of those guys who's "full of himself" apparently, and I can say authoritatively that F18 crews use "Hornet". NO ONE uses "Fighting Falcon" (which is the full official name BTW). "Viper" is the approved nickname.
"Aardvark" the F111's name I think is the strangest aircraft name I can think of, along with the SM83's "Pipistrello" "Bat".

"Black Widow" (the P61's name) is pretty cool.
BUFF actually stands for "Big Ugly Fat F&(&* " in the interests of total accuracy.
Many aircraft earned the widow-maker name:
the B29, B26 (one a day into Tampa bay), CF104/F104G -never had that nickname in US service where it was used strictly as an interceptor not for low-level strike- to name three

Answer 8

The Saudi's called the F-117 Haboo which means ghost in their language.
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I heard that fighter jocks would never be caught dead saying that they fly a fighting falcon or Hornet. Apparantly they think they are way too cool to ever say anything more than F-16 or F-18. They say if you ever meet one of those guys you'd know it because they are really full of themselves.
.

Answer 9

Joe DiMaggio: "the american Clipper" Brooks Robinson: "The Human Vacuum cleanser" Don "the guy unusual" Stanhouse: a play on Stan Musial Garry Maddox: "The Secretary of protection" i understand, it fairly is 4, yet i could no longer decrease it right down to 3. lol

Answer 10

the best sounding name to me was the SB2C Helldiver, and the nickname that the airmen gave it which is also perfect, son-of-a-***** 2nd class. If I were to name a plane, instead of spitfire, I'd call it barracuda, just because I like that name, not because of the fish.