# Nick names used for popular a/c



## ivanotter (Jan 16, 2011)

I have always been impressed with the imagination of people "naming" the different a/c.

I know a few, but does anyone have some favourite nick's?

My two best one's are:

The man-eater:




Wikipedia source.

The sailor-inhaler: Also from Wikipedia:





Any other one's?

Ivan


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jan 16, 2011)

Well probably the most famous nick name ever given to an aircraft is:

Huey

A lot of people think that is actually the real name of the UH-1, but it was actually called the HU-1A Iroquois (The Army names its aircraft after Indian Tribes). The Army changed its designation system from HU (Helicopter Utility) to UH (Utility Helicopter) and everyone started calling them Huey's. It became so popular that Bell even had the words Huey put on the pedals.


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## ivanotter (Jan 16, 2011)

...I was one of them. I did know about the tribes but I thought that was after this one. I really thought the official name was Huey.


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## evangilder (Jan 16, 2011)

Not aircraft, but Jeep came from GP, or general purpose. Although some dispute the origin, it is normal for acronyms to become phrases. Another example of that is the Phalanx CIWS system is referred to as "SeaWhiz" (CIWS) by those that operate and maintain them.


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## T Bolt (Jan 16, 2011)

The "Jug" or "Juggernaut"
P-47 Thunderbolt


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## Njaco (Jan 16, 2011)

Do 17 - the "Flying Pencil"


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## T Bolt (Jan 16, 2011)

BUFF (Big Ugly Fat F**ker)
B-52 Stratofortress


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## T Bolt (Jan 16, 2011)

"Warthog" or "Hog"
A-10 Thunderbolt II


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## imalko (Jan 16, 2011)

Every Soviet/Russian military aircraft from Cold War to this day have nickname given by NATO - MiG-21 Fishbed, MiG-29 Fulcrum...
As for WW2, aircraft of Lavochkin La-5/La-7 series were nicknamed Lavochka by their pilots.


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## ivanotter (Jan 16, 2011)

B-52 I can understand
Flying pencil I can understasnd

Where did the Jug come from?

And the Warthog?

I know the Il-2, named by the Germans as: Cement Flieger - which is somewhat like concrete plane.


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## Thorlifter (Jan 16, 2011)

Jug came from the body of the P-47 looking like an old time milk jug.

Warthog is an affectionate name for an ugly a$$ plane.

These names were more American media inspired than actual names from the enemy but,

F4U - Whistling Death - sound made from air going through the oil coolers.
P-38 - Fork Tailed Devil


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## mikewint (Jan 16, 2011)

p-38 in German: Der Gabelschwanz Teufel. Don't know the Japanese but it translated as Two planes - One pilot.


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## Ruud (Jan 16, 2011)

F-111 Aardvark
F-16 Viper (or Lawn Dart if you're not a fan)
F-104 Missile with a man in it
F-4 Rhino
Jaguar and S-3 Hoover
A-7 SLUF (Slow Little Ugly Fellow)


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## Airframes (Jan 16, 2011)

The P47 nickname of 'Jug' was an abbreviation of 'Juggernaut', a huge machine, and derived from it's very large size and mass, compared to aircraft of the day.
'Fat Albert' = C130 Hercules.
'Whistling Wheelbarrow' = A.W. Argosy.
'Bend Over' = H.S. Andover (due to it's ability to 'sit down' at the rear, for loading.)
'Paraffin Budgie' or 'Paraffin Pigeon' = any gas-turbine helicopter.


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## pbfoot (Jan 16, 2011)

CF100 was the Clunk and F89 was the Lead Sled and always thought the 104 was the Lawn Dart


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## T Bolt (Jan 16, 2011)

"Flying Banana"
H-21 Shawnee


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jan 16, 2011)

CH-47 Chinook - Shithook


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## GrauGeist (Jan 16, 2011)

pbfoot said:


> CF100 was the Clunk and F89 was the Lead Sled and always thought the 104 was the Lawn Dart


I always heard the '104 as the "Zipper", I think they used to call the B-1b the "Lawndart" 

The F-117 is the "Wobbly Goblin" and one of my favs is the C-2 as the "Whistling Sh!tcan"

By the way, don't they call the C-17 "Buddah"?


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## Ruud (Jan 16, 2011)

i think anything that comes down in an unplanned fashion often enough = lawn dart


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## Matt308 (Jan 16, 2011)

GrauGeist said:


> I think they used to call the B-1b the "Lawndart"



Nope. F-16


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## GrauGeist (Jan 16, 2011)

Ruud said:


> i think anything that comes down in an unplanned fashion often enough = lawn dart


lmao...true enough!


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## ivanotter (Jan 17, 2011)

Those are good one's. really making me giggle a bit here.

Some are pretty obvious, but why F-117 and "wobbly goblin"?


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jan 17, 2011)

mikewint said:


> p-38 in German: Der Gabelschwanz Teufel.



That has actually been debunked. The Germans never actually called it that.


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## HookerTF160 (Jan 17, 2011)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> CH-47 Chinook - Shithook



The thread title is POPULAR aircraft nicknames Chris


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jan 17, 2011)

HookerTF160 said:


> The thread title is POPULAR aircraft nicknames Chris



That was a very popular nickname for us Blackhawk guys!


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## HookerTF160 (Jan 17, 2011)

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:


> That was a very popular nickname for us Blackhawk guys!



No doubt lol......actually, we would throw out a "shithook" every now and then if an aircraft was having a lot of problems. The only name I remember that we had for Blackhawks, was Crash Hawks. This was in the early 80`s when the aircraft was fairly new and was having problems with the stabilator.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jan 17, 2011)

HookerTF160 said:


> No doubt lol......actually, we would throw out a "shithook" every now and then if an aircraft was having a lot of problems. The only name I remember that we had for Blackhawks, was Crash Hawks. This was in the early 80`s when the aircraft was fairly new and was having problems with the stabilator.



Yeap, the Blackhawk's problem was fixed with pin filters and a manual slew. That was all before my time though. Some of the older Hookers would still call us Crash Hawks though.


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## BombTaxi (Jan 17, 2011)

F-105 Thunderchief was known as the 'Thud'. This has variously been attributed to the sound of it's payload hitting the ground, or the a/c itself hitting the ground, for those who were not a fan of the type.

The AW Argosy was also known as the 'Whistling T*t', for the nipple-like radome on the bulbous nose of some aircraft. 

In RAF service, the Tornado was/is known as the 'Tonka', I believe after the line of fairly low-quality plastic toys popular in the 1980s. 

I have read reference to the B-26 Marauder and F-104 being called the 'Widowmaker' after high accident rates.

The A-4 Skyhawk was known by a number of names, including 'Bantan Bomber' due to it's small size.


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## pbfoot (Jan 17, 2011)

If you google Lawn Dart the it indicates the 104 probably due to its high attrition rate in its early career


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## ivanotter (Jan 17, 2011)

AW Argosy: so true. Just looking at the poor thing, really

Did the F4 have a nick as well?


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## BombTaxi (Jan 17, 2011)

I believe the Phantom was 'Toom' in UK service, and also 'Worlds Largest Distributor of MiG Parts', for it's kill rate vs. MiGs over Vietnam


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## GrauGeist (Jan 17, 2011)

ivanotter said:


> Those are good one's. really making me giggle a bit here.
> 
> Some are pretty obvious, but why F-117 and "wobbly goblin"?


"Wobbly Goblin" was an overheard comment by a test pilot early in the F-117's development. The nick-name, while not "official", is simply one that stuck with it through the years.

The F-117 as a production combat aircraft is actually a solid performer, according to the pilots who flew it.


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## Ruud (Jan 17, 2011)

Triple Nickel (555 sq) was known as the largest distributor of MiG Parts. Indeed for their MiG killing in Vietnam

Tornado = the Fin
A-4 = Scooter Heineman's Hotrod.
F-86K = Kaasjager
F-16 = Electric Jet (never caught on really)
A-6 = iron tadpole
F-4 = Rhino, Toom, Double Ugly


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## Njaco (Jan 17, 2011)

"Powered Egg" = Me 163


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Jan 17, 2011)

Glad you didn't put a d in that NJ.


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## Njaco (Jan 17, 2011)

I was tempted!


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## Konigstiger205 (Jan 18, 2011)

After carefully researching I only found nicknames for the
-I.A.R. 39 "Geezer"
-I.A.R. 80 "Romanian broom" , at the start of the war by the soviets pilots, after the first squadrons of I.A.R.'s swept across soviet airfields.


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## davparlr (Jan 18, 2011)

When the C-5 first came out, it had a problem with the hydraulics failing on the landing gear when the kneeling system was used (used to lower the aircraft to ease loading and unloading). Because of this, it was often called "Queer Albert", a take-off of another nickname for it, "Fat Albert". I'll let you figure out why.


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## Budman (Jan 18, 2011)

C-123K was known as the Thunder Pig or Polish Whisper Jet. I've also heard of the F-4 being called the Lizard.


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## ARTESH (Aug 27, 2017)

Ab Garm Kon (lit. Water heather)

Chinese Fighter F-7 Called by Iranian Iran/Iraq War Pilots !!!


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