Military nicknames/ jargon

[A4K]

What about all those nicknames and jargon we use in the forces for aircraft, vehicles, personnel, etc ? There must be a ton of them!
Be interesting to hear the different expressions from around the world. (Came up with the idea after reading the usernames forum).

A couple to kick off with from the RNZAF:

Squawk -McDonnell-Douglas A-4K skyhawk,
Blunty / SLUF (Slow Little Ugly F*****) -BAC Strikemaster Mk.88,
Plastic Rat - Aerospace CT/-4B Airtrainer,
Wokka wokka -Bell UH-1H Iroquois,
Herc - Lockheed C-130H Hercules,
Macchi - Aermacchi MB 339CB,

Older:
Dak -Douglas C-47A/B Dakota,
Cat -Consolidated PBY-5/ Boeing PB2B-1 catalina,
Mozzie -DeHavilland DH.98 Mosquito FB.VI,FB.40,T Mk.3,T Mk.43,
The bent wing bastard from Stratford, Connecticut - Chance-vought F4U-1A/D, Gooodyear FG-1D Corsair,
10,000 aircraft parts flying in close formation -Avro type 652 Anson Mk.I/XII

 

[MaxQ]

The A4 was called 'Scooter' by us. The F14 was occasionally called 'Turkey' because of it's apperance on final approach.

MaxQ

 

[A4K]

I s'pose it does look a bit like a turkey head on !
I'd heard about the A-4D being referred to as Scooter, did the name apply to other variants aswell?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

We used to call the Blackhawk the "Lawn Dart" but it is no longer referred to as that anymore.

 

[A4K]

Why?

 

[Clave]

This is roughly what I remember from working on the missiles:

Mechanical trades = 'Riggers'
Electronic trades = 'Fairies'
Radar operators = 'Scopies'
And ultra-specialised: the operators of the Missile Overall Test Equipment were called 'Moties'

Missiles = 'Rockets'

If something failed, it went 'tits up'

There was a lot of highly specialised terms for different parts of the missile too, such as 'plockets' which was a combined plug/socket which was part of the boost motor firing circuit, and 'donkey dick' was the main power connector - a massive 191-way plug at each end of a 4 inch diameter armoured cable that often needed new insulation fitted.

So a typical order from the Sgt might go like this: "2445 has gone tits up, drag it indoors and get new plockets on it, and check the donkey dick for cracks too"

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Why?

There was a problem with the stabilator dropping and making the aircraft crash into the ground. This was fixed by putting pin filters on the aircraft and a manual slew button.

 

[plan_D]

Airframes = Riggers
Engine men = Sooties
Electrical = Leccies
Avionics = Fairies

CH-47 Chinook = Wokka
F-4 Phantom = 'toom
EE Lightning = Frightening

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Crew Chiefs - Crew Dogs
Avionics Technicians and Electricians - Spark Chasers

 

[ToughOmbre]

CH-47 Chinook = Wokka

We called them "Sh*t Hooks".

TO

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

We still call them **** Hooks.

AH-64 Apache = Wire Magnet

 

[eddie_brunette]

we used to call the:

Aermacchi MB = Impala
Aeritalia AM-3C = Bosbok
Aerospatiale SA-330 = Oryx

And the Rooivalk is the Rooivalk the only decent fighting machine we ever developed

 

[A4K]

Our Ac mechs were 'Mechies' ,Av techs -'Techies' (though Mechies called them something else, usually..), and Electricians 'Leccies', same as you English. I've heard 'sparkies' for these guys too, but it's been a while since I was there, so might be getting my wires crossed, so to speak.

 

[A4K]

I take it there's been a few accidents involving overland cables, Adler ?

And as for the S**t hook....

 

[ccheese]

The US Navy has more "jargon" than (probably) the other armed forces
combined, for everything from ships, aircraft, personnel and "other things".
Let's see how many I can remember..

Destroyer=little boy
Aircraft carrier=flat top
Battleship=Battle wagon
Radioman="Sparks"
banana=training aid
candy bar="pogie bait"
ship or shore soda fountain=gedunk
AD Skyraider="dud"
Navy corpsman=pecker checker (or a Penis Machinist)
submariner=bubblehead
Boiler tender=bedroom technician
men's bathroom=the head
the mobile crane on a carrier is always "Tillie"
a stairway (ship or shore) is a ladder
of course, bulkhead, deck, overhead (ship or shore)
any kind of an upright support is a "stantion"
Dress Blues=dress canvas

A chief might tell "a boot": "Take the ladder to the 2nd deck, go aft on
the port side to the gedunk and get me some pogie bait !"

I could go on and on.... but I know you don't want me to...

Charles

 

[evangilder]

F-16 Falcon= "Viper"
A-10 Thunderbolt II="warthog"
B-52= "BUFF (Big Ugly Fat F*cker)

submariners='bubbleheads"
Marines="jarheads"
USAF members="flyboys, zoomies"
US Army members="grunts"
US Navy members="swabbies, squids"
Guard/Reserve members="weekend warriors, REMFs (rear echelon mother effers)"

bomb loaders="bb stackers"
Air Traffic Controllers="trolls"
Radio Operators="ditty boppers"
radio relay techs="widebandits"

Those are the ones off the tops of my head

 

[A4K]

No, do go on! The whole point of this thread is to see what expressions are/ were about from any era, and from all services, so we all might learn something. Bloody hell, chuck in civilian lingo aswell, the more the merrier!

BTW the toilet in the Sunderland flying boat was also called 'the head', usually it was called an elsan. (in British aircraft, atleast)

 

[timshatz]

USN
Radar Operator- Scope Dope
Bosuns Mate- Deck Ape

Think I heard the early Bradleys called "Zippos" or "Bics" due to a problem with the gas tanks (since fixed).

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I take it there's been a few accidents involving overland cables, Adler ?

Yeah that is what us Blackhawk guys called them, due to some mishaps. Ofcourse we had to be very careful when using it because people have lost there lives. I was out flying some border traces along the Serbian Border with an Apache and it hit some wires. Killed both pilots. Was a very tragic day.

And as for the S**t hook....

Each aircraft community thinks there aircraft are better than the others. We Blackhawk guys called them Shithooks out of jest in our fun little rivalry.

In all actuallity is the Shithook a great helicopter.

 

[pbfoot]

Air Defence Guys controllers were fighter cops
Techies were Twidgettes
Infantry were Pongoes , Gravel Techs
Artillery 20 mile sharpshooters
Airmen to Navy guys is Crabfat( blue and useless)