That must have stung a bit! 😂

Didn't Randy Cunningham also do that? I think I read it in his book...

@@mattjacomos2795 might have been. I heard it from a Naval aviator (F-14 driver).

That pilot's name? Sterling Archer....

Lol. . . .got what hr deserved, eh????? lol lol lol

Better than “war crime”

Any truth in the rumour that when Axis significant other broke up with her he had to drop the bomb twice before she got the message? 😉

That’s actually kinda badass though

Now I have to ask: First, how did she take it. Second, was/is she hot?

Was her real name Sally?

Add now I have a handle for my teenager

Hilarious!

I got a guy I work with like that, I should start calling him that. He's also an ex marine, so he might be familiar with the name.

Had one guy called Molasses, because he was very slow moving. No speed involved with him.

😄😄😄

For such a colossal fuckup that’s a pretty cool callsign to end up with

@@camojg2272 it's ironic but.... i read about that one in a book too...

Man royally screws up, but no-one is killed and he gets a cool nickname. He could be called lucky.

Could've ended up with a name like "Postal", because he A: got the wrong address and B: shot the hell out of the place, (there used to be an expression "going postal" or "gone postal", "went postal", etc. because in the `70s and `80s there had been a few instances of postal workers or former postal workers that actually did go on a rampage at work). Thought I'd need to explain that for the younger people on here. We don't hear that expression much anymore.

@@WhoWouldWantThisName I would have gone with "polo" because he was lost. Like marco polo.

This comment right here love it!!! 😂

Was her name Peggy Bundy? 😂

@@mrjohnklake Good one!

Al "Fatal" Krause

Oh, the poor bastard!! Out of the mouths of women!

That one wins😂

That's brutal XD

Aviators always have the best acronym ideas.

Hey meow

Hello there👋👋, how are you doing today? Hope you had a nice day?GOD BLESS YOU!!!

Maybe the F-15 driver had the tailhook down? The tail of an F-15 sits pretty high up (I was F-15 avionics) and the very back end or "tail" is both exhaust ducts so although it might be possible to drag it, it seems more likely that the tailhook got deployed and was somehow overlooked. Either that or it was a really high-speed touch-and-go with the speed brake stowed and not up as it is for a normal landing (after main wheel touchdown). Not trying to be a showoff/smartass, just trying to figure out how such a feat could be accomplished. Maybe on takeoff? There would be serious loss of lift at such a high AoA, even with such a powerful aircraft. I hope an Eagle Driver speaks up about this because I'm really curious. Thanks for the share. I'll bet his safety officer and XO tore him a new one for that XD

@@spudeleven5124 most people don't even realize that the 15 has a tailhook for emergencies. I was an ABH3 in the Navy. Aviation Boatswainsmate (handler). I worked on the flight deck. V1 Div. I didn't know about the tailhook either until I saw it on a vid!

He probably could fit in the viper cockpit, it just did not have a titanium bathtub to hold the weight.

Classic

like it or not you instantly know you're being talked to

My call sign as a Navy doc, back in the enlisted part of my career, was "Grid Square" because I was death with a 1:50,000 map. Meaning I would have gotten everyone killed if they'd let me do the land nav. "For God's sake, don't let Grid Square near the maps!" ;-)

​@@tonyguerra1273One of my fellow Marines made the mistake of telling our new platoon sergeant that he looked like Popeye. The word got passed that the junior Marine would only get "Chili Mac" MREs. He would be forever known as "Chili-Mac'.

That is great

That is actually really adorable? I love it!

Pmsl🤣😂🤣😂

Ice.Cold.

OMG! Classic!!!

You're probably going to be given an embarrassing one regardless. Everyone in the squadron is watching, hoping to catch you doing something stupid. :)

@@preacherF-15 You mean when they called me dumbass it was just an insult, not a callsign? And all this time I thought they loved me for my fabulous humor...

Yup. Skydivers (as I am) and motorcyclists are the same way. It's usually because of some Schadenfreude incident which the victim would very much prefer to forget about but which his mates will never willingly allow him to live down. Mine was "Cujo" after the rabid dog in the Stephen King story. I won't go into why I got that.

Ask for the worst call sign and hope reverse psychology works.

Doesn’t the fact that not everyone gets one contradict the assertion that call signs exist for tactical reasons?

did the guy who said it get the callsign or your friend?

@@kuiper921 my friend

@@raywhitehead730 yeah I just made it up to annoy you just enough to make a comment.

Fighter pilots are so sympathetic…..guy’s having an emergency and gets ragged about wanting his mommy. Lol

@@scottcampbell7944Defending mommy would get you the call sign daddy.

Very cool to see "Miramar" in the comments!

You remember "BOF", dont you?

@@robertburnam885 LOL! I do! - "Balls on Fence" from an ill-fated attempt to get over a barbed wire fence at a Det in El Centro. I was the SDO that day and was lobbying hard for "Snag", but it just wasn't to be. Great to hear from you, Robert!

@@Jack0trades loooool :D

@@Jack0trades It hurt to read that, thanks. LOL

Hot Lips perhaps? 🤣😂🤣

There's a tale from round that era of a call over the radio where someone screamed "F4 Break Right!!" during a particular intense encounter and the caller did not know the ID of the AC he was trying to alert. He had made several calls before screaming out his warning in desperation where upon every F4 in the sky that heard his plea broke right.

God bless, Frank... wherever he is. And thanks for the laugh.

@@SgtMjr One can only assume that those on the other side were somewhat confused when multiple F4's suddenly seem to be partaking in an air show rather than a battle....

@@SgtMjr And, of course, this would have been one of those freak moments where the atmospheric conditions would have ducted the transmission all over SEATO.

Had a guy like this except he could always find a Philippino bar in any country we went to. His last name was Patten, called him "General"

I served with a fellow officer (USMC Helo Pilot) who had the call sign of "Mayor" as well. He got it because of our in port period in Subic Bay, The republic of the Philippines. Since we were on Liberty most of the time, every day the CO had a 0800 all hands formation for personnel accountability. And, for every formation, the "Mayor" would stagger in from the 'ville, get accounted for, and then stagger back on out. Since he was obviously living in Olongapo and not on there ship, we (fellow pilots) decided that he was the mayor of Olongapo, hence the call sign.

Dammit Speck! I am a pilot, not a miracle worker! 😉

@@mrjohnklake Good one! At least you didn't say "plumber." When I was in, that's what people called a very clumsy flier.

HOLLYWOOD=3syllables,which,according to Ward's Call Sign rules means,1)deal-breaker 4 air combat use&2)another Top Gun movie writing mistake

@@curtiskretzer8898 well they called him “wood” as in “wood’s been hit!”

One doc in my Marine infantry company ended up with the call sign "Beaker." His hair stuck straight up, like that Muppet character named Beaker, so he quickly got tagged with the name and it stuck. He wasn't too thrilled, but we didn't care. ;-)

Yep. First names can inspire call signs too. Scott might become "Scooter. Ted might become "E Bear".

One of my CO's was "Special Ed" Mayer.

Would be really confusing if he's ever under NATO AWACS control.......

@@johnstreet1812 with the last name of Mayer, his call sign should have been ‘Oscar’

There's a hard one to live up to!

@@KutWrite At least he got to drive fighter jets! Pity all of the Clark Kent uber drivers.

With that name? Nah, would have to be "Spiderman".

Shoulda been "Soup".

@@gastonbell108 Wouldn't you have to be named Peter Parker?

Have had that in the corporate workspace. Went to start a new job and saw an oppo team member but didn't know him by name. "Gidday Guts." "Gidday Master."

At least it wasn't Obi-LOST.

That's a great story but no one has been able to verify it.

@@JustaPilot1 New call-sign: "Hypo" (thetical).

Matt, I'm calling you "Mulder" because you want to believe...

@@JustaPilot1 I think it's actually in one of the RAF Timeline documentaries

Don't you just love the warmth, love and compassion that flows through the military mindset?

SNUT, or PATIENT ZERO could have been suitable names too.

Snotgun would have been better

Wigs hired me as a civilian videographer when he was the CO of TOPGUN.

I worked under Tom Twomey in VF21. He was my height, so it helped me realize I could qualify as a NFO. I started working on my bachelor's degree immediately. The end of the cold War and my 27th birthday put an end to that.

now the ruble is worthless again LMFAO

Funny, because the AO on my P-3 crew was called "Duck" as in "The Dirty Duck" (for obvious reasons) My callsign (JAFO) was given to me by my crew when we were watching "Blue Thunder" in the crew lounge in Alaska.

@mandellorian That would never have worked in my squadron. The only option is to wholly embrace it and hope something better comes along. For most it just becomes part of their identity and after a while they would not get rid of it if they could. Not a big deal for most normally-adjusted aviators. There are a couple maladjusted mouth-breathers out there who take themselves too seriously and can't stand the thought of a silly callsign - but they have much bigger problems than a callsign they don't like. Most Navy carrier squadrons do not allow aviators to take themselves too seriously - our egos are already big enough as it is.

Hilarious...I think your dad was in a book by Richard Drury from the 90s, I think...about the A-10, F-16, A-37...Fast Ass CAS was the Boys From Syracuse motto.

😂😂😂

Hilarious

I think this is the best one so far!

"Steamer" is another common callsign from those kind of events.

Heard about that one on the fighter pilot podcast

Story of my life playing rugby.

Now that's kind of clever. ;)

fcking karens

🤣

That's honestly a badass name. So goofy. Imagine getting your ass shot down by 'Fetus'.

@@smk6469 🤣

cold

OH Brutal.

yeah? I knew one whose callsign was hunt. his first name was mike

@@1sydman1 I knew a Hawk for that same reason.

What'd you end up as/with, if you don't mind my asking?

Italian last names = Automatically "Guido"

I'm surprised they didn't go with the obvious "Frodo".

@@hipfirehippie3474 If his last name was "Baggins," then, yeah

I know a guy with that last name, and he is really small. I would occasionally joke about him being a real life Hobbit. That would have been an excellent callsign as well.

@@reijiminato8762 You missed the point - there was a scene where Frodo was asked for his name at the tavern and he said his name is Underhill, as he did not want to reveal his identity. Underhills are a prominent hobbit family, so "Hobbit" would also be a good callsign.

I was in VF-142. I remember Fugi as well. I was a plane captain well all had nick names as well. They gave me the name wasted. When the skipper came down and saw that on the jet. “Wasted Seman”. It was repainted instantly.

Arrrrrrr!

Not Darryl?

Bingo

“Mongo only pawn in game of life” - Blazing Saddles

he sucked

My Vietnam Era friend's call was "KILO" for the same reason. RIP KILO

Lt Col Riel "Guns" Erickson runs our flight school 🇨🇦

That one scene in Rescue Me, Denis Leary's comedy/drame show in tribute to firefighters, where the old hands are debating a name for the new guy. "Irish Mike?" "Nah, he's uptown." "Gay mike?" "Engine [#] already has one." "Fack, I guess he's just 'probie' forever them."

True that. As a new Paramedic in the early 90s I managed to oversleep for a night shift twice in the same week. Station Officer called me Rip Van Winkle, soon shortened to Winx. 29 years down the line I'm sure some of my guys don't know my real name 😂

Naval Aviators would NEVER consider themselves lesser than space force pukes. Those guys don't even fly.

@@smk6469 Tell that to my sons squadron. VFA-22 Fighting Redcocks. Just awarded top Strike Fighter Squadron on the west coast and all the Navy. I was told the story of my sons call sign by one of his pilots personally who’s a Top Gun grad. He’s a LT. Commander and I doubt he’d lie to me stupid!

Flew with a cat who was skinny and looked very non-threatening - thus, "Lunch Money" was born.

Bet that was fun to explain to his mom!

Ouch! LOL

Yes that would be a treat.

Seconded.

Thirded

Quadrupled

Ditto!

Thats great! 😄

“No Action-Talk Only”

NAFTA nother afternoon f**king that a** (family Guy Bill Clinton)

I worked at the O'Club at Ramstein AFB as a Teen. We had a F-16 pilot from Aviano on TDY that was found naked and wrapped up in the table cloths we had set up the night before for Sunday brunch. We never where able to find his clothes out side of IIRC 1 boot. I have a feeling mb this was a prank by his squadron because all of those guys where screaming drunk the night before.

I was an IP at Sheppard...sure wish I had come up with that. Genius!

Ross McArthur Your story reminds me a little bit of myself when I was in an aviation squadron, VAQ-33, an ECM outfit, out of N.A.S. Norfolk, Va, '71-75. I was an AE3 ( aviation electrician 3rd class), but chose to stay out in the Line Division where all the action was. I became a Plane Captain for our ERA-3B Skywarriors...known as Whales. I quickly became the line supervisor on my shifts and whenever we went to other bases for ten days or so of war games, I was always sent on ahead to get the Yellow Gear checked out and ready when our planes arrived. One time we were at Cecil Field, Fla. for exercises. We never had enough Plane Captains and other linesmen to cover all of the shifts, so we worked double shifts and quite often longer. My shift and my guys finally caught some down time and we were asleep in the barracks after working 16 hrs. straight. I had only been asleep a short time when one of my guys woke me up and said that an officer over the electronics division had ordered my guys to clean up their area. I got up and quickly got over to the ramp and walked in the hut where operations were conducted from. There were several officers and pilots there. I spotted this Lt...walked straight over to him and proceeded to chew his ass out up one side and down the other. I told him that he had plenty of his own enlisted men, who did very little anyway, to clean up their own mess, and how dare him to get my guys, who worked double shifts, to clean up his mess. I said something like this: " Don't you EVER tell my men to clean up your mess EVER AGAIN..!! " His mouth was hanging open...wordless. I could see the other officers and pilots who were there and they all had big grins on their faces. I turned and left; not giving that Lt. any time to say anything. They all knew how hard I and my guys worked out on the flight line and that a flight was never missed due to any slackness from me and my guys. At the end of the exercise, we were at the enlisted club...all of the officers too, celebrating a very successful exercise. One of the officers who was at the hut when I ass chewed the Lt., motioned for me to come over to the table where he and a few other officers were sitting. He told me that I was the finest Petty Officer that he had ever had the pleasure of working with. I do not remember now if that Lt. that I chewed out was there at that table. I can only hope that he was. So...was I guilty of insubordination for ass chewing an Officer? Like you, I didn't suffer fools either, regardless of their rank, and especially when I knew that I was right and he was wrong. I never heard a word about that incident after we got back to Norfolk. I think that the Lt. got the message loud & clear: just because you are an Officer does not automatically give you the right to order enlisted men from another division to clean up after you when you have plenty of enlisted in your own division.

@@marbleman52 I think you were perfectly justified. I have worked with dispatchers who had an “I’m ur boss” complex in trucking. They never changed their attitude but I got what I demanded if I was ever doing a favor for them.

Sometimes you feel like a nut...sometimes you don't!

🤣

Female pilot can fly farther than a male pilot b/c male pilot sits on bag of rox,while female pilot sits on an empty box. (Same rule applies in truck driving)

Surprised the Air Force allowed that.. Women are emotionally 'delicate' you know. At least officially. But I think women that earn fighter slots possess the coping skills and just lean into it.

@@curtiskretzer8898 And driving trains as well! Folks who drive trains are "in the seat" for 3+ hours most days, on most railways. Constant focus required, despite any pesky bodily needs. For the long trips as much as 7 or 8.

And I flew with his younger brother “Rat” Willard on CV-41. One family, one callsign.

Must have missed that one because I was too busy nodding knowingly at "Organ" Hammonds.

''Rat'' Willard and ''Bozo'' were in there, too, but ''Horse'' takes the cake.

When I was in VAW-123 in the early eighties, Pete "Horse" Caulk was in VF-102. Great Guy! Superb pilot! Top Gun instructor when the movie was made. Why "Horse?" Was it because he was hung like a........? No. It's because his face looked a horse.

looked like a ...

Love this.

Worse for him if the women of the tribe speak of his meat as worthless. :-)

One of the mental health techniques that seems similar to that, & is really common in mental health communities & comes off as abrasive to outsiders is similar to callsigns, and seems very common to military arms. You tap on a "safe" trigger, to test & train each other in mental resilience & health. It's amazing how often a crack or joke on a borderline trigger resonates & reveals a deeper issue in a safe manner, or demonstrates a mental state that needs addressing, assisting or an exit. "Mental health communities" being long term survivors, of any kind. Long term practitioner, patient of certain development, vets, etc.

actually the actor who played CC is a VERY intelligent guy. He actually suggested to the producers of the show that they needed a "know it all" character ibn the bar AND played that character. He also has a patent for a cardboard coffee cup holder that stops your fingers getting scalded.

How is that possible?!? 🤣

Lol!!

Had a guy in my class we called Beaker. Bright orange hair and high and tight as well. Wasn't the smartest person either.

What squadron?

@@dickbondi6913 VAQ-141

Ok so what does Tapper mean?

@@stevemadak6255 not really the question. It's did you or would you.

Better "Skid" than "Bam Bam" . . .

Your pickle is hot!

Or "Bad" like in Good Cop, Bad Cop personas

I wonder if any Airbus pilots got stuck with a certain callsign that begins with the letter R?

@@tstodgell >> Dude, I don’t follow?

@@jaybee9269 When you land an Airbus, it says "RETARD, RETARD, RETARD."

Mongo? Is that a ref. to Blazing Saddles?

@@Peter_Riis_DK Yup. He was huge.

@@johnpetry2541 Mongo only pawn in game of life.