Plane Nicknames

YWG · Mon Dec 31, 2001 5:43 am

Some planes have nicknames even used by the airlines employee's. Have you guys heard of any others?
"The Lizard"

Click for large version

Photo © Doug Bull

"The Parrot"

Click for large version

Photo © Alastair T. Gardiner

sushka · Mon Dec 31, 2001 5:46 am

MD-80s are called Mad Dogs

aatripleseven · Mon Dec 31, 2001 5:52 am

On an AA 757 flight from DCA to DFW I sat in the captain's seat and he told me that the 757 was considered the "sports car" of the fleet. I thought that was awesome.

Click for large version

Photo © Mark Durbin

SkyGuy11 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 6:08 am

Shamu at John Wayne:

Click for large version

Photo © Miguel Snoep

DouglasDC8 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 6:22 am

My airline aquired 2 747-100's from another major US carrier that turned out to be "hangar queens." They were referred to my our mechanics as "The Lemon Sisters."

Jan Mogren · Mon Dec 31, 2001 6:42 am

Behold.. The tampon

Click for large version

Photo © Jan Mogren

/JM

pecoua · Mon Dec 31, 2001 6:43 am

737S are called "guppies" by us airline crews and I remember we called our 747SPs "Miss Piggy"

I've also heard 737s called "Fat Alberts" too.

CroFlight · Mon Dec 31, 2001 6:48 am

Here in ZAG we allways called Tu-154

"727 diesel"...

Click for large version

Photo © Dietmar Schreiber

CroFlight

BBADXB · Mon Dec 31, 2001 6:49 am

I was having a great chat with the pursor of a DE 757-300 flight from Dalaman to Frankfurt and I told him that a/c enthusiast call the B753 'The flying pencil' - his reply: "For us cabin attendants it is just too long and too narrow. It should have been wide-bodied and shorter like the A310. For me it is 'The Flying Who*e'"

Best of regards to all, but especially to CONDOR crew... anyone of you great people out there??,

BBADXB Wink/being sarcastic

sun-flyer

..& by the way, Condor is "ihr sonnenflieger", that is 'Your Sun Flyer'... & IT IS MY FAVOURITE SUN FLYER! Wink/being sarcastic

ywg_jy · Mon Dec 31, 2001 6:53 am

I've heard the MU2 called the "rice rocket"

ATA L1011 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 7:08 am

When I was with Delta the L10 was known as the TRITANIC, TENALEMON, and the QUEEN.

aps · Mon Dec 31, 2001 7:08 am

I heard the 737 was called a "PIG"
and the 747 was a "LUMP" Laugh out loud

ATA L1011 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 7:12 am

I also heard United use to call their DC-10's, Diesel 10's

racko · Mon Dec 31, 2001 7:13 am

the 737s are called bobbies

David_itl · Mon Dec 31, 2001 7:23 am

707 = bong
VC10 = whale
Sh330/360 = shed
ATP = skoda or bat
Tu134 = spider
A320 = minibus (presumably A319 is the microbus and the A318 will be the amoebabus)
Caravelle = carrott (or was it carat?)

In 1987/8, we did have a "Flying Pig" at MAN - it was a 747 operated by Lionair (either LX-FCV or LX-GCV) and wascontinually going tech.

David/MAN

EDR 374 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 7:26 am

Swissair called its Convair 990 the Coronado:

YWG · Mon Dec 31, 2001 8:01 am

"Gimili Glider"

Click for large version

Photo © Felix Sieder

"Azores Glider"

Click for large version

Photo © Dennis Hut

ROSWELL41 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 8:09 am

At Eastern Airlines, the Airbus A300-600 was referred to as the 'Pastry Pig'.

Also, a Delta 763 captain referred to the L1011 as 'the bomber'.

Mike

MD88Captain · Mon Dec 31, 2001 8:27 am

DAL had two 737-200's that were configured differently from the rest of the Express fleet. The airframes were a bit bent and they both seemed to have a mind of their own compared to the rest of the -200s. To the DAL pilots they were known as the "Twisted Sisters".

United_fan · Mon Dec 31, 2001 8:34 am

DC-9 'Diesel 9'

Click for large version

Photo © Brian Peters

Braniff727 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 8:53 am

DC-10 (especially the older ones) Death Cruiser

nonrevman · Mon Dec 31, 2001 8:58 am

When Braniff had that orange 747, it was called the "Great Pumpkin"

Click for large version

Photo © George W. Hamlin

VirginA340 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 9:06 am

an elderly woamn told a friend of my dads who was on a business trip heading to Gatwick from Dallas said that the Braniff Big Orange looked like a giant orange penis Smile/happy/getting dizzy

no joke that is what she said

The MD-11 is refered to as the scud or Mega Death 11

I once heard an AA pilot at MIA call an MD-80 a Stupid 80. (When I later spoke to him he told me that he loved the 727 better) He wasn't too hooked on a 737 but he really loved the 757.

POSITIVE RATE · Mon Dec 31, 2001 9:16 am

727= 3 holer
737= fat albert
L1011= whisperliner
Dash 8= crash 8
citation= slowtation
Airbus A320= scarebus
MD80= flying pencil
MU2= Rice rocket
A300= Luxury liner
BA 146= Quadrapuff
Metro 23= flying cigar

EI133 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 9:36 am

Some people I know who are scared of flying used to call the Shorts 360 The Vomit Comet. I have heard the 747 called the queen of the skies but other people have adopted this term for the aircraft of their choice.EI133

Dazed767 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 9:36 am

I call the L1011 'the tank'.

flyCMH · Mon Dec 31, 2001 9:45 am

I've heard the Do328JET called "the dork jet", and the ERJ-145 referred to as "the jungle jet".

MD88Captain · Mon Dec 31, 2001 10:12 am

Citation = Nearjet

Twotterwrench · Mon Dec 31, 2001 11:04 am

Piper Navajo = Piper NeverGo
Dash 8 = Crash 8 or Gash 8
Metroliner = SanAntonio Sewer Tube
SanAntonio Lawn Dart
Cessna 207 = The Lead Sled

YWG · Mon Dec 31, 2001 11:23 am

"Craptana"

Click for large version

Photo © Wil van Blokland

CcrlR · Mon Dec 31, 2001 11:29 am

What baout Rizzibird? I heard it before but I don't know what plane. It was something after rizzi but I don't know.

YWG · Mon Dec 31, 2001 11:34 am

Wasn't that a Condor 757?

fanofjets · Mon Dec 31, 2001 11:38 am

On the military side, we have:

Click for large version

Photo © Ralph M. Pettersen

P-47 Thunderbolt
Jug

Click for large version

Photo © STEVE BUTLER

B-52 Stratofortress
Buff (Big Ugly Fat Fellow)

Click for large version

Photo © Jarrod Wilkening

KC-135 Stratotanker, used for NASA zero-g weightlessness trials
Vomit Comet

fanofjets · Mon Dec 31, 2001 12:21 pm

I know this one has appeared on Airliners.net, but for our new members:

Click for large version

Photo © Paulo carvalho

Boeing 757
Lady (long and slender, with two big ones up front)

GARUDAROD · Mon Dec 31, 2001 12:44 pm

At GARUDA we had a couple of planes that were
bestowed nicknames. DC-10-30 EI-BZD was
leased from GPA. The plane was previously
operated by WARDAIR CANADA had still had the
rainbown colours for the interior. This plane became
the "Rainbow Warrior". B747-200 Combi 3B-NAS
became known as "Three Bananas" to the ground
staff...

deltadude8 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 12:57 pm

L1011= Tritanic
MD88=Mad Dog
If you want funny airline humor go to

http://www.thirtythousandfeet.com/humor.htm

fanofjets · Mon Dec 31, 2001 1:13 pm

It's me, again. While surfing, I found a few nicknames for *individual* aircraft:

Air Pacific Boeing 767-300ER
Nicknamed "milkbottle" after the airline replaced its rainbow livery with, er, white. Nice aircraft, though.

Click for large version

Photo © Craig Murray

Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412
One of two specially painted aircraft nicknamed "Fruit Salad"

Click for large version

Photo © Craig Murray

Saudi Arabian Boeing 747 SP-86
"Stumpy"

Click for large version

Photo © Charles Falk

Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134A
"Greenhouse"

Click for large version

[email protected] · Mon Dec 31, 2001 3:58 pm

The old 747s have been known as "rope starts."

Click for large version

Photo © Carlos Borda

The EMB-120 (Brasillia) has several: "Brazildo", "Brakillya", the "Lawn Dart."

Click for large version

RyDawg82 · Mon Dec 31, 2001 4:08 pm

BAE JetStream J31/32 = JetScream 31/32

Guest · Mon Dec 31, 2001 4:14 pm

I've heard Metroliners called "Death Tubes" and Southwest 737s called "Corndogs"

Herbman · Mon Dec 31, 2001 4:24 pm

LH's A319 LU

Regards

Sebastian

QFTJT · Mon Dec 31, 2001 8:49 pm

Metroliners= Vomit comet or the flying pencil

QFTJT

mick · Mon Dec 31, 2001 9:08 pm

They call the Shorts series

The flying Shed or my favourite:

Click for large version

EA CO AS · Tue Jan 01, 2002 1:26 am

America West had an older B-757-200 painted in the colors of the Arizona state flag. It was involved in multiple incidents where members of the ground crew were injured by a towbar flying to one side from a deflected tiller.

It became known as "The Ramper Stamper." Big grin

ThirtyEcho · Tue Jan 01, 2002 3:56 am

First Cessna Citation="Near Jet."

Guest · Tue Jan 01, 2002 4:02 am

I like Tritanic for the L1011 and Mad dog for the MD80 Big thumbs up

Those names are so cool.

I also like Fat Albert for 737 and Stumpy for the 747sp.

These names really fit.

Boeing Nut · Tue Jan 01, 2002 5:22 am

I've got a few:

747 - "whale", "aluminum overcast"

Citation - "slowtation"

V tailed Bonanza - "doctor killer"

ThirtyEcho · Tue Jan 01, 2002 5:42 am

V tailed Bonanza - "doctor killer"
Well, Boeing nut, the full designation is "forked-tail doctor killer."

Yorkie · Tue Jan 01, 2002 5:48 am

You won't believe this one. Within BA Concorde is affectionately known as The Rocket.

SSTjumbo · Tue Jan 01, 2002 5:54 am

I call the 777 "jackpot"

Who is online

Popular Searches On Airliners.net