WT Forums

When you write a tail number is the last digit of the year model the first number of the four digit last number like...

78-8996
79-9239
80-0666
81-1222
82-2676

to many beers I guess!!

Ugly but well hung!
http://www.warthogpen.com

Mine is written 80-000166 on the 781F cover page and on all my CAMS forms. So I am drawing a blank. But thats nothing new for me.

By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a pearage or Westminster Abbey........Nelson

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YGBSM !

the first two digits before the dash are the last 2 digits of it's manufacture date. i.e. 80-0164 is a 1980 bird.<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>

MeSo Honey

Dice,
If you are using the year model with the tail number you don't use the last number of year with it also.

A-10
76-0535
77-0181
78-0684

KC-135
62-3510
63-1419

Being responsible means sometimes pissing people off.
Gen Colin Powell ret

DB, first nice to see you back here posting and could you send me a snail mail addy I have an A-10 DVD I would like to mail to you.

What got me thinking was I'm marking all my door art with tail numbers and I had one sent to me with only 4 digits. I took the first digit to mean the last number of the year date and that started me thinking so I looked at my master listing and it shows the first two YA-10s and 6 pre-production aircraft with the last number of the year date as the first number of the tail number...

71-1664
71-1665
75-5665

Would this be something just for the non production aircraft? Also if I did just use a 4 digit number then would be be right to use the last number in the year?

Just one of thoes things you see all the time but something makes you go hmmm one day!

DB use this email addy...

phatom2@aol.com

Ugly but well hung!
http://www.warthogpen.com

Edited by - Dice on Nov 22 2003 06:02 AM

Dice,

if your using just four digits for a tail number (9170), the first number is the year it was produced. However, if your using a 6 digit number then the first two digits is the year (79-0170). That is unless it's an 81 model, from what I recall they include a 1 in the 6 digit number (81-1964)?

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You can run but why die tired.
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Faugh ah Ballaugh ~ Clear the Way

HAWG,SOMEONE ADDED 2 EXTRA "00'S" AT SOMETIME.

THE 781F ALWAYS,WHEN I SAW IT 80-0166 WAS WHAT WAS WRITTEN

YOU GOT IT RIGHT DICE WE HAD BOTH 223'S AND 176'S

80-0223,79-9223
80-0176,79-9176

PRESS TO TEST

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

HEY MESO,

YOU ALL HAVE 80-0164? IT WAS PARKED NEXT TO 80-0166 FOR OVER 8 YRS AND SERVED AS THE 23TFW COMMANDERS BIRD FOR A YEAR.
ONE OF THE 2 CREWDOGS "LAG" IS UP AT BATTLE CREEK. LAG HAD IT FOR THE LONGEST AND THEN R.B.

I EVEN GOT SOME PICTURES OF IT WHEN IT WAS WITH THE 23TFW/76AMU

PRESS TO TEST

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

Very Cool! e-mail me a couple at josh_honey@hotmail.com . We've got 0164, 0631, 0118, 0117, 0114, and 0123 as well.

MeSo Honey

OK MESO

PRESS TO TEST

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

Hey Dice....Ya I check the site out now and then.
I'm going to be back down to GUS the 1st two weeks in December.
I'll send you an email from my .mil address and give you my hard address.
I know the tail number thing has been discussed before, but a little back ground on the numbering of the tails in general terms.
Each fiscal year an appropriation is made to purchase aircraft for the Air Force, the tail numbers are assigned in order of the purchase. So for example, in 1980, there were X number of F-15s, A-10s, C-130's, etc that were appropriated. The tail numbers were sequential starting with the first airplane of the first buy and end with the last airplane of the last buy.
So what we get in 1980, are F-15's that started out with 80-0002 and end with 80-0139, A-10s that start with 80-0140 and end with 80-0283; A-7s 80-0284 to 80-0295; F-5s 80-0296 to 80-0319; C-130s 80-0320 to 80-0326.
That is why each model year starts out with different numbers. It also explains why in some years there is an over lap of numbers. This is not hard and fast by the way, but in general that is how they are numbered. Some numbers go against planes that weren't built or were dark program. In some cases in some years there were gaps in the numbers. In 1980 80-0001 was appropriated but not assigned.
BTW tail 73-1663 was a T-41

Cheers
db


Being responsible means sometimes pissing people off.
Gen Colin Powell ret

[quote]
Hey Dice....Ya I check the
Each fiscal year an appropriation is made to purchase aircraft for the Air Force, the tail numbers are assigned in order of the purchase. -------

To further confuse you, in the Navy we had Bureau numbers. It's up to 161,000 something now. Which does imply the Navy had 161,000 odd aircraft.

Least the Force gives you a hint of the year in the tail number. I flew em with numbers back to 148000 something maybe older and up to 160000 something in 84.

Concur different fiscal years assigned tail numbers in the Navy too.

Jack

Thanks for your help guys!

Ugly but well hung!
http://www.warthogpen.com