List of aviators by nickname
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This is a list of aviators by nickname.
A
[edit]- "Aggy" – Noel Agazarian, British, Battle of Britain ace
- "Assi" – Hans Hahn, German fighter pilot during World War II
B
[edit]- "Bake" – V. H. Baker, British pilot and aircraft designer[1]
- "The Balloon Buster" – Frank Luke, American World War I fighter ace
- "Bam" – C. S. Bamberger, British RAF World War II pilot
- "Barron" – John Worrall, British World War II RAF pilot
- "Beazle" – Hugh John Beazley, Battle of Britain pilot
- "Bee" – Roland Beamont, Battle of Britain pilot
- "Ben" – George Bennions, Battle of Britain ace
- "Big Joe" – Joe McCarthy, RAF Bomber Command pilot (617 Squadron) in the Second World War
- "Bing" – K. B. B. Cross, British World War II RAF pilot
- "Bird" – Herbert Carmichael Irwin, Irish commander of British airships including R101[2]
- "Black Swallow of Death" – Eugene Bullard, African-American World War I fighter pilot
- "The Black Devil"(Russ.), "Bubi"(Ger.) – Erich Hartmann, German fighter ace[3]
- "Blondie" – Arnold Walker, British World War II RAF pilot
- "Bo" – Elwyn King, Australian World War I fighter ace
- "Bobbi" – Evelyn Trout, American aviator
- "Bomber" – Arthur T. Harris, British commander of RAF Bomber Command during World War II[4]
- "Bomber George" – Harold L. George, USAAC precision bombing specialist (to distinguish him from "Fighter" George)
- "Boom" – Hugh Trenchard, British World War I Royal Flying Corps general and founder of the Royal Air Force (for his loud voice)[5]
- "Boy"
- Peter Mould, British Second World War fighter ace
- Geoffrey Wellum, British Second World War fighter pilot[6]
- "Bubi" (German, "young boy", "kid")
- Erich Hartmann, German fighter ace[3]
- Alfred Schreiber, German jet ace
- "Buck" – Robert McNair, Canadian fighter ace
- "Bud" – George E. Day, American POW
- "Bully" – Emil Lang, World War 2 Luftwaffe fighter ace
- "Bunny" – Christopher Currant, British RAF fighter ace in World War II
- "Butch"
- Arthur T. Harris, British commander of RAF Bomber Command during World War II (from "butcher"; affectionately given by his men)
- Edward O'Hare, American World War II fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient
- "Butcher" – Arthur T. Harris, British commander of RAF Bomber Command (Air Chief Marshal) during World War II (affectionately given by his men)[7]
- "Buzz"
- Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., American aviator and astronaut
- George Beurling, Canadian RAF fighter ace (a nickname he never acknowledged)
C
[edit]- "Cats Eyes" – John Cunningham, Battle of Britain pilot
- "Chappie" – Daniel James, Jr., American Air Force general[8]
- "Chuck" – Charles Elwood Yeager, World War II USAAF fighter ace and first pilot to break the sound barrier in level flight
- "Cobber" – Edgar J. Kain, Second World War RAF fighter ace
- "Cobra" – Ronald Stein, USAF fighter ace
- "Cocky" – Hugh Dundas, British Second World War RAF fighter ace[9]
- "Cowboy" – Howard Peter Blatchford, Battle of Britain pilot
- "Crow" – Denis Crowley-Milling, Battle of Britain pilot
- "Cloudy" – Werner Christie, Norwegian fighter ace
D
[edit]- "Demon of Rabaul" – Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service fighter ace
- "Dizzy" – H. R. Allen, RAF fighter ace and author[10]
- "Dogs" – John Dundas, RAF Battle of Britain fighter ace[11]
- "Dogsbody" – Douglas Bader, RAF fighter ace (radio callsign while Wing Commander of Tangmere)
- "Dolfo" – Adolf Galland, German fighter ace
- "Dookie" – Jenna Dolan, first woman to fly the AV-8B Harrier II in combat[12]
- "Dutch" – Petrus Hugo, South African WW2 pilot
E
[edit]- "The Eagle of Crimea" – Pavel V. Argeyev, Russian World War I flying ace
F
[edit]- "Fighter George" – Harold George, USAAC fighter ace (to distinguish him from "Bomber" George)
- "Fighter of Libau" – Erich Rudorffer, World War II German ace
- "Fish" – Herman Salmon, American test pilot[13]
- "Flotte Lotte" – Charlotte Möhring, German female pilot[14]
- "Flying Knight of the Northland" – Clennell H. Dickins, Canadian pioneer bush pilot
G
[edit]- "Gabby" – Francis Gabreski, American Army Air Force fighter ace
- "Ginger" – James Lacey, British fighter ace
- "Grumpy" - George Unwin, British fighter ace, Battle of Britain
H
[edit]- "Hamish" – T. G. Mahaddie, Bomber Command pilot, Pathfinder Force
- "Hap" – Henry H. Arnold, American Army Air Forces commanding general
- "Hasse" – Hans Wind, Finnish fighter ace
- "Hilly" – Mark Henry Brown, Battle of Britain pilot
- "Hipshot" – Danny Hamilton, US Air Force Reserve
- "Hoagy" – Peter Carmichael, British fighter pilot
- "Hooter" – Steve Rainey, American test pilot[15]
- "Hoppy" – Colin Hodgkinson, British fighter pilot
- "Huss" – F. Hussain, IMA, Col, US Air Force Reserve
I
[edit]- "Igo" – Ignaz Etrich, Austrian aviator and aircraft builder
- "Illu" – Ilmari Juutilainen, top Finnish World War II fighter ace
J
[edit]- "Jack" – John Frost, South African Air Force pilot
- "Jake" – Leon Swirbul, co-founder of Grumman Aircraft
- "JB" – James Brown, American test pilot[16]
- "Jimmy" – John S. Thach, American Navy fighter ace[17]
- "Johnnie" – James E. Johnson, British RAF fighter ace[5]
- "Johnny" – George L. Johnson, British WW2 RAF bomber navigator
K
[edit]- "Kaos" – Art Nalls, American test pilot and air show pilot[18]
- "Killer" – Clive Caldwell, Australian RAAF flying ace
- "Kinch" – Iven Kincheloe, American test pilot
L
[edit]- "Little Dragon" – Muhammad Mahmood Alam, Pakistani fighter ace
- "Lock" – Ormer Locklear, American stunt pilot
- "Lightning" – Joe Little, African American WW2 pilot (member of the Tuskegee Airmen)
- "Lucky Breeze" – George Scott, British Royal Naval Air Service pilot and airship pilot
M
[edit]- "The Mad Major" – Christopher Draper, British World War I fighter ace
- "Mick" – Edward Mannock, British World War I fighter ace
- "Mouse" – Gordon Cleaver, Battle of Britain pilot
- "Mutt" – Joseph Summers, British test pilot
- "Miketop" – Mike Tendino, test pilot
- "Mover" – C.W. Lemoine, American author, former military aviator, and YouTuber
O
[edit]- "One Armed Mac" – James MacLachlan, a British World War 2 ace who flew with a prosthetic arm
P
[edit]- "Paddy"
- Hubert Adair, Battle of Britain pilot
- Brendan Finucane, Irish World War II RAF fighter ace
- W. H. Harbison, British RAF officer[19]
- "Pancho" – Florence L. Lowe, American pioneer aviator
- "Pappy"
- Greg Boyington, American World War II U.S. Marine Corps fighter ace[20]
- Paul Gunn, American World War II Army Air Force bomber pilot
- "Pete"
- Frank K. Everest, Jr., American test pilot
- Marc Mitscher, American World War II carrier admiral
- Elwood R. Queseda, American fighter ace
- "Petit Rouge" (French: Little Red) – Manfred von Richthofen, German fighter ace
- "Pick" - Percy Charles Pickard, well known in England during the Second World War, KIA during the Amiens prison raid
- "Pritzl" – Heinz Bär, German fighter ace, because of his affection for Pritzl candy bars.
- "Punch" – Clennell H. Dickins, Canadian pioneer bush pilot
R
[edit]- "Ratsy" – George Preddy, P-51 Mustang ace
- "Red" – Eugene Tobin, American who flew with the RAF during the Battle of Britain
- "The Red Baron" (German, der Rote Baron) – Manfred von Richthofen, German fighter ace
- "The Red Battle-flyer" (German: der rote Kampfflieger) – Manfred von Richthofen, German fighter ace
- "The Red Knight" – Manfred von Richthofen, German fighter ace
- "Reeste" – Heinz Bär, German fighter ace
- “Raspy” - ‘’’Jack Gilardi’’’, Iceland fighter ace Battle of Queef
S
[edit]- "Sailor" – Adolph Malan, South African RAF fighter ace[21]
- "Sandy" – Brian Lane, RAF Battle of Britain pilot, Squadron Leader and fighter ace
- "Sexy Rexy" – Ola Mildred Rexroat, Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) aviator[22]
- "Shorty" – Vernon Keogh, American who flew with the RAF during the Battle of Britain (named for diminutive height)[23]
- "The Silver Fox" – Robert L. Stephens, record-setting American test pilot[24]
- "Skip" – Jean Ziegler, American test pilot on Bell X-1 program
- "Slew" – John S. McCain, Sr., American naval aviator and chief of Bureau of Aeronautics
- "Snort" – Dale Snodgrass, American naval aviator, demonstration pilot, and commander of Fighter Wing, U.S. Atlantic Fleet
- "Snow Eagle" – Clennell H. Dickins, Canadian pioneer bush pilot
- "Spig" – Frank W. Wead, U.S. Navy aviator and screenwriter
- "Spuds" – Theodore Ellyson, pioneer U.S. Navy aviator
- "Stan" – Roderic Dallas, top Australian fighter ace of World War I
- "Stapme" – Gerald Stapleton, British Battle of Britain fighter ace
- "Strafer" – Geoffrey Warnes, No. 263 Squadron RAF
- "Stuffy" – Hugh Dowding, British commander of RAF Fighter Command from before the war into the Battle of Britain[21]
- "Sawn Off Locky" – Eric Lock, Battle of Britain pilot
T
[edit]- "Taffy" – Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Fighter Command Group commander during the Battle of Britain
- "Tex" – David L. Hill, American fighter pilot
- "Tim" – John Elkington, Battle of Britain pilot
- "Timbertoes" – Sydney Carlin, Battle of Britain gunner who lost a leg in World War I
- "Titch" – George Palliser, Battle of Britain pilot
U
[edit]- "Uncle Wiggly Wings" – Gail S. Halvorsen, American Air Force officer[25]
W
[edit]- "Wop" – Wilfrid R. May, Canadian pioneer bush pilot
- "Whitey" – Edward L. Feightner, American fighter ace and Blue Angels solo[26]
- "White Eagle" – Clennell H. Dickins, Canadian pioneer bush pilot
- "Willie" – Hugh Wilson, RAF aviator
- "Winkle" – Eric Brown, British naval aviator and test pilot
- "Wrong Way" – Douglas Corrigan, American aviator (from having to lie to Civil Aeronautics Board to fly the Atlantic)
Z
[edit]- "Zulu"
- Albert Lewis, Battle of Britain pilot
- George Lloyd World War I pilot
See also
[edit]- Nickname
- Lists of nicknames – nickname list articles on Wikipedia
References
[edit]- ^ Valentine Henry Baker funeral brochure. Martin-Baker Co. 1942.
- ^ Long, Patrick (2009), "Irwin, Herbert Carmichael", in McGuire, James; Quinn, James (eds.), Dictionary of Irish Biography, vol. 4, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 921–922
- ^ a b Erich Hartmann
- ^ Saward, Dudley (1984). "Bomber" Harris : the story of Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir Arthur Harris, Bt, GCB, OBE, AFC, LLD, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Bomber Command, 1942-1945. London: Buchan & Enright. OCLC 11082290.
- ^ a b Johnson, Johnny E. (1964). Full Circle: The Story of Air Fighting. London: Chatto and Windus. OCLC 2486377.
- ^ Wellum, Geoffrey (2002). First Light. New York: Viking Books. ISBN 0-670-91248-4.
- ^ Hastings, Max (1979). Bomber Command. New York: Dial Press/James Wade. OCLC 5170758.
- ^ "National Museum of the USAF - Photos". Archived from the original on 2010-09-05. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
- ^ The Most Dangerous Enemy, p.362.
- ^ Allen, Hubert Raymond "Dizzy" (1974). Who Won the Battle of Britain?. London: Barker. ISBN 978-0-213-16489-8. OCLC 1092232.
- ^ Kershaw, Alex (2008). The Few: July-October 1940. Penguin. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-14-101850-8.
- ^ Kellner, Tomas (November 13, 2012). "What We Need To Win: GE Hires 1,000 Vets In 2012, Hits Its Goal". GE Reports. Fairfield, Connecticut: General Electric. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ Caidin, Martin. Thunderbirds.[page needed]; Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame (retrieved 29 January 2019)
- ^ Gernoth, Jo (15 October 2015). "Die flotte Lotte". derwesten.de (in German). Funke Mediengruppe. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ Reynolds, Linda KC (February 6, 2015). "Lockheed Martin pilot hits 1,000 hours in Raptor". Aerotech News and Review. 28 (44). Lancaster, California: Aerotech News and Review, Inc.: 1. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- ^ *Reynolds, Linda KC (April 13, 2012). "Lockheed chief test pilot hits 1,000 hours in Raptor" (PDF). Aerotech News and Review. 28 (11). Lancaster, California: Aerotech News and Review, Inc.: 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
- ^ Wikipedia, John Thach
- ^ Johnson, Jenna (January 2, 2008). "Flying Back in Time, In His Own Warplane". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ Copp, Tara (May 25, 2015). "Inside old log book, memories of heroism". The Washington Examiner. Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ Boyington, Gregory (1958). Baa baa, black sheep. New York: Putnam. OCLC 2124961.
- ^ a b Deighton, Len (1977). Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain. London: Cape. ISBN 978-0-224-01422-9. OCLC 3388095.
- ^ staff, Nick Penzenstadler Journal (11 November 2010). "Last surviving South Dakota WASP, 'Sexy Rexy,' recalls World War II service". rapidcityjournal.com.
- ^ "Battle of Britain London Monument – P/O V C KEOUGH". Bbm.org.uk. 1941-02-15. Archived from the original on 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ^ Williams, Phillip (August 21, 1999). "Airport renamed for "Fox" Stephens". The Gilmer Mirror. Vol. 122, no. 67. Gilmer, Texas. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- ^ "National Museum of the USAF - Photos". www.nationalmuseum.af.mil. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ Veronico, Nicholas A. (2005). The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History: Sixty Years of Aerial Excellence (Illustrated ed.). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Imprint. p. 46. ISBN 0-7603-2216-3.