![]() ![]() “We play around with words a lot and usually come up with a name that is either a shorter version of the pilot’s real name or a call sign that actually describes the person’s character,” adds Raffael. He says that he finds the call signs here in India of a more serious nature. Call signs are trademark names for us and it is also a friendly way of reaching out to your copilot,” says Raffael. “People call me anything but Klaschka, so the shorter version has been working well for me. Test pilot with Eurofighter Typhoon, Raffael Klaschka, says that he goes by the call sign of ‘Klacx’ because people are never able to pronounce his surname correctly. With these call signs, you feel like you belong somewhere,” explains Pichon Ismael. “We get serious when calling each other by our call signs only when we are flying but otherwise, under normal conditions, we pull each other’s leg using these call signs. Pichon Ismael, with the solo display team of the Rafale aircraft, says that he goes by the call sign of ‘Pich’. They enjoy being called by their call signs and look at it as a friendly gesture. Every flight pilot who is airborne is tracked by his or her call sign,” adds Muthana.Įven the foreign pilots have very quirky names as call signs. This flight plan will contain what aircraft, who the pilot is and what mission is on air and here too, call signs are given. ![]() “The most important thing when a single aircraft or a formation is airborne, is to have a flight plan in place. There’s a massive air traffic control system in this country, both civilian and military, so call signs hold a sanctity in this aspect as well. He adds, “Each squadron has a family of call signs that are allocated and care is taken to make sure that there is no conflict or repetition of these call sign anywhere in the Indian Air Force.” For instance, if it is Cobra, then their call signs will be Cobra 1, 2 3 and so on,” he says. Formation call signs are an operational squadron concept and the leader of the commanding squadron has a call sign that blends with the name of his entire team. “All test pilots have call signs starting with tester. Although believed by many to be a friendly way of addressing each other, Air Cmde Kallanda Appaya Muthana, who has served in the Indian Air Force is various capacities explains that there’s a larger intention behind the culture of call signs. The pilots wear these shorter names with much pride. This shorter name may not match with the original name but is actually the call sign by which the pilot is known throughout his or her career. Every pilot that one bumps into at the ongoing ‘Aero India 2017’ sports on his or her flying suit a shorter name, besides his or her original name.
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