What they really called them

Compiled by Jeffery P. Rhodes, Aeronautics Editor, Air Force Magazine

Originally published in Air Force Magazine, September, 1990

Edits and additions by Robert Coats, October 1991

Please send any corrections, additions, or comments to Robert Coats, 76256, 504

Aircraft
(Year of First Flight)
Official Nicknames Real Nicknames(s)
US Air Force/Army
Curtiss JN-4 (1914) None
  • Jenny
  • Canuck (Canadian-built version
Boeing P-26 (1932) None
  • Peashooter
Douglas C-47 (1935) Skytrain
  • GooneyBird
  • Placid Plodder
  • Dowager Duchess
  • Old Methuselah
  • Grand Old Lady (names also applied to DC-3, C-053, and C-117)
North American AT-6 (1938) Texan
  • Awful Terrible Six
  • Mosquito (Korean War)
North American B-25 (1939) Mitchell
  • Billy's Bomber
Beech C-45 (1940) Expeditor
  • Bug Smasher
Martin B-26 (1940) Marauder
  • Widow-Maker
  • Flying Prostitute (it had no visible means of support)
  • Baltimore Whore
Vultee BT-13 (1940) Valiant
  • Vibrator
  • Bee Tee
North American P-51 (1941) Mustang
  • Stang
  • Peter-Dash-Flash
  • Spam Can
Republic P-47 (1941) Thunderbolt
  • Jug
  • T-Bolt
Ryan PT-22 (1941) Recruit
  • Maytag Messerschmitt (Also a generic reference to L-series [Liaison] aircraft)
Cessna UC-78 (1942) Bobcat
  • BambooBomber
  • Rhapsody in Glue
  • San Joaquin Beaufighter
  • Useless 78
  • Double-Breasted Cub
Douglas A-26 (1942) Invader
  • Li'l Racer
  • Li'l Hummer
Sikorsky R-4 (1942) Hoverfly
  • Flying Eggbeater
  • Frustrated Palm Tree
Consolidated C-109 (1943) Liberator
  • Cee-One-Oh-Boom (several of these cargo B-24s exploded while ferrying fuel over the Hump to China)
Curtiss XP-55 (1943) Ascender
  • Ass-Ender (its canards and rear-mounted engine made it appear to be flying backward)
Fairchild C-87 (1944) Packet
  • Crowd Killer
Douglas A-1 (1945) Skyraider
  • Spad
  • Sandy (A-1H only)
Convair B-36 (1946) Peacemaker
  • Aluminum Overcast
  • Magnesium Overcast
Republic F-84 (1946) Thunderjet
  • Hog
  • Lead Sled
  • Lieutenant-Eater
Fairchild C-119 (1947) Flying Boxcar
  • DollarNineteen
  • Crowd Killer
Lockheed T-33 (1948) Shooting Star
  • T-Bird
Northrop F-89 (1948) Scorpion
  • FOD Vacuum (because of its low intakes)
  • Stanley Steamer (because of its oversized main landing gear)
Douglas C-124 (1949) Globemaster II
  • Aluminum Overcast
  • Old Shaky
North American F-86D (1949) Sabre
  • Sabre Dog
Lockheed C-121 (1950) Constellation
  • Connie
  • Flying Speed Brake
Republic F-84F (1950) Thunderstreak
  • Super Hog
  • Lead Sled
  • Ground-Loving Whore
Boeing B-52 (1952) Stratofortress
  • BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fucker)
  • Monkeyknocker (Vietnam)
  • Coconutknocker (Vietnam)
Vertol CH-21 (1952) Workhorse
  • Flying Banana
Convair F-102 (1953) Delta Dagger
  • Deuce
Martin B-57 (1953) Canberra
  • Cranberry
North American F-100 (1953) Super Sabre
  • Hun
  • Silver Dollar
Cessna T-37 (1954) Tweet
  • World's Largest Dog Whistle
  • Converter (converts fuel into noise)
  • Hummer
  • Tweety Bird
Lockheed C-130 (1954) Hercules
  • Herky Bird
  • Herk
  • Hog (ski-equipped LC-130s are Ski-Hogs
Lockheed F-104 (1954) Starfighter
  • Missile with a Man in it
McDonnell F-101 (1954) Voodoo
  • One-Oh-Wonder
Convair TF-102 (1955) Delta Dagger
  • Tub (from bulged cockpit)
Lockheed U-2 (1955) None
  • Dragon Lady
  • Deuce
  • Blackbird
  • Angel
Republic F-105 (1955) Thunderchief
  • Thud
  • Lead Sled
  • Thunderbird
  • Squash Bomber (if all else fails, turn off the engine and squash the target)
  • Triple Threat (it had three ways it could kill the pilot)
  • Ultra Hog
  • Iron Butterfly
Bell UH-1 (1956) Iroquois
  • Huey (some versions were called "Slick" or "Hog"x
Boeing KC-135 (1956) Stratotanker
  • Stratobladder
  • Flying Gas Station
  • Tank
  • GLOB (Ground- Loving Old Bastard)
Convair B-58 (1956) Hustler
  • Delta Queen
Convair F-106 (1956) Delta Dart
  • Six
  • Sixshooter (with gun pod attached)
Cessna U-3 (1957) None
  • Blue Canoe
Kaman HH-43 (1958) Huskie
  • Flying Shithouse
McDonnell Douglas F-4 (1958) Phantom II
  • Double Ugly
  • Rhino
  • Old Smokey
Northrop T-38 (1958) Talon
  • White Rocket
Boeing CH-47 (1961) Chinook
  • Shithook
  • Hook
Hughes OH-6 (1963) Cayuse
  • Loach (from original LOH [Light Observation Helicopter] designation
  • Egg
  • Olive on a toothpick
Lockheed C-141 (1963) Starlifter
  • Starlizard (from its camouflage paint scheme)
  • T-Tailed Mountain Magnet
Cessna T-41 (1964) (military 172 Skyhawk) Mescalero
  • Chickenhawk
  • F-172
Douglas AC-47 (1964) Skytrain
  • Puff the Magic Dragon
  • Spooky
  • Dragon (and Dragonship)
General Dynamics F-111 (1964) None
  • Aardvark
  • Flying Edsel
  • Widow-Maker
  • Switchblade
  • Swinger
Lockheed SR-71 (1964) None
  • Blackbird
  • Habu (an Okinawan species of snake)
  • Lead Sled
Sikorski CH-54 (1964) Tarhe
  • Skycrane
  • Cranex
Bell AH-1 (1965) Huey Cobra
  • Snake
LTV A-7 (1965) Corsair II
  • SLUF (Short Little Ugly Fucker)
  • Man-Eater (low engine intake)
Northrop M2-F2-F3 (1966/1970) None
  • Flying Bathtub
  • Cadillac (from its 1950s-style tail fins)
Cessna O-2 (1967) None
  • Duck (from the way its landing gear retracted)
  • Blow-Suck (from its powerplant arrangement)
  • Pushme-Pullyu
Lockheed C-5 (1968) Galaxy
  • Fat Albert
Martin-Marietta X-24A (1970) None
  • Flying Potato
Fairchild A-10 (1972) Thunderbolt II
  • Warthog
  • SLAT (Slow, Low, Aerial Target)
  • Porker
  • Hog
McDonnell Douglas F-15 (1972) Eagle
  • Great Bird Rodan
  • Big Bird
  • Tennis Court (a match could be played on its fuselage and wings)
  • Aluminum Overcast
Boeing T-43 (1973) None
  • Gator (from Navigator)
  • Strike Pig
Martin Marietta X-24B (1973) None
  • Flying Flatiron
General Dynamics F-16 (1974) Fighting Falcon
  • Electric Jet
  • Viper
  • Lawn Dart
  • Little Hummerx
Rockwell B-1 (1974) Lancer
  • Bone (from B-one)
  • Lawn Dart
  • The Jetx
Sikorsky UH-60 (1974) Black Hawk
  • Catfish
Grumman EF-111 (1977) Raven
  • Sparkvark
  • Electric Fox
Lockheed F-117 (1981) None
  • The Black Jet
  • Nighthawk
  • Frisbee
  • F-19
  • (Note: "Wobbly Goblin" is purely a media creation)
Grumman X-29 (1984) None
  • Polecat
Generic References
All rescue aircraft (SB-17, SB-29, SA-16, etc.) Various
  • Dumbo
All cargo aircraft Various
  • Trashhauler
  • Trashcarrier
US Navy/Marine Corps
Grumman FF-1 (1931) None
  • FiFi
Stearman N2S (PT-17) (1934) Kaydet
  • YellowPeril
Consolidated PBY (1935) Catalina
  • Pigboat
  • P-Boat
  • Black Cat (those aircraft involved in a specific, continuing, night mission only)
Naval Aircraft Factory N3N (1935) None
  • YellowPeril
Vought SB2U (1936) Vindicator
  • Wind Indicator
  • Vibrator
Douglas SBD (A-24) (1936) Dauntless
  • Slow But Deadly
North American SNJ (AT-6) (1936) Texan
  • J-Bird
Beech SNB (AT-11) (1940) Kansan
  • Slow Navy Bomber
Vought F4U (1940) Corsair
  • Bent-Wing Bird
Grumman TBF/General Motors TBM (1941) Avenger
  • Turkey
McDonnell F2H (1947) Banshee
  • Banjo
  • Drut
Beech T-34 (1948) Mentor
  • Radial Interceptor
Douglas F3D (F-10) (1948) Skyknight
  • Whale
North American AJ-1 (1948) Savage
  • Salvage
Vought F7U (1948) Cutlass
  • Gutless Cutlass
Douglas F4D (F-6) (1951) Skyray
  • Ford (from pronunciation of F-4-D)
Douglas A3D (A-3) (1952) Skywarrior
  • All Three Dead (No ejection seats)x
Grumman S2F (S-2) (1952) Tracker
  • Stoof (from pronunciation of S-2-F)
Lockheed WV-2 (EC-121) (1953) Warning Star
  • Willie Victor
Douglas A-4 (1954) Skyhawk
  • Scooter
  • Heinemann's Hot Rod
  • Tinker Toy
  • Bantam Bomber
  • Mighty Mite
  • Skyhog
Vought F-8 (1955) Crusader
  • MiG Master
Grumman WF-1 (E-1) (1956) Tracer
  • Willie Fudd
  • Stoof with a Roof (because of the large radome)x
Douglas EA-3 (1958) Skywarrior
  • Electric Whale
North American T-2 (1958) Buckeye
  • Attack Guppy
  • North American Safety Jet
Lockheed P-3 (1960) Orion
  • Crowd Killer
  • Sub Buster
  • Per-Diem Machine (when broken down and crews stay the night)
Douglas ERA-3 (1960) Skywarrior
  • Warbird
Grumman E-2 (1960) Hawkeye
  • Hummer
Grumman EA-6 (1963) Intruder/Prowler
  • Sterile Arrow
McDonnell\ Douglas/British Aerospace AV-8 (1966) Harrier
  • Jump Jet
  • Whistling Shitcan
  • Scarier
Grumman F-14 (1970) Tomcat
  • Turkey
Lockheed S-3 (1971) Viking
  • Hoover (from sound of its turbofan engines)x
Sikorsky CH-53E (1974) Super Stallion
  • Super Shitter (from its tendency to leak hydraulic fluid)x
Foreign
Bristol Fighter (1916)x None
  • Brisfit
  • Biff
Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 (1916) None
  • Harry Tate
de Havilland DH-4 (1917) None
  • Flaming Coffin (from alleged tendency to burn)x
Junkers Ju-52 (1930) None
  • Tante Ju (Auntie Junkers)
  • Iron Annie
Dornier Do-11 (1932)x None
  • Fliegender Sarg (Flying Coffin)
Heinkel He-51 (1933) None
  • Caza de Cadena (Chain Fighter, from the Nationalists' follow-the-leader strafing tactics in the Spanish Civil War)x
Supermarine Walrus (1933) None
  • Shagbat
Fairey Swordfish (1934) None
  • Stringbag
Avro Anson (1935) None
  • Faithful Annie
Dornier Do-17 (1935) None
  • Fliegender Bleistift (Flying Pencil)
Hawker Hurricane IIB (1935) None
  • Hurribomber
  • Hurricat (these were catapulted from merchant ships)

Messerschmitt Bf-109 (1935) None
  • Usually called by series name (e.g., Bf-109E was Emil), but Bf-109G (Gustav) also called Beule (Boil) for additional equipment crammed in and faired over
Fairey Battle (1936) None
  • Fairly Rattle
Hadley Page Hampden (1936) None
  • Flying Frying Pan
Vickers Wellington (1936) None
  • Wimpy
Westland Lysander (1936) None
  • Lizzie
Blohm & Voss BV-138 (1937) None
  • FliegenderHolzschuh (Flying Wooden Shoe)
Focke-Wulf FW-189 (1938) Uhu (Owl)
  • Fliegendes Auge (Flying Eye)
Fairey Albacore (1939) None
  • Applecore
Heinkel He-177 Greif (Griffon)
  • Luftwaffenfeuerzeug (Luftwaffe's Lighter)
Mitsubishi G4M (1939) None (Allied code name "Betty")
  • Hamaki (Cigar)
deHavilland Mosquito (1940) None
  • WoodenWonder
  • Mossie
Hawker Typhoon (1940) None
  • Tiffie
Fiesler Fi-103 (V-1) (1942) None
  • Kirschkern (Cherry Stone)
Messerschmitt Me-262 (1942) Schwalbe (Swallow)
Sturmvogel (Storm Bird)
  • Turbo
Messerschmitt Me-323 (1942) Gigant (Giant)
  • Leukoplastbomber (Adhesive Tape Bomber--it was mostly canvas)
Dornier Do-335 (1943) Pfeil (Arrow)
  • Ameisenbaer (Anteater--it had a long nose)
Gloster Meteor (1943) None
  • Meatbox
Focke-Wulf FW190D (1944) None
  • Dora
  • Ameisenbaer (Anteater)
Avro Shackleton (1949) None
  • 100,000 Rivets Flying in Loose Formation