A
A general aviation aircraft in
the United States with its
FAA civilian registration
number (N98710), which
also doubles as its call sign,
displayed on the fuselage.
However, since this is a Civil Air Patrol
aircraft, it will generally be identified by
CAPxxxx, based on the state from which it
hails.
GENERAL AVIATION aircraft
Aviation call signs are communication call signs assigned as unique identifiers to aircraft.
Call signs in aviation are derived from several different policies, depending upon the type of
flight operation and whether or not the caller is in an aircraft or at a ground facility.
In most countries, unscheduled general aviation flights identify themselves using the call sign
corresponding to the aircraft's registration number (also called N-number in the U.S., or tail
number). In this case, the call sign is spoken using the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet.
Aircraft registration numbers internationally follow the pattern of a country prefix, followed by
a unique identifier made up of letters and numbers. For example, an aircraft registered as
N978CP conducting a general aviation flight would use the call sign November-niner-seven-
eight-Charlie-Papa.
However, in the United States a pilot of an aircraft would normally omit saying November,
and instead use the name of the aircraft manufacturer or the specific model. At times, general
aviation pilots might omit additional preceding numbers and use only the last three numbers
and letters. This is especially true at uncontrolled fields (those without control towers) when
reporting traffic pattern posit ions, or at towered airports after establishing two-way
communication with the tower controller. For example, Skyhawk eight-Charlie-Papa, left
base .
A - Z of Flight
June 2017
www.alliance-airways.net
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