List of aviators by nickname

This is a list of aviators by nickname.

A

"Aggy" – Noel Agazarian, British, Battle of Britain ace
"Assi" – Hans Hahn, German fighter pilot during World War II

B

"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

"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

"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

"The Eagle of Crimea" – Pavel V. Argeyev, Russian World War I flying ace

F

"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

"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

"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

"Igo" – Ignaz Etrich, Austrian aviator and aircraft builder
"Illu" – Ilmari Juutilainen, top Finnish World War II fighter ace

J

"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

"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

"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

"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

"One Armed Mac" – James MacLachlan, a British World War 2 ace who flew with a prosthetic arm

P

"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

"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

"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

"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

"Uncle Wiggly Wings" – Gail S. Halvorsen, American Air Force officer^[25]

W

"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

"Zulu"
- Albert Lewis, Battle of Britain pilot
- George Lloyd World War I pilot

References

^ 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.

[funeral-1] Valentine Henry Baker funeral brochure. Martin-Baker Co. 1942.

[dib-2] 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

[Erich_Hartmann-3] Erich Hartmann

[4] 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.

[Johnson-5] Johnson, Johnny E. (1964). Full Circle: The Story of Air Fighting. London: Chatto and Windus. OCLC 2486377.

[Wellum-6] Wellum, Geoffrey (2002). First Light. New York: Viking Books. ISBN 0-670-91248-4.

[7] Hastings, Max (1979). Bomber Command. New York: Dial Press/James Wade. OCLC 5170758.

[8] "National Museum of the USAF - Photos". Archived from the original on 2010-09-05. Retrieved 2008-01-23.

[9] The Most Dangerous Enemy, p.362.

[10] Allen, Hubert Raymond "Dizzy" (1974). Who Won the Battle of Britain?. London: Barker. ISBN 978-0-213-16489-8. OCLC 1092232.

[11] Kershaw, Alex (2008). The Few: July-October 1940. Penguin. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-14-101850-8.

[12] 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.

[13] Caidin, Martin. Thunderbirds.^{[page needed]}; Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame (retrieved 29 January 2019)

[14] 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.

[15] 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.

[16] *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.

[17] Wikipedia, John Thach

[18] Johnson, Jenna (January 2, 2008). "Flying Back in Time, In His Own Warplane". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 22, 2018.

[19] Copp, Tara (May 25, 2015). "Inside old log book, memories of heroism". The Washington Examiner. Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 21, 2020.

[20] Boyington, Gregory (1958). Baa baa, black sheep. New York: Putnam. OCLC 2124961.

[Deighton-21] Deighton, Len (1977). Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain. London: Cape. ISBN 978-0-224-01422-9. OCLC 3388095.

[22] staff, Nick Penzenstadler Journal (11 November 2010). "Last surviving South Dakota WASP, 'Sexy Rexy,' recalls World War II service". rapidcityjournal.com.

[23] "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.

[24] Williams, Phillip (August 21, 1999). "Airport renamed for "Fox" Stephens". The Gilmer Mirror. Vol. 122, no. 67. Gilmer, Texas. Retrieved April 21, 2018.

[25] "National Museum of the USAF - Photos". www.nationalmuseum.af.mil. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2022.

[26] 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.

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A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

O

P

R

S

T

U

W

Z

See also

References