Airshow Aircraft Listed By Unofficial Names
| aircraft listed by airshow | airshow computer wallpaper |
| aircraft listed by type | airshow photography tips |
aircraft
listed by manufacturer |
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
| Able Dog | reference to its original "AD" (Attack aircraft, Douglas) designation | see A-1 Skyraider |
| ace maker | reference to its success in battle | see F6F Hellcat |
| azure lightning | see Su-27 "Flanker" | |
| balalaika | resemblance to the musical instrument when viewed from above | see MiG-21 "Fishbed" |
| bamboo bomber | see UC-78 Bobcat | |
| Barney | see C-17 Globemaster III | |
| Beagle | Bomber Eagle | see F-15E Strike Eagle |
| beak | reference to its sharp nose | see B-2 Spirit "stealth bomber" |
| The Beast | see SB2C Helldiver | |
| bent wing bird | reference to its gull-wing design | see F4U Corsair |
| Bison | NATO reporting name | see M-4 Molot |
| Bone | lengthened form of "B-1" ("B-one") | see B-1 Lancer |
| Boxkite | see UC-78 Bobcat | |
| Brasshat | see UC-78 Bobcat | |
| Britchik | Russian for "little shaver" | see P-39 Airacobra |
| BUFF | Big Ugly Fat Fucker | see B-52 Stratofortress |
| Caribou | see P-39 Airacobra | |
| Cessna suck-blow | reference to the pusher and puller engine arrangement | see O-2 Skymaster |
| Charger | NATO reporting name | see Tu-144 |
| Colt | NATO reporting name | see An 2 "Colt" |
| Concordski | reference to its similarity to Concorde | see Tu-144 |
| Connie | short form of "Constellation" | see C-121 Constellation |
| crane | see Su-27 "Flanker" | |
| crocodile | see Mi-24 "Hind" | |
| Crusty | NATO reporting name | see Tu-134 |
| Daffy | "stupid", as in Daffy Duck, a reference to its strange design | see Boulton-Paul Defiant |
| Devil's chariot | supposed mujahadeen name | see Mi-24 "Hind" |
| die
eierlegende Wollmilchsau |
German for "egg-laying wool milk pig" | see Tornado |
| Doppel Blitz | see He 111 | |
| Double Blitz | see He 111 | |
| Double-Breasted Cub | see UC-78 Bobcat | |
| double ugly | see F-4 Phantom II | |
| Dragon Lady | see U-2 | |
| the duck | see O-2 Skymaster | |
| Eisensau | German for "iron pig" | see F-4 Phantom II |
| electric jet | reference to its "fly by wire" operation | see F-16 Fighting Falcon |
| Fagot | NATO reporting name | see Mig-15 "Fagot" |
| Firebox | see Fairey Firefly | |
| Fishbed | NATO reporting name | see MiG-21 "Fishbed" |
| Flanker | NATO reporting name | see Su-27 "Flanker" and Su-30 "Flanker" |
| Fliegende
Ziegelstein |
German for "flying brick" | see F-4 Phantom II |
| flying banana | reference to its shape | see H-21 Shawnee |
| flying barrel | reference to its shape | see F3F |
| flying coffin | reference to the number of Luftwaffe crashes | see F-104 Starfighter |
| flying porcupine | reference to the amount of defensive weaponry | see Short Sunderland |
| flying tank | see Mi-24 "Hind" | |
| flying tennis court | reference to the size of the wings | see F-15 Eagle |
| Fred | see C-5 Galaxy | |
| Fred | NATO reporting name | see P-63 Kingcobra |
| Fresco | NATO reporting name | see MiG-17 "Fresco" |
| Frog | see CH-46 Sea Knight | |
| Frogfoot | NATO reporting name | see Su-25 "Frogfoot" |
| Fulcrum | NATO reporting name | see MiG-29 "Fulcrum" and MiG-30 "Fulcrum" |
| gooney bird | see C-47 Skytrain | |
| gorbatov | Russian for "hunchback" | see MiG-29 "Fulcrum" |
| gratch | Russian for "rook" | see Su-25 "Frogfoot" |
| Gustav | long form of the "G" in the "Bf109G" designation | see Bf109G |
| Halibag | see Handley-Page Halifax | |
| Halo | NATO reporting name | see Mi-26 "Halo" |
| Heinemann's hot rod | reference to the designer, Ed Heinemann | see A-4 Skyhawk |
| Hind | NATO reporting name | see Mi-24 "Hind" |
| Hip | NATO reporting name | see Mi-8 "Hip" |
| Hokum | NATO reporting name | see Ka-50 "Hokum" |
| hopeless diamond | a play on "Hope diamond" because of its unairworthy-looking shape | see F-117 Nighthawk |
| Huey | derived from its original "Hu-1" designation | see UH-1 Iroquois |
| hummer | see E-2 Hawkeye | |
| Hun | short for "hundred", a reference to its designation | see F-100 Super Sabre |
| Hunchback | Russian nickname | see MiG-29 "Fulcrum" |
| Ishak | Russian for "little donkey" | see Polikarpov I-16 |
| Jug | short for "juggernaut", perhaps | see P-47 Thunderbolt |
| Krokodil | Russian for "crocodile" | see Mi-24 "Hind" |
| lawn dart | reference to the number of crashes | see F-16 Fighting Falcon |
| lead sled | see F-4 Phantom II | |
| Lightning II | see F-22 Raptor | |
| Little Bird | see OH-6 Cayuse | |
| Lizzie | see Lysander | |
| Loach | see OH-6 Cayuse | |
| Luftverteidigungsdiesel |
German
for "air defense diesel" |
see F-4 Phantom II |
| Matador | Spanish operational name | see Harrier |
| Maya | NATO reporting name | see L-29 Delfin |
| Maytag Messerschmitt | see PT-22 Recruit | |
| Mermaid | NATO reporting name | see Beriev A-42 Albatross |
| Mitten | NATO reporting name | see Yak-130 |
| mixmaster | see O-2 Skymaster | |
| Moose | see C-17 Globemaster III | |
| Mosca | Spanish for "little fly" | see Polikarpov I-16 |
| Oscar | American reporting name | see Ki-43 Hayabusa |
| Oscar Deuce | long form of the "O-2" designation | see O-2 Skymaster |
| Puff
the Magic Dragon |
see AC-47 'Spooky' gunship | |
| Peashooter | see P-26 Peashooter | |
| Pedro | Spanish civil war | see He 111 |
| pencil | Polish air force nickname, because of the shape of the fuselage | see MiG-21 "Fishbed" |
| pig | Australian nickname for their F-111Cs | see F-111 Aardvark and Short Sunderland |
| the pilot maker | see AT-6 Texan | |
| push-pull | reference to the pusher and puller engine arrangement | see O-2 Skymaster |
| Raschoska | Russian for "comb", reference to the underwing pylons | see Su-25 "Frogfoot" |
| Rata | Spanish for "rat" | see Polikarpov I-16 |
| Rei-sen | see Mitsubishi Zero | |
| Rhapsody in Glue | see UC-78 Bobcat | |
| Rhino | see F-4 Phantom II | |
| rook | see Su-25 "Frogfoot" | |
| Sabre Slayer | Indian air force reference to its 7-to-2 victories against Pakistani F-86s | see Folland Gnat |
| Sandy | see A-1 Skyraider | |
| San Joaquin Beaufighter | see UC-78 Bobcat | |
| scooter | see A-4 Skyhawk | |
| Slow But Deadly | long form of the "SBD" designation | see Douglas SBD Dauntless |
| Son of a Bitch, 2nd Class | long form of the "SB2C" designation | see SB2C Helldiver |
| Spad | see A-1 Skyraider | |
| The Spade | see He 111 | |
| Spooky | see AC-47 gunship | |
| stealth bomber | see B-2 Spirit | |
| stealth fighter | see F-117 Nighthawk | |
| Stoof | see S-2 Tracker | |
| Super Scooper | see CL-215 water bomber | |
| Tante Ju | German for "Auntie Ju" | see Ju 52 |
| Tarpon | early British designation | see Grumman Avenger |
| Teppichklopfer | German for "carpet beater" | see UH-1 Iroquois |
| Thud | see F-105 Thunderchief | |
| Tin Fin | see Tornado | |
| Tonka | see Tornado | |
| Tupperwolf | a play on tupperware because of its high composite content | see HH-65 Dolphin |
| Useless-78 | a play on the UC-78 designation | see UC-78 Bobcat |
| Viper | see F-16 Fighting Falcon | |
| Voron | Russian for "hawk" | see B-2 Spirit "stealth bomber" |
| Warthog | see A-10 Thunderbolt II | |
| The Whale | see C-46 Commando | |
| whistling wheelbarrow | reference to engine noise and twin boom structure | see Argosy |
| whistling shithouse | see Supermarine Stranraer | |
| whistling tit | see Argosy | |
| whistling turtle | see Fouga Magister | |
| Wichita Wobbler | see UC-78 Bobcat | |
| Wimpy | reference
to J. Wellington Wimpy of Popeye |
see Vickers Wellington |
| Wobblin' Goblin | reference to its supposed instability in flight | see F-117 Nighthawk "stealth fighter" |
| the Wooden Wonder | reference to its plywood construction | see De Havilland mosquito |
| Yastrebok | Russian for "hawk" | see Polikarpov I-16 |
| The Yellow Duck | reference to its yellow color and amphibious role | see CL-215 water bomber |
| Zeke | American reporting name | see Mitsubishi Zero |
| Zipper | see F-104 Starfighter | |
| Zorro | see A-1 Skyraider |