# What's your (Call) Sign?



## RCS (Jan 3, 2005)

I stumbled upon this article today, I thought it was pretty cool and funny

Quick. What was Tom Cruise's call sign in "Top Gun?" How about Anthony Edwards, his backseat radar intercept officer in the F-14 Tomcat?

Most fans of the military film are quick to respond with Maverick and Goose. But where do call signs like these come from, and just how are pilots "named?"

Details are scarce concerning the origin of call signs and how the first pilots were named, but the tradition became popular in World War II, said Yvonne Kincaid, an Air Force historian.

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123010685


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

Some call signs I remember from my time in the USAF:

Rhino (an aggressive squadron commander)
Superman (his last name was Kent)
Lightening Rod (struck by lightening)
Scooter (looked like the muppet)
Dog Chow (don't ask me)
Brick (I can only guess)
Not Much (self explanatory)
Oscar (A WSO who had a bachelor's degree in Drama)


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