![]() Possible call signs are suggested by peers and are voted on by the group.”įormer fighter pilots say such events often involve tossing back drinks while throwing around stories about new aviators - the funnier or more embarrassing the better. These stories inspire an individual's call sign. ![]() ![]() “Often these stories recount a challenge, instance or success particular to a member. “Call signs are typically assigned at a unit social gathering in a location like a mess or unit social area,” Thomson said in an email. While call signs can spring up organically like any other nickname, call sign review boards like the one under investigation are a key way that they are assigned.ĭespite their official-sounding name, such gatherings are social events where pilots tell stories about each other. “The call sign has a practical purpose and is used for brevity and quick identification while removing some flight leadership barriers that may arise by rank or position.” They also benefit communications in the air.Īssigning call signs “is meant to foster esprit de corps,” said RCAF spokesman Lt.-Col. The air force says call signs help build a sense of team and identity among fighter pilots and break down barriers between different rank levels. While call signs aren't the exclusive domain of pilots, they aren't widely used in other parts of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Anyone who has been to an air show in Canada and got a close look at a Snowbird or CF-18 might have seen the pilot's call sign written with their real name near the cockpit. Many people would know call signs from the blockbuster “Top Gun” movies, in which Tom Cruise's character is nicknamed “Maverick.” That call sign is a reference to the character's refusal to follow orders and play by the military's rules.Ĭanadian fighter pilots also use call signs. Kenny attributed the decision to an ongoing military police investigation into statements made during what he described as a “call sign review board” held on June 22 at Canada's other CF-18 base, 4 Wing in Cold Lake, Alta. Eric Kenny announced that he was delaying a ceremony to install a new commander at one of Canada's two fighter-jet bases, 3 Wing in Bagotville, Que. OTTAWA - A police investigation into comments made at a social gathering of fighter pilots in June has cast a spotlight on a well-known but little-understood military tradition that some worry is another example of entrenched cultural problems in Canada's Armed Forces: the assignment of call signs.Įarlier this week, Royal Canadian Air Force commander Lt.-Gen.
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