codes applied to Hornets at NASNI? There were about 20 a/c parked in three lines early Jan, and only I read off the following details:
Line closest to ocean: XE572 EA18G (166856), (NH)211 (166426), another, (NG)315 (163737), and another.
Middle line: NG314, --301 & "42" (wingless).
Inner (more active) line: "400" VMFA251, N(J)353, --310, another, VW/-- "RLO2",
"RB53", 'RL03", "RB54", "RK98", "RK92" & "RK94". (OK, 19 a/c)
And while you're at it, there was a stripped C-2 marked "N727"
NASNI is home to the Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP), which does major overhaul/modification work to USN/USMC aircraft (among other things).
When an aircraft is due for work, it is flown there and left, often for months. The a/c is still technically assigned to the squadron. During the overhaul/modification, aircraft are often stripped to bare metal and re-painted. NADEP only applies a generic paint job - no tail codes, squadron insignia or modexs. The a/c's BuNo stays consistent. Once finished, that aircraft usually return to the original squadron, but often are transferred to another Navy or USMC outfit.
So, the XE is from VX9 - yes, even brand-new aircraft are often in need of modification.
The "N"s are from the west coast airwings:
NE is CVW-2
NF is CVW-5
NG is CVW-9
NH is CVW-11
NK is CVW-14
NJ is west coast Fleet Replacement Squadrons
"A" is for east coast squadrons:
AB – CVW-1
AC – CVW-3
AG – CVW-7
AJ – CVW-8
AA- CVW-17
AF – CVW-20 (Reserve Tactical Support Wing)
AD – east coast FRS
When USMC aircraft are assigned to a Navy airwing, they use the airwing tailcode.
Outfits like NSAWC don't have a tailcode and typically have a two-digit modex.
The VW is a USMC jet. The "RB", "RL", "RK" are temporary codes used by NADEP.
The C-12 with "N727" is/was a civilian tailcode.
Hope I've answered your questions.
Now, back to my original pursuit: Is there any way to view the entire Scramble FA-18 database without being a subscriber? I'd like to offer corrections or inputs to it. Cheers! e2
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