Naming Practices
When a plane is named, it is poured over the fuselage. A plane can be named by a capital letter, often written in script, or by the letters naming three non-collinear points in the plane. Nowadays, aircraft are given registration numbers to identify them. For example, British Airways’ first A350 is registered as G-XWBA. Naming a plane can be similar to naming a boat and might be named after personal connections or influences. If a plane has been christened, look for titles on the forward fuselage.
Hawaiian Airlines aircraft names are inspired by constellations, wildlife, and flowers. Some companies have naming contests or use hashtags to maximize public relations exposure. Names on planes make flying less impersonal and more dignified.
Historical Context and Airline Examples
Speedbird is a reference to the logo first used by British Airways’ predecessor airline Imperial Airways, in 1932. Common examples of aircraft include airplanes, helicopters, airships (including blimps), gliders, paramotors, and hot air balloons. Hawaiian Airlines uses names inspired by the natural world of Hawaii. Lufthansa paints their plane names onto the fuselage.
Terminology and Registration
Ships had been the primary means of travel before airplanes, and aviation adopted terms from seafaring: planes are called "ships" and the pilot is the "captain." Distances and speeds use nautical miles and knots.
All planes display a registration number for identification. Tail numbers help pilots and controllers, for example OO-HFE for a Belgian plane. Military planes get nicknames rather than individual names, like B-52 Stratofortress or Memphis Belle.
Space travel risks are more analogous to seafaring, thus terminology like spaceships and space captains has been borrowed. Some airlines still name aircraft, for example, El Al names planes after Israeli places like Jerusalem. Naming special planes attempts to make flying less impersonal.