As radio communications grew in prominence into World War II, so did call signs for planes, ships and occasionally geographic points, said National Naval Aviation Museum historian Hill Goodspeed. Some historians believe aircraft call signs were first used when radio became a commodity around 1930. Several military historians were interviewed for this story, and no one could definitively say how pilot call signs got their start. But those rituals developed slowly over time, and the origins of the tradition are a bit murky. Nowadays, call sign naming rituals for fighter, bomber and other pilots are a pretty formal process amongst the services, which will be detailed later in this article. These pilot nicknames can quickly identify an aircraft or individual, and they also help to confuse the enemy, who might be listening in on your communications. The call sign tradition is celebrated by aviation communities across all military branches. If you've been a fully trained military pilot for more than a few months, chances are that you've scored yourself a call sign by now.
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