Originally Posted by
pilot64golfer
One person's "dumb nickname" is another person's "tradition".
Most United pilots call it the guppy. Its like calling the F-14 the Tomcat or the F-4 the Phantom.
Not really. Read up on how the manufacturer/DOD come up with a new platform's designated name. It's actually become a standard beuracratic process. Even the name "Lightnig II" was mess.
What you're getting at would be more along the lines of calling the F14 a "gooney bird" or a "turkey" and the F4 a "Rhino". As opposed to what they were designated.
Its tradition to refer to an airplane by something other than the number designation that the manufacture gave it. In WWII even each airplane had its own name. Ever heard of the "Enola Gay"? It was a B-29 Stratofortress.
Apples to bowling balls, not EVERY B-29 was referred to as such, not every P51 is referred to as "Glamorous Glennis", "Old Crow", whatever.