Log books with planes code letters ?

[Brenton]

I saw a photo from a page of a RAAF pilot's log book just now and noticed the pilot recorded the planes code letter and plane type rather than the serial number. The sqn letters where not recorded just the last plane code as in A , B, C etc. I wonder if any RNZAF pilots serving in the Pacific ever did that ? It might help identify some planes from photo's.

[Dave Homewood]

Lots of RNZAF pilots did that, in Europe. In the early operations in the Pacific they seem to have sometimes used the buzz number rather than serial, i.e. on P-40M NZ3072 the buzz number (on the cowl) was 19, so they'd note the aircraft simply as 19 in their logbook. I think that was soon largely discontinued.

The No. 4 SU P-40's had a buzz letter (i.e. G for Gloria), but I have never come across these being used alone in logbooks, they all used the complete NZ serial. RNZAF Corsairs did not fly with code letters in the Pacific - only at Ardmore, and the buzz numbers were almost always the last three digits of the actual serial, so the Corsair pilots all recorded the serial.

[lifeboatadam]

I have seen some log books from 488 squadron with A/C serials, and some with identifying letters. I love stumbling across the latter as it helps cross reference aircraft from photos and the ORB. Can’t seem to work out why each airman used a specific way of recording the A/C he flew in, so suspect it must have been personal preference?

[pjw4118]

Over the years I have seen many logbooks , some with no reference to the aircraft at all , then later in the same book , all the details , so they must have been given the word.
Many pilots logs are sparse , but fighter pilots tend to add all sorts of detail especially about "duff " engines and boost . The most beautiful one I have ever seen was Artie Ashworths , copper plate script all through , even after many ops , where others carry just the bare details . Aircrew logs were meant to contain the aircraft type and serial number for every sortie with no mention of squadron code or letter number.
It gets confusing in big squadrons where there are two with the same letter, making tracking of ops done by a particular airframe difficult , likewise when they come back into service after rebuild having bits of other airframes grafted in . So is it now say BF700 or EK 344 ? From memory the factory serialled the rear fuselage and the rest of the bits came along and joined in.
Regardless, thank goodness we have these logbooks which are a real treasure trove of material that fleshes out the dry ORBs .

Two of the most memorable are from a pilot seeing a V2 launching from a pad in Holland and a great quote following a forced landing , out of petrol , out of height , out of airspeed , out of hope !