Fighter Pilot Slang R-Z (US Navy Version)
The last of the kickass fighter pilot slang list. R-Z today. A-F, G-J and L-P can be seen on earlier entries.
US Marine F/A-18A Hornet
Photo by Agustin Anaya
R2D2
A RIO (a reference to Luke Skywalker’s robot backseater in the Star Wars movies).
Scooter
Nickname for the A-4 Skyhawk.
Shoe
Short for “blackshoes,” a derogatory term for nonflying personnel; aviators wear brown shoes.
Spank or Shpank
What one does to a lesser opponent in a dogfight.
Tits Machine
A good, righteous airplane. Current airplanes need not apply, this is a nostalgic term referring to birds gone by. By all accounts the F-8 Crusader was a tits machine.
Up on the Governor
When someone is about to have a tantrum (term comes from the device that keeps the engine from overspeeding
Varsity Play for the Deck
A skillful landing attempt.
Vulture’s Row
A viewing gallery on an aircraft carrier’s island where you can watch flight operations.
Zero-Dark-Thirty
Technically a half-hour after midnight, but commonly used to describe any event that is scheduled to take place after midnight and before sunrise.
USN A-4E Skyhawk
Photo by Unknown
Comments:
credited as a Navy asset. If you'll notice the markings on the fuselage
(VMFA-141); that's a Marine Hornet.
Nothing changes. There's always that 10% that never get the Word.
El Coronel
"2-Block" To break anything beyond repair
Comes from A/C landing fast and heavy on carrier, sending arresting gear piston through cylinder housing and 2 10x10 wooden blocks between cylinder and bulkhead.
"screw (oneself) into the overhead". Overhead is "ceiling" in shipboard spaces.
"Spun up" self explanatory.
Stu the Baghwan
http://www.blueridgejournal.com/navy/lingo.htm#Aircraft