registration
The unique alphanumeric identity painted on an airframe, allocated by its country of registry.
Also written
reg
Prefixes are national: N for the United States, G for the United Kingdom, D for Germany, 4X for Israel, VH for Australia. The registration belongs to the airframe rather than the flight, which is why it is the key a spotting logbook is built on and why TailzIN's tail hubs are keyed on it. It changes only if the aircraft is re-registered in another country.
Nearby in Aviation
- pushback — Moving an aircraft backwards off its stand with a tug, because airliners cannot reverse under their own power.
- QNH — The altimeter setting that makes an altimeter read height above mean sea level.
- retro livery — A historic paint scheme reapplied to a current aircraft, usually for an anniversary.
- rotate — Raising the nose at VR to lift the aircraft off the runway.