8.2 Callsigns

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL UNITS

8.2.1 The RTF callsign of a ground station is normally the place name of that station to which a suffix is added to indicate the appropriate air traffic control service provided:

Air Traffic Control Service	Suffix
Approach Control Radar (Arrivals) Approach Control Radar (Departures) Precision Approach Radar Clearance Delivery Apron Control Aeronautical Station Aerodrome Control Ground Movement Control Approach Control Radar (in general) Area Control Flight Information	Arrival Departure Precision Delivery Apron Radio Tower Ground Approach Radar Area or Control Information

AIRCRAFT

8.2.2 Aircraft shall be identified by one of the following types of callsign:-

a) The five-letter callsign of a South African registered aircraft spelt out in the word spelling alphabet:

E.g. ZS-ABC – ZULU SIERRA ALPHA BRAVO CHARLIE

E.g. ZU-DEF – ZULU UNIFORM DELTA ECHO FOXTROT

Note: South African registrations maybe abbreviated to only the last 3 letters within South African airspace only, and only if there will be NO callsign confusion with another aircraft on the same frequency, e.g.

ZS-ABC becomes ALPHA BRAVO CHARLIE and

ZU-DEF becomes DELTA ECHO FOXTROT

b) A foreign registered aircraft will be spelt out thus:

E.g. VPABC – VICTOR PAPA ALPHA BRAVO CHARLIE

c) A combination of characters corresponding to the official registration of the aircraft:

E.g. N3578

d) The RTF designator of the airline followed by the aircraft registration,

E.g. BAW GABCD – SPEEDBIRD GOLF ALPHA BRAVO CHARLIE DELTA.

Note: Rarely used

e) The RTF designator of the airline followed by flight number e.g. SAA314 – SPRINGBOK TREE WUN FOWER

f) SAAF aircraft are issued with Mission numbers. For security reasons they are changed often. This mission number will be supplied by the operations room situated at ATSU’s where SAAF units are located.

g) The aircraft type followed by the aircraft’s registration, e.g. APACHE ZULU SIERRA, CHARLIE MIKE WHISKEY.

h) Formation flights; the name of the formation followed by the word ‘leader’ or ‘formation’:

E.g. SPADES LEADER or SPADES FORMATION

8.2.3 After communications have been established some of these call signs may be abbreviated, e.g. some of the above call signs may be abbreviated as follows:

a)  

i) ALPHA BRAVO CHARLIE

ii) DELTA ECHO FOXTROT

b) VICTOR BRAVO CHARLIE

c) N78

d) SPEEDBIRD CHARLIE DELTA

e) The airline designator and flight type of callsign SHALL NOT be abbreviated.

f) Squadron or group designator type of callsign SHALL NOT be abbreviated.

g) APACHE CHARLIE MIKE WHISKEY.

h) FORMATION (abbreviated callsign)