Airport letter code ?

[traveler]

Okay, there is a discussion going in the bar about airport-codes.
Most of the 3 letter ones do make some sense.
My question is two fold.

1. WHY do the Canadian ones start with a Y ?

WJguy gave his answer in that same discussion:

well, from what I've heard, the Liberal government of the day back in the 1960's thought that a global standardization of airport codes was in the offing, so decided that ANY 3 letter airport code in Canada should start with the same letter ("Y" and no, I don't know why). I think they thought other countries would follow suit (e.g. american bases would begin with a A or a U+a 2 letter descriptor). However, it didn't happen, and so, we end up with the Y in front of our city codes. So, that trend didn't catch on...but hey, we gave the world specialty shooters (i.e. B-52s, Electric popcycles, TKOs, etc.) and premade Bloody Mary mixes (i.e. Mott's Clamato).
Therefore, we may not know airports, but we sure know how to drink up here in the frozen north.

But it doesn’t really say why they picked the Y.
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<font color="black">2. When ICAO came up with 4 letter airport-codes, why did the US get (or pick) the K ? </font color>

:confus_2: curious trav.

[Paddles_up]

Trav,
Not ALL of the US is a "K".
Alaska and Hawaii got a "P" for Pacific.
Why the remainder of the US is "K" beats the hell out of me!
I believe the entire world adopted the ICAO for letter format.
Europe begins win an "E", Mexico with a "M" for instance.

[Mystere IV A]

In reply to:<hr />
Europe begins win an "E"



Well as far as for Europe :

Netherlands : EH
France : LF
Germany : ED
Italy : LI
Belgium : EB
Greece : LG
Spain : LE
Portugal : LP

just to quote some of them .....
So as you can see not all Europe start with letter "E" ...

I am working on it 'cause I don't know the answer "yet" ... :smile_2:

Fly High

[Studley]

In reply to:<hr />
1. WHY do the Canadian ones start with a Y ?



When the three-letter codes were being established, certain special-interest groups and other groups started claiming certain letters.

The U.S. Navy claimed "N" to denote their Naval Air Stations (NAS). The FCC claimed "W" to denote broadcast stations east of the Mississippi River, and "K" to denote broadcast stations west of the Mississippi River.

The Canadian authorities claimed "Y" because it was either the last letter of the alphabet unclaimed, or one of the last.

In reply to:<hr />
2. When ICAO came up with 4 letter airport-codes, why did the US get (or pick) the K ?



"K" was assigned to the USA by the ICAO, and denotes geographic region of the world, with Alaska and Hawaii being the exceptions to this. "C" was assigned to Canada.

For US and Canadian identifiers, ICAO simply attach the prefix to the existing three letters. For example, Albuquerque is "ABQ" to the FAA but "KABQ" to the ICAO.

[Snackpack]

I've wondered about this too. Felicity Munn, in a special article to Sun Media called 'Breaking the Airport Code', wrote:

"When it comes to Canadian airports, for instance, the codes begin with a Y.

It's not that we were far down on the list, it's just that at the time, Y wasn't much used in codes worldwide, so Canadian aviation authorities chose it as a basis for creating uniform and distinctive nationwide codes."

[Snackpack]

Here's a trivia question for you all. What Canadian airport (in the AC network) doesn't start with a 'Y'? Hint: it starts with a 'Z'... :grin:

PS: Please don't ask me why! :confus_2:

[SFOFlyboy]

Well, I think I can answer that one... Bathurst, New Brunswick... You're right Snacky... that one makes NO sense whatsoever...

Just went to the AC website and scrolled thru the destinations... had to disregard the entries for Zurich and Manzanillo tho.. hehheheeheh

[EXASaab]

Someone once told me(I forget who or where I read it) The main reason for the K in front of the 3-letter identifier came about as we started getting those fancy boxes that do all of our navigation.(i.e GPS, FMS) That way when you typed in the fix to navigate to the "computer" would know you meant the airport not the VOR that is say 3 miles from the airport with the same name. This took place in or around 1992-93 when I was working on my private certificate. What the FAA did to help solve some of the problems was to rename those VORs that were not directly colocated on the airport. For example like my home airport TYS Knoxville McGhee-Tyson the VOR is 7 miles Northeast of the airport and up until then it was TYS Knoxville VOR. They renamed it VXV Volunteer VOR. (Since it sits just a few miles from the University :grin:) As well as the CHA Chattanooga-Lovel Field. The VOR is about 3-5 miles Southeast of the airport and had the same identifier and name. To keep the confusion down they renamed it GQO and called it Choo Choo (Chattanooga Choo Choo fame)
I'm sure there are others.
Example...on the FMS in the CRJ you put the departure airport KMEM as well as the destination airport KTYS.
in the direct to field in this example would be MEM meaning the Memphis VOR which is on the field using the same name and 3 letter ID.

Clear as mud?

[Snackpack]

Good job, birthday boy! You win the New Brunswick kewpie doll. Oh wait, that's right, she ended up down in New Orleans. Man, those cajuns! :smirk:

[CD]

In reply to:<hr />
1. WHY do the Canadian ones start with a Y ?



Actually, they don't all start with a Y. Much of the history and explanations provided above are accurate (e.g. the three letter code generally refers to the navigation aid associated with the aerodrome while the full four letter code is the aerodrome itself).

So, all Canadian aerodrome location indicators begin with C. The second letter varies, ranging from:

CAA6 - Smithers BC (Heliport); to
CZWL - Wollaston Lake MB

I didn't count them, but there are 13 pages of aerodrome identifiers in the Canada Flight Supplement and an average of 100 locations on each page.

PS - these do not include water aerodrome identifiers that range from:

CAA5 - Zeballos BC; to
CZSW - Prince Rupert/Seal Cove BC

[lovestofly]

Actually, they don't all start with a Y. Much of the history and explanations provided above are accurate (e.g. the three letter code generally refers to the navigation aid associated with the aerodrome while the full four letter code is the aerodrome itself).

So, all Canadian aerodrome location indicators begin with C. The second letter varies, ranging from:

CAA6 - Smithers BC (Heliport); to
CZWL - Wollaston Lake MB




This is true. Further to it, the "Y" (as in CYYZ) only means that there is a weather observer on site. A "Z" (CZWL) means it doesn't have it's own weather observer, but there is one within 'x' kilometers (I forget the mileage but less than 20 km sounds correct, maybe closer.) Canadian airports that have codes other than CY or CZ don't have weather on site or what is considered "close" by.

Of course, this system only really works when airports are first established. Weather offices come and go, but the names stay the same.

[Mystere IV A]

Welcome on board lovestofly and glad you join us !
Hope and wish you'll have good time in here as we do :smile_2:

Thanks for the information provided about the codes.

Fly High :windsock:
:pilot_2:

[lovestofly]

Thanks Mystere. I'm a longtime reader, but have a habit of sitting in front of this computer too long just reading, let alone responding, so never signed on as a member.

Now that I've taken the plunge I guess I'll *have* to post once in awhile. :wink_2:

[Mystere IV A]

lovestofly wrote :
Thanks Mystere. I'm a longtime reader, but have a habit of sitting in front of this computer too long just reading, let alone responding, so never signed on as a member.

Now that I've taken the plunge I guess I'll *have* to post once in awhile. :wink_2:



Sure you'll have to share with us your knowledge as we are sharing ours and from the mass get out the best !!! :smile_2:

Glad you did the step, and looking forward to read your posts :smile_2:

Fly High :windsock:
:pilot_2:

[Jenny@Nw]

Here's a funny story that has to do with airport codes.
A pilot bought a car with vanity plates on it for his wife.
The letters were "CZI"
Which stood for Crazy Woman, (town in Montana)
This forum is fun, keep it up! :smile_2: