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Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
One flight can have two forms of its name
| On the track | In RT Callsign |
|---|---|
| BAW436 | SPEEDBIRD 436: BAW is the operator code; Speedbird is the radio name used for British Airways in the game. The flight number stays 436. |
| EXS1234 | CHANNEX 1234: EXS is the operator code; Channex is its radio name. A different word does not mean a second aircraft. |
| G-BURJ | GOLF BRAVO UNIFORM ROMEO JULIET: a registration can be used as the callsign. The game spells its letters and leaves out the hyphen. |
These are examples of the game’s naming rules, not a list of aircraft currently flying. R/T means radio telephony: the name used on the radio. In an ASMA reply, RT Callsign is the full radio form for that flight.
A flight name and an aircraft record answer different questions
| Field | What you are matching |
|---|---|
| Callsign and flight number | BAW436 names the flight. 436 is part of that name; it is not the track serial or squawk. A later flight can reuse a name. |
| Registration / REG | The aircraft’s registration, such as G-BURJ. Airline callsigns can differ from the registration; some other flights use the registration as their callsign. |
| Mode S | The six-character address shown for the aircraft, such as 4055C7. Keep starting zeros. Use the Mode S lookup to find its register entry. |
| Aircraft type / TYPE | A model or type code. HS74 is the type code on the game’s G-BURJ record; it is neither the airline code nor an airport code. Use Aircraft Data for type information. |
| Track serial and Mode 3/A | The track serial identifies the scope track. The four-digit squawk is a separate transponder code. Neither is the number after BAW. |
Your player profile callsign is different again: it names you in the game, not one of these aircraft.
Check the same contact in the ATC reply
- Left-click the intended contact and compare its callsign in Flight Info and track serial on the scope data block. If AC Control opened, choose the Flight Info tab.
- With default bindings, press backslash \ to call ATC for that contact. Leave any text field first. Read the ASMA ATC messages.
- Compare the reply’s track label with the contact you selected. Read Operator and RT Callsign when present. In the BAW436 example, SPEEDBIRD 436 is the radio form of the same flight name.
- If the reply redirects you to another controller, follow the controller-call steps. On an open controller line, use the complete displayed callsign or TRACK followed by the actual serial. TRACK 012 is a format example; use your contact’s number.
Use the registration to check the aircraft, not the flight number
- Note the selected contact’s registration and MODE S when available. Open Aircraft Register and replace Search with one complete value.
- Compare REG, MODE S, TYPE and OPERATOR together. In this game reference, G-BURJ and 4055C7 lead to the same HS74 record. That does not mean this aircraft is in your session.
- Read the selected row’s R/T as its operator’s radio-name entry. For this record it is Clewer, but the registration-first naming rule produces G-BURJ as the flight callsign. The register’s R/T entry is not always the complete name shown in an ASMA RT Callsign line.
A register match is one piece of evidence. Keep checking the identification procedure; a familiar operator or callsign does not establish friendly identity.
When the names do not seem to match
| What you see | What to check next |
|---|---|
| A radio word instead of three letters | Compare the full flight number and the reply’s track label. Use the civilian examples above; do not try to match only the radio word. |
| No live track matches | Recheck the live displayed callsign. On an open controller line, try TRACK plus the actual serial. A register search cannot find a live flight by its generated flight number. |
| No RT Callsign line | The reply may not have that information. Compare the available track data and register fields; missing information alone does not make the contact hostile. |
| SHT with Shuttle, or an unexpected number | The game can allocate SHT / Shuttle for British Airways contacts. Numbers are generated within operator-specific rules. They are not a real timetable or reliable proof of the actual route; read the flight plan. |
Keep the full names, track serial and screenshot if the selected contact and reply still disagree. Use the reporting guide. Do not change identity just to make the labels agree.
Try it with one civilian contact
- Choose one civilian contact in your session. Write down its callsign and track serial, then get its ATC reply.
- Explain which part names the flight, which word is the radio name, and which value is the squawk. If something is missing, say that it is missing.
- If MODE S is available, find the register entry and compare the registration and type. Finish by checking that Flight Info still shows the contact you started with. No identity change or aircraft order is needed.