It's All in a Name

DDAC Instructor • October 26, 2020

Let's Talk About Planes, Babyyyy

When it comes to designing aircraft, one of the overlooked aspects in the development process is choosing the aircraft’s name. The name has to be something that distinguishes the aeroplane from not only other company’s aircraft, but also their own. Cessna initially named their aeroplanes numerically, generally speaking the larger the plane, the larger the number. They started with Cessna 170 and 180. When tricycle undercarriages become the norm, those nose wheel models had a 2 added, thus creating the ubiquitous C172 & C182 with the ‘Skyhawk’ and ‘Skylane’ moniker also added.
 
Different manufacturers have developed their own naming conventions, with many designs instantly recognisable as belonging to a certain ‘family’ without even sighting the aeroplane. Piper chose words associated with native Americans for their fleet. Tomahawk, Cherokee, Warrior, Navajo & Chieftain are just some of the more obvious examples.
 
Beechcraft, one of the three big general aviation manufacturers, decided on a more regal theme for their aeroplanes. Duchess, baron, queen air and the venerable king air are just some of the examples of the Beechcraft fleet’s royal monikers. When it came to naming the much loved Bonanza in 1947, Beechcraft wasn’t messing around. Bonanza, meaning ‘a sudden opportunity to make money’, lived up to its namesake with it quickly becoming a favourite amongst private pilots. In addition, the scientific definition of bonanza means ‘a rich source of a precious metal’ which is a fitting reflection of its popularity and place within the aviation community, as it is still in production to this very day.

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