Movie buffs might be familiar with the names Peter Mitchell and Thomas Kazansky, but chances are really good that they’re even more familiar with the names “Maverick” and “Iceman.” Those dope ass handles for the two best “Top Gun” graduates have rightfully superseded their real names. But the U.S. Navy’s best aviators – or any aviators – certainly aren’t born with nicknames. Nope, those are their radio callsigns, a form of military callsign: the names bestowed upon them once they actually became aviators, and they aren’t to be taken lightly because they can stick with a pilot for life.

Military Callsigns

Callsigns are a bonding ritual. They are an exercise in humility. It is a rite of passage for young pilots and naval aviators. What’s most important to know about a military pilot’s radio callsign is that they don’t get to choose it themselves; it is conferred upon them by their peers. Those who try to fight their callsigns will only ensure it stays their callsign. No matter what it ends up being, no one will call you by name: that military moniker will not only be on the radio. It will be on their flight suit, helmet, and email signature, and some of them will get drunk and tattooed on their body during liberty. 

“Selecting your own call sign sunders the entire purpose of a call sign if it’s just some arbitrary ‘cool’ sounding name you want or like,” Jack McCain, ​​a Navy helicopter pilot, former advisor to the Afghan Air Force and son of the late Sen. John McCain (also a naval aviator) told Task & Purpose. “It’s a long-running tradition that is closely held in naval aviation. You’d have a bunch of ‘Blade,’ ‘Laser,’ ‘Razors’ if everyone chose their own.”

History and Tradition

The whole tradition of using a name other than an aviator’s actual name isn’t really clear. Even the Pentagon and its historians aren’t totally sure about where and when it all began. The best origin story goes back to 1930, during the rise of radio communications. Which is a good thing, because World War II wasn’t that far behind, and code names would soon become incredibly important. Pilots were given nicknames in the earliest days of powered flight, but it had more to do with their physical appearance or personality than something their squadron came up with – and they were more like your everyday nickname.

The radio operators of the Second World War didn’t just cover up their own names; the radio was a party line that even the enemy could hear. So the armed forces of the United States came up with callsigns for everything that might be of value to someone who was listening but shouldn’t be: planes, ships, and points on a map were all called by another name. After all, once the enemy figures out your code names, it can lead to catastrophic consequences. Just ask the Japanese, who got curb-stomped at Midway because American codebreakers figured out how and when the Japanese fleet was coming. 

By the time pilots began flying missions over Vietnam, nicknames were still common, but the radio callsign as we know it now hadn’t really become as institutional as it is today. There were also no official naming ceremonies in military units for them. That didn’t happen until the 1980s, and we regret to inform you that they are usually far, far less cool than one might see in “Top Gun,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” or literally any aircraft-pilot movie ever made.

The Naming Process

These nicknames are a rite of passage, as pilots get their callsigns very early on in their careers. It endears them to their chosen profession and vice-versa. When understanding the naming conventions of callsigns and the military peers that bestow this all-important nickname, perhaps the most important thing to know isn’t about the callsign. It’s far, far more important to understand who is giving the callsign. The exercise in humility comes when they actually get their new nickname.

Listen, military personnel are no better or worse people than civilians. They are also not better or worse coworkers. Simply put: more often than not, someone’s callsign will be a comment on their personal appearance or a constant reminder of the biggest mistake of their career or something stupid they were seen doing.  No matter how badly a pilot wants to be “Iceman,” a much more embarrassing name is far more likely.  

Pilots (or naval aviators… Navy aviators love to tell you they aren’t pilots) don’t always get the first callsign someone throws out. People share their stories, inside jokes, and embarrassing moments. Usually, many names are tossed out during a naming ceremony, which can happen almost anywhere. It could be in Times Square during Fleet Week or down at the Keg and Cork in Springfield, Ohio. All that’s required is several unchristened newbie pilots and a quorum of seasoned shipmates, wingmen, etc.

Multiple Choice

Many suggestions will be rejected for not being ridiculous, humiliating, or bizarrely accurate enough. Some are rejected for being too lewd or lascivious and needing to be toned down. No matter what gets tossed into consideration,  there are always plenty of names for your squadron to choose from. They take a vote, and the commanding officer gives their approval. 

For any civilian who might have trouble understanding this, imagine the dumbest thing you’ve ever done at work. Now imagine someone saw you and told all your other coworkers what happened in the middle of the office Christmas party. They mutually agree to give you a nickname based on what you were caught doing. Your boss approves the new nickname. Congratulations: that’s how military personnel get their callsigns. The only rule to the ritual is that the story on which the callsign is based has to be at least 10% true, no matter how embarrassing or small it makes someone feel. 

If that sounds disappointing to anyone who wants to be flying for the United States military, take a second to stop and think. Military aviators are going to be flying a few tons of explosive metal, many of them faster than the speed of sound. All that firepower can very easily go to someone’s head. Just remember what Iceman said to Maverick: “It’s not your flying, it’s your attitude.” So many people join the military to be Maverick, but most (if not all of them) actually become Iceman – and there’s nothing wrong with that. 

No Bad Names

There’s actually nothing wrong with an embarrassing or somewhat derogatory nickname. It can even become integral to someone’s identity. Someone could even go down in history as being known only by their nickname. The name Lt. Col. Gregory Boyington might not ring many bells, but the name “Pappy” Boyington likely does. The legendary World War II Marine Corps fighter pilot and Medal of Honor recipient picked up his nickname because he was more than a decade older than his other wingmen. Generals aren’t exempt, either. Retired Air Force Gen. James Holmes was given the name “Mobile” just because of his last name. Marine Corps Col. Jenna Dolan was the first woman to fly the Harrier II in combat, and her callsign was “Dookie,” and there could be a lot of reasons for that.

YouTuber and pilot Max Afterburner described some of the guidelines from his naming ceremony, including bribery and using “solid” callsigns to keep unit cohesion from becoming unglued. He argued that cool names should be considered, but he reinforced the idea that no one should get to choose their own callsigns. He also talks about the effects a new name can have on a new pilot or naval aviator – and even one instance where a name was upgraded. There are a lot of rules about having a callsign once it’s been bestowed upon an aviator, some are obscure, others vary by unit and branch of service. In the Air Force, for example, once a pilot flies a combat mission with their callsign, it can never be changed.