Type codes in the database

[AirNav Support]

Thank you Gary for posting. We are very grateful for your teams work and anyone telling you otherwise should be ashamed of themselves.

We echo your comments about the accuracy and the level of changes required and can only hope that anyone using the databases understands the level of complexity around this to make it as close to accurate as possible.

jgrloit,

We originally used static database and from that we use airliners.net and GAS for the updates.

[Brian]

AirNav Support,

So the "Military information" came from the "static database" ?

Sorry you aren't making it very clear where those Military ICAO type codes came.

[CoastGuardJon]

Hi Gary, like 99.9% of us in here, many thanks for all the info., effort and hard work that is put into the DB.    You can please most of the people all of the time, a few most of the time, and then there's those who will never be satisfied - I'm just grateful for the RB, you, AN and this Forum for the superb contribution to my hobby.    THANKS all.

[AirNav Support]

We have added a FAQ:

http://www.airnavsystems.com/forum/index.php?topic=2688.new#new

We will add to that if we get further queries regarding how it works.

Brian,

If you mean the actype table in the database. Then yes it was made from different sources originally and is static (it doesn't change by GAS updates). This is the first time the actype table has been mentioned in terms of updating.

If we get the list jmhayes has mentioned, we can add them.

[DaveReid]

We have added a FAQ:

http://www.airnavsystems.com/forum/index.php?topic=2688.new#new

We will add to that if we get further queries regarding how it works.

Brian,

If you mean the actype table in the database. Then yes it was made from different sources originally and is static (it doesn't change by GAS updates). This is the first time the actype table has been mentioned in terms of updating.

If we get the list jmhayes has mentioned, we can add them.

If you simply want a list of valid ICAO type codes, you can download it yourself from www.icao.int/anb/ais/8643/index.cfm

[AirNav Support]

Thanks Dave, we will try and squeeze that into 2.10

[cessna24v]

Q. AIrnav support - if GAS only supplies the Civ Airframe data - where does the RB Server system get the Military information from?
It looks as though the short-types on that system are incorrect!!!

Just to prevent further confusion, GAS supplies both Civil and Military codes.

I was referring to the strange ones like BC-A etc. which are not and never have been in the GAS DB.
Gary

[jgrloit]

Thanks for the clarification Gary.

I was starting to suspect MY reading of the messages was giving me a misleading conclusion!!!!

I am, at present only interested in the Mode-S to Registration links - the types and Operators can follow later!!!

[Brian]

AirNav Support,
Thanks for making the new topic on "how the database works" Nice to read it on one page.  Just trying to learn everything about it. and these ICAO codes stuff!.

That pages needs more info on how the FAA N-numbers works with Mode-S ID's.
You only talked about UK stuff.  I'm sure you are still working on that page to make it better.


Edit:
You can also link to some other stuff on that new page. I'm sure you can find some links to add that talks about Mode-S and N-numbers on the wiki sites.  Just make it look pretty :)

Another question.  Where did these codes(BC-A, etc. see first post) that is showing up in the radarbox database come from.  Do you have a link to learn more about it.

[DaveReid]

Thanks for making the new topic on "how the database works" Nice to read it on one page.  Just trying to learn everything about it. and these ICAO codes stuff!.

That pages needs more info on how the FAA N-numbers works with Mode-S ID's.
You only talked about UK stuff.  I'm sure you are still working on that page to make it better.

Yes, I'd agree, that's a useful addition.

However one of the examples quoted is a bit misleading:

Mode-S IDs can also change there link to registrations. Example G-EUUT could go out of service and then 401240 is assigned to G-ELLB. This will mean the aircraft details in your local database will be wrong.

The UK never reassigns the Mode S code from an aircraft which has gone out of service.  Other countries such as the US reassign codes from one aircraft to another, but that's only because they reassign registrations, and the FAA matches registrations permanently to Mode S codes.

In fact there are very few examples worldwide of Mode S codes being reused on a different aircraft with a different registration - the only ones I can think of, off the top of my head, would be the Czech Republic which changed its Mode S allocation system from a permanent reg/code match (like the USA) to an ad-hoc one.  This resulted in, for example, code 49D0A3 being reassigned from C172 OK-TEC to B735 OK-XGC.

HTH
Dave

[AirNav Support]

Thanks Dave, we will clarify that paragraph so it talks about change in operators.

Brian,

The ICAO codes are in the actype table in the database. As Dave mentioned the site below can give you a quick view of what they mean.
http://www.icao.int/anb/ais/8643/index.cfm

[malc41]

Dave

When you say never reassign s-codes in the UK, could this be taken that we have a large block and not enough aircraft in this country to use them all up for some time?

[DaveReid]

When you say never reassign s-codes in the UK, could this be taken that we have a large block and not enough aircraft in this country to use them all up for some time?

You could say that   :-)

The UK is allocated just over a quarter of a million codes.  Of those, around 23,000 have been allocated to G- civil aircraft, an unknown number to the military and a handful to the Isle of Man, Bermuda and Caymans.

I think that still leaves quite a few !!

[malc41]

Dave

When you put it that way, they won't run out in my lifetime, no at least while we are in a credit crunch!

So I take it the M- registrations are included with us?

[jgrloit]

I think using UK in the previous message is technically incorrect as the range of radio prefixes and country codes that use the 'UK' allocation are those from the UK and British Commonwealth.
The G-, M-, VP- and other callsign prefixes also stem from the UK and British Commonwealth allocations from the ITU  decades ago!!!