I have been looking at flight NASA918 which is one of those cool 2man T38 jets that astronauts fly around in. From what I see here the plane ended Dec 04 at Ellington Field(Texas) However the very next entry shows it flying from Nasa Shuttle Landing Facility (Florida) to Gulfport-Biloxi
How did it get from Texas to Florida with no entry in Flightaware??
May have flown VFR (Visual Flight Rules) would be my guess.
Allen
It could be that the #918 is assigned to the individual astronaut as his number/callsign that is used when he/she is at the controls. As an example Gulfstream assigns numbers to its flight test/demo pilot corp, and when they fly, regardless of the aircraft registration on the aircraft, they use Gulf Test XX as their call sign. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/GLF83
NASA uses the aircraft registration, less the “NA,” as the call sign.
[quote=“damiross”]
Well…Fine then… 
milaircomms.com/mil_callsigns.html sez differently…
Allen
NASA isn’t military. They have civilian registrations, contrary to what the site above says.
Civilian registrations and callsigns are two different things. Your site doesn’t provide call signs.
DEA and FBI use civilian airplanes but use unique call signs as well as NASA.
First hand experience also contradicts what you say. Hang around Gulfport MS…
Allen
Let me put it this way: The MAJORITY of flights are based on tail number in the same way as EJA’s flights are. There probably are exceptions.
Now, let me ask you something: Does the sun raise in the east? I think it does. (This stupid person wanted to see if you would ever agree to anything I said)
All I ever ask from you is to provide references. Even in this thread, you still failed to provide a reference to back up your statement regarding **call signs. **
As a reminder, your exact words were “NASA uses the aircraft registration, less the “NA,” as the call sign.” Either they do or they don’t.
Even on this post, I am responding to, you fail to back up your opinion using the word MAJORITY with a reference something everybody else can refer to.
Me, on the other hand, not only do I talk from first hand experience from being in the ATC system, I provided an independant reference to back up my position regarding call signs.
Since I am able to verify via independant references OUTSIDE your opinions, yes it does. BTW I would say it rises in the east 
Allen
To me, it would seem the site you quote is just a compilation of military ( assumed ) call signs one fellow has listened to and compiled on his own personal web page. It is in no way complete. VOODOO is a common callsign used for various military flights not included in his site.
flightaware.com/live/flight/VOODOO1
ICE## is listed as Antartica Support Aircraft on his site, but this FA track may tell a different story.
flightaware.com/live/flight/ICE1
NASA, being a civilian organization that happens to have military aircraft in its inventory, would not use a military callsign.
As an aside, the use of the word ’ majority ’ is a great qualifier that accounts for the fact that there are exceptions to just about everything.
Sources: FlightAware (various flights); JP Airline Fleets (various issues up through 2007/08). Comparing the flight IDs in the former with the registrations in the latter, I made the connectin that “NASA uses the aircraft registration, less the “NA,” as the call sign.” This is basically the same thing I did with companies such as EJA.
Gotta have faith, man. Just because I can’t physically see air or God, I know they are both there.
Agree and the second paragraph from the website I provided has (emphasis mine)
"This is by no means a complete list of callsigns and many of the callsigns on this list might be out of date (remember I did say above they can change depending on mission). However a great number of the below callsigns are current and being used today. Many of which I’ve personally heard as recent as 6/17/02."
Call signs are not restricted for just military usage. Angel Flight, Coast Guard, Life Guard are examples that come to mind of non military call signs utilizing civilian airplanes.
Dami in his original posting said Nasa unequivically (sp?) didn’t use NA in their CALL signs. I say differently based on what I hear coming through my radio while in Gulfport TRSA airspace and the website I provided.
Heck, I don’t even vouch for the accuracy of the website I provided, just that was my reference I used. If there is something more current / accurate, I am all ears
My flying experiences does support the use of NASA as a call sign, which will give the website some credance in my opinion.
Not in the way Dami worded it. Yes, I agree there are exceptions, but majority would not be the exception, it would be the rule the way he worded it.
And I am in no position to say whether the majority of NASA flights use NASA as the call sign or not, but I am in the position to say they do use that call sign and much more recently then 2002.
Since Dami sez the majority do not, I would like to know where he gets that tidbit of information.
Allen
NASA may indeed be the callsign, just doesn’t make it military.
Nether the less, as a **blanket statement **in your ORIGINAL post that they don’t use NA or NASA as a call sign, is incorrect.
I won’t belabor the point they may use aircraft registration as I stated in earlier posts, but your original posting was flat out wrong as a blanket statement.
Allen
Agree, I never said NASA was military. The reference may have come from a military oriented website, but I never said it was military.
On the contrary, I gave non military call sign examples along with the NASA call sign.
Allen
The prob here is the the reference you used implied some how, though you may not have meant it to, that NASA uses a military callsign. You may be absolutely correct in the actual call sign they do use, but your reference did not back up your statement. I simply confirmed that dami’s observation was the correct one, that NASA uses civilian callsigns. What they are? That’s why I come here. 
Reference does back up my statement that the NASA call sign is used, that’s all I brought into the arena. Nothing I said or implied on it’s usage.
I never said, and I personally don’t know what usage it’s used for (civilian vs military) other then it’s a valid call sign. I think I have been pretty consistent throughout this thread on this.
Dami’s initial post is incorrect as a blanket statement. He left no grey zone in his initial response.
nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news … 95-12.html shows that NASA uses the call sign in this news release. While it’s an old news release, it’s more then what Dami has provided.
Since Dami claims the majority of NASA flights don’t use the call sign, I’d be very interested in seeing some independant references, and no, his research looking at a limited amount of flights on Flight Aware is not an objective reference since he probably doesn’t have all the data necessary to make that claim.
Allen
Too many issues with your first reference to really back up you statement. The omission of common military call signs plus the inclusion of non military ones really only make the site you refer to a point of interest and not one you can use to back an argument with.
By thie way, I admire George Fetter’s commitment to his hobby and that fact he would take the time to maintain the sites that he does.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/NewsReleases/1995/95-12.html shows that NASA uses the call sign in this news release.
This one is much better as it comes from the source. Primary is always preferable to secondary.
Like I said earlier in my response to you, I don’t vouch for the accuracy of the website…
But it’s something I based my opinion on, and like I said earlier, I am all ears for a better reference if my statement(s) are incorrect or if I interpret something incorrectly.
At least readers of my postings will have more then “just because I say so” because I give my references to how I derived my opinions.
At least I am putting something out there (my sources for my opinions) to back what I say when I refute somebody’s opinion. If it turns out my reference is outdated, then that person should point me in the right direction for the right reference, not just because “they say so”.
Agree 100 percent